Jardin Atlantique

From Paris Hotels Reviews

Jardin Atlantique

With its connections to the western ports, Montparnasse was once the great arrival and departure point for boat travelers across the Atlantic, whether impoverished emigrants or passenger on luxury cruises, and for Bretons seeking work in the capital. Brittany’s influence is still evident in the abundance of crêperies near the station, but the Atlantic connection is best evoked by the Jardin Atlantique, a public park actually suspended above the tracks behind the station. Completed in 1994, between cliff-like glass walls of high-rise blocks, it’s remarkable piece of engineering – and imagination. You wouldn’t the station lay below if it weren’t for a few clues. Well-hidden ventilations holes reveal sudden glimpses of TGV roofs and rail sleepers, while the laws – some planted with long coastal grasses – rise and fall in waves to with the irregular placement of the concrete struts below. In the very centre of the garden, the Ile des Hespérides fountain in the favorite spot for children, as well as a giant-scale disguised weather station. The centerpiece column beside the large mirror is in fact a thermometer, thought it hasn’t worked since the record – breaking summer 2003 caused it to burst way beyond its 40°C maximum. Access is via lifts on rue Cdt. R. Mouchotte and boulevard Vaugirard, or by the stairs alongside platform #1.

Facing out onto the garden, the tiny Musée Jean Moulin (daily except Mon 10am-6pm; €4) may be worth stopping in at if you’re waiting for a train to Chartres. It gives a rather dry potted history of the Resistance illustrated by a few photos, posters and newspapers, with a special section of Jean Moulin, wartime perfect of Chartres and hero of the Resistance.