Garden of Personalities (Jardin des Personnalités)
About Garden of Personalities (Jardin des Personnalités)
A 10-hectare landscaped public garden built on a former Seine estuary mudflat, inaugurated in 2004. The garden features unique boat-shaped flower beds with bronze busts at their center, honoring over 18 notable figures connected to Honfleur including painters Eugène Boudin and Claude Monet, composer Erik Satie, poet Charles Baudelaire, and explorer Samuel de Champlain. Visitors can stroll through ornamental basins, cross a Japanese-style bridge, admire rose collections, and rest on expansive lawns shaded by mature trees. The 4.3 km walking loop takes approximately one hour. Open daily year-round from 8 AM, with extended hours until 9 PM during summer months. Dogs are welcome.
Interesting Facts
The garden was built on reclaimed land that was once a tidal mudflat where the Seine River meets the English Channel. The soil had to be specially treated and reinforced before any planting could begin, a process that took several years before the 2004 inauguration.
Eugène Boudin, one of the honored personalities, was born in Honfleur in 1824 and became known as the 'King of Skies' for his masterful depictions of clouds and seascapes. He was the first to encourage a young Claude Monet to paint outdoors, effectively launching the Impressionist movement.
The garden continues to grow: in June 2010, busts of novelist Françoise Sagan and actor Michel Serrault were added. Both had strong connections to Normandy, with Sagan famously writing at her Normandy estate and Serrault spending his final years in the region.
Planning Your Visit
Opening Hours
Location & Practical Info
Address
Boulevard Charles V, Jetée de l'Ouest, 14600 Honfleur, France
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