Description
The attractions of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont are numerous. The park includes several cliffs and bridges, a grotto that encloses a 20-metre-high waterfall, a lake, and several English and Chinese gardens.
The most prominent feature is the belvedere of Sybil, which sits atop a 30-metre rocky peak at the top of an island partially surrounded by a lake. The belvedere, added to the park in 1869, is a Corinthian-style monument, modeled after the ancient Roman Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy.
A 63-meter-long suspension bridge, renovated in 2009, crosses the lake and allows access to the island. A 22-meter-high bridge, known as the "suicide bridge", allows access to the belvedere from the south side of the park.
The park boasts many varieties of indigenous and exotic trees (many of which are Asian species): in particular, several cedars of Lebanon planted in 1880, Himalayan cedars, Ginko Biloba, Byzantine hazelnuts, Siberian elms, European hollies, and bamboo-leafed prickly ashes, among many others.
The main entrance to the park is at Place Armand-Carrel where the mairie (town hall) of the 19th arrondissement is located. There are five other large gates to the park: Porte Bolivar, Porte de la Villette, Porte Secrétan, Porte de Crimée, and Porte Fessart, as well as seven smaller gates on the park perimeter.
The park currently hosts three restaurants (Pavillon du Lac, Pavillon Puebla, and Rosa Bonheur), two reception halls, two Guignol theatres, two Waffle Stands. Notably, in 1892, the two Guignol theatres were established in the park and have become popular attractions for generations of visitors. In addition, as part of a city-wide wireless internet-access scheme, the park has activated four wi-fi zones.
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