Jardin de Ville

You have just entered the “Jardin de Ville”, City Garden in English, a little piece of nature at the heart of the city. It’s a typical example of a Classic French Garden, with a wooded area of plane, chestnut, and lime trees on one side and a flowered area of roses, palm trees, and orange trees on the other. Before the 17th century, it was a meadow known as the Treasury Meadow. It was used for fairs and occasionally turned into a garden for distinguished guests such as Catherine de Médicis, who went for a walk through it during her visit to Grenoble. It was the Duc de Lesdiguière, whose house overlooked the park, who ordered the transformation of this vast meadow into a private garden at great expense. A little further to the right, you’ll see a statue of Hercules on a pedestal in the heart of the botanical garden. It is a representation glorifying the famous Lesdiguières. He faces his former home, now occupied by the Maison de l’International and the public library. In 1719, the city acquired the gardens and the duke’s former palace, which became the town hall. At the time the precious gardens were open only to a few notables but were not considered as a real public place. This only happened in 1867. Today, the “Jardin de Ville” is one of the oldest gardens in Grenoble and is very popular because of its proximity to several places of interest. The cable car, the Hôtel de Lesdiguières, and the Gagnon appartement, which houses the Musée Stendhal. A museum dedicated to the life and work of Grenoble’s most famous writer, obviously recommended to all who which to more about the man behind the books. By the way, I’d like to take this opportunity to put an end to the debate about the pronunciation of his pseudonym. Everyone has heard it pronounced differently, depending on their literature teacher. The author’s real name was Henry Beyle. He chose his pen name in connection with a German city, near which he experienced a great passion with his partner at the time. He added an “H” and wished for it to be pronounced “Standal” to rhyme with scandal. He even wrote to his friends that he was going to “standalize” them, already playing with words in this way. So let’s respect his wishes and instead of reading or re-reading your classics, you can go and greet him in the house where he grew up. The entrance is free!