Parks and gardens

Nancy is a city of parks and gardens, quite naturally, as part of its long horticultural tradition. It is a pleasure to walk through these green and verdant areas that bring to life many great periods in Nancy’s past; enjoyable, very varied and surprising visits for all. Did you know that Nancy is home to 22,000 trees and 125 flower displays covering some 12,000m², set off by a further 1,525 basins and jardinières? It has 330,000 bedding plants in summer, with only 185,000 in autumn and spring, not counting the 40,000 bulbs..

	The Pépinière Park In 1765, Stanislas gave orders for royal plant nurseries to be laid out along the city’s ramparts. Originally created to raise trees to be planted along the main roads in Lorraine, it consists of 16 beds. In 1835 the royal nurseries were transformed into a public park, but the original layout was retained. Today, it is a 50-acre park in the heart of Nancy, a source of oxygen for the city and a perfect place for a stroll or just lying on the grass...
	Saint Mary’s Park The Parc Sainte Marie is Nancy’s second largest park. In the heart of the Ecole de Nancy area, next to Nancy’s heated swimming pool, it was originally planted by the Jesuits in 1620, who named it after Saint Mary. In 1808 it became a private park and was beautifully landscaped and planted with the impressive specimen trees you see today: weeping sequoias, tulip trees, cedars, oaks...
	Olry Park Mr Achille Olry was a plant enthusiast, and by the time he ceded the park to the city in 1913, he had landscaped it and planted a number of magnificent trees: plane trees, beeches, oaks, yews, chestnut trees, Ginkgo bilobas... This very peaceful area also has a children’s play area...
	Dominique Alexandre Godron Garden Created by Stanislas in 1758, it was Nancy’s first botanical garden. It remained a botanical garden until 1993 when the collections of plants were transferred to a much larger area, the Montet Botanical Gardens on the outskirts of Greater Nancy. The Godron Garden is now used for educational purposes presenting the public with collections of carefully labelled flowering plants suitable for private gardens.
	The Water Gardens In the area on the edge of the Meurthe-Canal and Stanislas-Meurthe wards in Nancy, the gardens were inaugurated on 12 July 1996. Designed by Alexandre Chemetoff, its fountains and foliage offer an impressive all-year-round display. The pools are most unusual, full of fascinating aquatic plants. The gardens are ideal for a stroll or for just dreaming in the sun....
	The Ecole de Nancy Museum Gardens Today’s gardens are all that is left of Eugène Corbin’s 12-acre plot- he was the industrialist who had the gardens laid out in 1909. When you visit the Museum, make a point of strolling through this peaceful little garden planted with the iconic hogweed from the Caucuses, and above all plants from collections created by the famous Nancy horticulturists Victor Lemoine and François Félix Crousse.
	Blondlot Park This park was left to the people of Nancy in 1932. It is split into two distinct parts: an undulating landscaped garden and more classical French garden. This green haven of peace has several beautiful trees: chestnuts, a Gingko biloba, a magnolia, a fig tree and a number of maples. It has a play area for children from 3 to 7 years old.
	The Cure d'Air Park On the heights above Nancy, you will discover a six-acre park with a very large collection of old-time apple and pear trees. With swings for the young, the park has a magnificent view over Nancy; on fine days you can even see the blue line of the Vosges mountains.
	Charles III Park Laid out in 1981, this modern park is in the heart of Nancy’s Charles III ward. Numerous facilities make it a delightful place for active youngsters. The omni-sport pitch and play areas are open to all members of the public.
	Bonnet Park If you walk through the streets of the charming and very authentic Boudonville area in Nancy you are bound to come across its park, a donation from Mr Bonnet to the people of Nancy in 1975. Its classic layout leads you to many peaceful and even secret spots.
	Saint Mansuy Park This green and pleasant area is well-known to the people who live there for its copy of the Lourdes Grotto built in 1882 and renovated in 2003. Why not come and relax in the park where nature is king, not far from a very busy main road.
	Gentilly Park This 13-acre green and verdant area lies between Avenue du Rhin and Rue Guynemer on the hills overlooking Nancy. Near the Gentilly swimming pool, the park has numerous sports facilities, including football and training pitches.
	The Citadel Garden The many tall trees provide very welcome shade in this secret garden of only 1500 sq yds. Originally laid out in medieval times, but influenced by the Renaissance, this is a garden of aromatic and medicinal plants. Backing onto the Citadel Gate built by Charles III in 1598, formerly part of the ramparts of the Old Town of Nancy, this tiny garden has a unique atmosphere.
	The Belvedere Gardens The breathtaking Belvedere Gardens look out over Nancy’s rooftops. A contemporary garden, laid out in 1992 on the site of a disused reservoir it was designed as an orchard of flowering fruit trees (decorative cherry, plum, pear and apple trees); the gardens take full advantage of the shape of the hill.
	The Palais du Gouvernement Gardens Go through a gate in Pépinière Park and you are suddenly in the Palais du Gouvernement Gardens. They are delightfully laid out, with fragrant, soft-coloured flowers, but it is above all the majestic trees that will impress you: hundred-year-old maples and copper beeches, plane trees with trunks over 16-ft in circumference that date from the construction of the Palace over 250 years ago.