Posts
What remains of the Siege of Paris in this old theme park?
Most theme parks have a name that promises something, whether it’s thrills and adventure, or a world focused on particular characters. Le Jardin d’Acclimatation (The Acclimatation Garden)…not so much. Maybe that’s part of the reason it’s easy to overlook this charming little theme park located in a corner of the Bois de Boulogne, in the swanky neighborhood of Neuilly sur Seine, which borders Paris. Still, I have to respect the fact that le Jardin d'Acclimatation has held onto its name, branding be damned. It’s a name that goes all the way back to 1860, and has been frequently uttered since then, including during the Siege of Paris. For most historians of the Siege, the Jardin d’Acclimatation is best known as the source of many of the exotic zoo animals that Parisians ate as the long, nearly meatless months went by. But it was created for quite the opposite reason. A sort of collaboration between the Société Impériale Zoologique d'Acclimatation (Imperial Zoological Ac