The Parc du 26e Centenaire (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: 26th Centenary Park) is a public park located in the

8th arrondissement of Marseille The 8th arrondissement of Marseille is one of the 16 arrondissements of Marseille, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas r ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It is listed by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

as one of the

Remarkable Gardens of France The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the more than three hundred gardens classified as ''"Jardins remarquables"'' by the Ministry of Culture and the Comité des Parcs et Jardins de Fr ...

Description

The eighteen-hectare garden features a large fountain, a canal with twenty-six fountains, and a long paved terrace, which was once a railroad platform. On the south side of the park, there are four separate gardens: *The Provençal garden, laid out on terraces, which contains the examples of the aromatic plants of

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. *The African Garden, with sand dunes, and a basin of aquatic and

semiaquatic In biology, semiaquatic can refer to various types of animals that spend part of their time in water, or plants that naturally grow partially submerged in water. Examples are given below. Semiaquatic animals Semi aquatic animals include: * Ve ...

plants. *The Arab-Andalousian Garden, with palm trees, a canal, and a fountain. *An English landscape park is organized around a 3000 square metre lake, overlooked by a belvedere, from which it is possible to see the hills of Saint-Cyr and the basilica of

Notre-Dame de la Garde Notre-Dame de la Garde (literally: Our Lady of the Guard), known to local citizens as ''la Bonne Mère'' (French for 'the Good Mother'), is a Catholic basilica in Marseille, France, and the city's best-known symbol. The site of a popular Assump ...

. It also contains the terraces which formerly held the tracks for arriving trains, which have been turned into a rose garden. Other sections of the park contain a playground for children and a cafe. Panorama depuis le parc du 26eme centenaire à Marseille

Panorama depuis le parc du 26eme centenaire à Marseille

History

The park is located on the site of the Gare du Prado, a former railway station, built in the 1860s. By the middle of the 20th century, the station was little used. The land was purchased by the city of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

in 1998. The city planted 6500 bushes and 1500 trees to decorate the park.

External links

Description and photos on the site of the French Committee of Parks and Gardens
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parc du XXVieme Centenaire 8th arrondissement of Marseille Buildings and structures in Marseille Geography of Marseille XXVieme Centenaire, Parc du Provence Tourist attractions in Marseille