The Parc Montsouris was one of four urban green park spaces planned for each cardinal direction under the French Emperor Napoleon III. After the Revolution and the many urban uprisings that followed, Napoleon III undertook a massive revitalization of the capital. The Parc Montsouris, located in the south of Paris, was officially inaugurated in 1875. The most important architects of the day helped plan it — Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand and Georges-Eugene Haussmann. While archetypical French-style gardens are orderly and symmetrical, the Parc Montsouris was styled like an English landscape garden, very natural and lush. Faux watery cascades and small lakes appear alongside grassy hills and marble and metal sculpture where Parisians have enjoyed the outdoor space ever since.
