Steep paths, a lake, and a temple perched on a rocky island give Buttes-Chaumont the feel of a countryside landscape inside Paris. That scenery was engineered on the site of a gypsum quarry, making the park’s natural-looking forms a feat of urban design.
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The rocky island and its small temple look like features of an older landscape, but this park was deliberately composed. Buttes-Chaumont opened in 1867 on a former gypsum quarry whose steep, unstable ground had to be reshaped.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The park opened in 1867 on a former gypsum quarry.
- The Temple of the Sibyl was built in 1866 by Gabriel Davioud.
- The terrain’s quarry foundations require continued stabilization and repair.
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