The Medici Fountain is one of the most beautiful places in the Luxembourg Gardens. Built back in the 17th century, it looks like a real gem of Baroque architecture amidst greenery and tranquility. It is especially impressive that its creation is associated with Marie de' Medici — it was she who signed the decree on construction. The sculptures near the fountain are striking in detail: a bronze centaur, a marble Galatea in the arms of Acis, and next to it is a bas—relief with Leda and a swan. All this creates an atmosphere of myth, as if you are transported to ancient times. A walk to the fountain is not only a relaxation, but also an opportunity to take vivid photos against the backdrop of picturesque landscapes. The Luxembourg Gardens are beautiful in themselves, but it is the Medici Fountain that gives it its special charm.

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Иван Рогнар

Level 30 Local Expert

Magnificent and unusual, romantic and at the same time gloomy, the Medici Fountain (La fontaine médicis) is considered one of the most beautiful fountains in Paris, while it is a building with a difficult fate. In the 1630s, Marie de' Medici, the widow of Henry the Fourth, built a palace in Paris, in the garden of which Salomon de Brassey and Tommaso Francini built a very beautiful fountain. In 1811, on the instructions of Napoleon Bonaparte, the grotto was renovated by Jean-Francois Chalgren, who replaced one fountain with two streams and added a statue of Venus to it. In 1864, architect Alphonse de Gisors, on the instructions of Baron Haussmann, moved the fountain thirty meters during the reconstruction of Rue de Médicis. He also replaced two statues of nymphs with sculptures representing the Rhone and Seine rivers, restored the Medici coat of arms, damaged during the revolution; inserted fawn and huntress statues into niches, above which he replaced comedy and tragedy masks, removed the statue of Venus and replaced it with a statue of Polyphemus, who looks at the lovers Acis and Galatea. This is how the fountain looks now. There aren't even any words here, what a splendor! I admired it for a long time, while the ducks swam in the water.

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Андрей К

Level 19 Local Expert

A beautiful place

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Fontaine Médicis

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