The gardens of Europe

It’s time to reconnect with the surrounding beauty and enjoy your stroll through the gardens of Europe. This English-style park has seen many changes. In the Middle Ages, it was home to the so-called “health huts”, built on small islands lost in the middle of the marshes. People were quarantined here during epidemics! Doesn’t our lockdown during Covid-19 seem immediately more comfortable? In the 17th century, the Nemours family, a younger branch of the House of Savoy, acquired the land and turned it into a promenade. Later, the gardens were given to the nuns of the Order of the Visitation, who turned them into an enclosed garden linked to their convent. Then came the Revolution and all the property of the clergy became part of the national domain. In the 19th century, the City Council launched a major landscaping competition and the gardens took on their present form. Numerous benches invite you to sit and contemplate. That’s what it’s all about. Taking time to admire. Marvel at this ever-changing landscape, the play of light, the quiet power of the mountains and the stillness of the lake. Being here and now; soaking it up. In the gardens you’ll find various works of contemporary art. They are the product of several years of the “Annecy Landscape” festival, which has transformed the town into an open-air museum every summer since 2018. Each year, some of the works are chosen to be set permanently, giving Annecy a new dimension in its urban landscape, on the theme of balance between city and nature. I’ll leave you to discover them at your leisure during your visit to the gardens.