Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux in Paris
This is one of three squares located at the Place Denfert-Rochereau and is dedicated to a French architect, yet in this square that is laid out as an English style garden you can see the historical buildings of the old tax offices, plus there is also a statue dedicated to Ludovic Trarieux who was a French politician.
About Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux
Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was first created back in 1894 within the old enclosure of the barriers by the Wall of the Farmers-General, which was a wall constructed with toll houses to obtain taxes on goods coming into Paris.
You will also find this is one of the squares in Paris that was actually designed as an English style garden, planted with different beautiful trees including a cherry, honey locust and hazel along with numerous floral decorations. These are positioned between the curving or meandering paths and lawns that are typical of this garden style, compared to the French gardens with their formality and straight lines, such as those of the Jardin du Luxembourg located close by.
But one of the reasons that the name of Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was decided upon, was due to the fact that while you are relaxing on one of the park benches, you will be able to see the two old tax office buildings often referred to as the Pavillon Ledoux or the Barriere d’Enfer. These were designed by this French architect, along with others such as La Rotonde de la Villette, which are all now classified as historical monuments in Paris.
Now something else you will be able to discover within the Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux is a statue group that was dedicated to Ludovic Trarieux who was a French politician and founder of the League of Human Rights, to ensure that people who had their rights violated, such as being wrongfully accused, were supported and could seek help.
This particular statue in Paris was produced by the artist and sculptor Jean Bucher along with the architect V Lesage, and it was first inaugurated within the Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux in the May of 1907.
Originally there was a bronze sculpture depicting a bust of Ludovic Trarieux located on top of the statue group, however, this was one of the many bronze statues in Paris that received the fate of being melted down during the occupation of Paris by the Germans in World War II.
Yet you can still admire the rest of the stone statue called the Monument Ludovic Trarieux along with plenty of flora within the Place Denfert-Rochereau area that also contains the Lion de Belfort monument in its centre.
Visiting Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux
Now as we have mentioned previously, the Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux is located within the Place Denfert-Rochereau, which is located in the 14th Arrondissement, and is one of three different square style gardens in Paris located within the main square, which is also a major intersection.
You may be pleased to know that there is WiFi located within the square along with a water point, as this square has one of the many free drinking water fountains for filling up your water bottles.
In addition to this, the Square Claude-Nicolas Ledoux is totally accessible to the disabled and it is open 24 hours a day, every day and is a great place to relax after a visit to one of the popular museums in Paris located close by such as the Musee Jean Moulin or the Catacombes de Paris.
When it comes to getting here via public transport in Paris, you could utilise the Paris buses and bus lines 38, 59, 64, 68, 88 and 216 or the Noctilien night buses via lines N14, N21 and N122.
There is also the historical Gare Denfert-Rochereau train station serving Metro line 4 and line 6 in addition to this serving the RER trains for the RER B line that will get you to Charles de Gaulle airport and other tourist attractions in Paris and around within the Ile de France region.
Additionally, there is the Orly Bus, which is a dedicated shuttle bus for getting to Orly Airport, with the stop being located right outside the oldest train station in the city and by the Cafe Oz.
