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Parc Borely. Picture By Jagger~dewiki (Diskussion).

Top 10 Fascinating Facts about Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â

Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â is one of the oldest parks in Marseille and is just beside the Prado Seaside Resort.

Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â is a public municipal park in the city of Marseille, France. It is classified by the Ministry of Culture as one of the  Remarkable Gardens of France.

The park is 17 hectares in size. It adjoins the  Jardin botanique E.M Heckel. The Parc Borely has  Some fascinating facts.

Let us look at some of the fascinating facts about Parc Borely;

1. Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â has three different gardens

Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â, One of the Gardens. Picture By Arnaud 25.

Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â has three different gardens; a  Garden la Francaise, facing the bastide, composed of two lawns, a circular basin and a rectangular basin, and double rows of trees, between the avenue du Prado and the gates of the park:

An English landscape garden, on the east side of the park, surrounds a lake and is decorated with statues, a fountain, a cascade, and a playground. It also featured a miniature of the basilica of  Notre Dame la Garde.

A recently renovated race track. The other two parts of the garden are connected to the sea by a promenade and to the neighboring botanical garden.

2. The park was created by Joseph Borely

Portrait de Louis-Joseph Denis µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â. Picture By Philippe Henri Coclers van Wyck.

The park was created in the 17th century by a French ship owner and merchant, Joseph Borely, who bought land for a country house, the  Chateau Borely, in the area of Marseille called Bonneville.

The estate was enlarged in the 18th century by Joseph µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â, who constructed a bastide, or Provençal country house, on the Domaine.

When Louis-Joseph µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â inherited the Domaine in 1770, he commissioned the landscape architect Embry to create a Garden à la française.

3. Architect Adolphe Alphande designed the  park

Adolphe Alphand Roll Petit Palais. Picture By Marie-Lan Nguyen.

In the middle of the 19th century, the land passed first to Paulin Talabot, director of the new PLM railroad which connected Â鶹APP to Marseille; and then the land was acquired by the city of Marseille.

The city commissioned landscape architect  Adolphe Alphande to design a park with three distinct parts; a French garden, an English landscape park, and a track for horse racing by the side of the sea.

A number of wooden pavilions were constructed; just one remains, the former pavilion by the lake, which had also served as a botanical laboratory of the Institut Colonial.

From 1880 until 1915, the park was the site of a botanical garden, which moved to a different site adjoining the park. In 2002, a promenade of two hectares was laid out between the park and the sea.

4. Parc Borely  has a promenade along the beach

Today, the Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â also has a promenade along the beach, where the park’s greenery meets the sea on the Escale µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â side.

There are also many rollerblading enthusiasts there. If you want to join them, you can always rent a bike, or why not a Vélib Marseille? And if you want to do something different, segway rental is for you! But be careful to keep your balance.

5. µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â park hosted an event dedicated to aviation

In 1910 the µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â park hosted an event dedicated to aviation; when an airplane flew over Marseille for the first time.

Since 1962 the park has held the biggest ±èé³Ù²¹²Ô±ç³Ü±ð competition in the world,  bringing together nearly 12,000 players. The park has been referred to in several of Marcel Pagnol’s novels.

6. The Park is a tourist attraction site

Tourists in the Parc Borely. Picture By Georges Seguin (Okki).

The juxtaposition of the park and the French garden gives µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â an additional charm. Its paths are very popular with joggers and walkers who also enjoy strolling through the rose garden or discovering the rare species of the botanical garden.

The lake, its pier, its refreshment bar and its restaurant (awaiting a new manager) complete the multiple attractions of the site. µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â is also a children’s paradise with two playgrounds.

In 1995, the 19th-century rock waterfall was chosen to serve as a setting for Jean-Michel Folon’s original work “L’Homme aux Oiseaux”. In the same year, an educational trail was set up to discover the various treasures of the park.

The signposting of the plants presents the most remarkable trees in the park. The identification of the birds of the lake is approached in a similar way.

7. Borely hosts the famous Mondial de la Marseillaise

 Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â now offers visitors, depending on the season, a permanent exhibition of plants in the thematic form: a garden of climbing plants, a garden of medicinal plants reconstituted from a cloister garden of the Middle Ages, a garden of plants succulents, a garden devoted to South African flora and its greenhouse, a Japanese garden… Once a year, µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â Park also hosts the famous Mondial de la Marseillaise, a renowned ±èé³Ù²¹²Ô±ç³Ü±ð competition. Its proximity to the beaches (direct access by a small path, follow the sign) makes it a haven of freshness in the middle of summer.

8. Borely Castle is situated in the Parc

The park covers 17 hectares and consists of an English garden, a French garden, a rose garden, and a botanical garden named after its founder E.M. Heckel.

Alongside, the park runs a racetrack which was open in 1860. At the heart of the park, right by the French garden, is the µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â castle, built in the 18th century by a wealthy family from Marseille.

Today the castle is classified as a historical monument and since 2013 it has housed the Museum of Decorative Arts.

9. Parc Borely covers a vast piece of land

The vast Parc Borely. Picture By Arnaud 25.

Before you head to Parc µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â, there are a few factors to keep in mind. It’s about 17 hectares in size, so set enough time aside to explore it all. Additionally, it’s not open 24/7, so you won’t be able to make any visits at night.

While you’re in the area, you may want to visit some of the most iconic surrounding destinations as well.

Several beaches including Plages du Prado and Plage de Bonneveine are well within a short walk to the west. To the east, you can visit some impressive botanical gardens.

10. Parc Borely also hosts the Musée des Arts

Château µþ´Ç°ùé±ô²â, also hosts the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, de la Faïence et de la Mode (Museum of Decorative Arts, Earthenware and Fashion) exhibiting furniture, tapestries, ceramic, clothes, accessories, rare exotic items, and works of art from the 18th century until today.

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