The Botanical Garden and the adjacent new district is the number one attraction of Bordeaux, suggested by local architects. To be able to fully grasp the concept of a sustainable city and an experimental park, take a modern, low-floor tram cruising from the Old City to the Botanical Garden. While the central part of Bordeaux has always boasted a diverse art and architectural program, a decision was taken few years ago to lay out a park on the relatively undeveloped opposite side of the river. The park is just a part of the project envisaging transformation of the former industrial area into the district of sustainable contemporary architecture. Great emphasis is laid on greening of the territory, which is achieved by massive plantation of trees.
The Botanical Garden, presented at the New York's MoMA in 2005 among the most progressive projects of landscape architecture, actually consist of several smaller gardens. Designed by Catherine Mosbach, it is meant for exploration and acquainting oneself with the biodiversity. A walk there is not just an educational journey into the realm of environmental protection but presents a fine example of the modern way of thinking in landscape design. For instance, old wooden boards, laid as a footpath among the rows of marrows turn out to be made of concrete, making it a conceptual solution in step of traditional vegetable allotments. A smooth surface of a pond mirrors the surrounding landscape, made as natural, meditative area to soothe one's senses. You can also tread along the pathways, laid out in water, to explore the aquatic plants growing there. In other zones of the park, one can see samples of earth, stones and wild plants of various regions of France.
Jardin Botanique de Bordeaux Bastide Esplanade Linné Rue Gustave Carde 33100 Bordeaux www.bordeaux.fr