The Complexe du Parc Central in New Bordeaux is the expansive park system at the heart of the city which surrounds the main palace. In the shape of a giant square, the park is connected to the rest of the city via a system of three large avenues on each side. Each avenue connected to the park is named after and celebrates an animal common to a region of the Empire of Australia. The park is bounded by Chemin du Parc which encircles the entirety of the park. The Outer Ring of the park is open to the public. The Inner Ring is bounded by Lac Aquitaine, which itself encircles the private Empress’ Park which surrounds the Great Palace.
The Complexe du Parc Central is a masterpiece of urban planning that spans approximately 400 hectares in the heart of New Bordeaux. The park system, designed by renowned landscape architect Jacques-Marie Belmont in 1873 during the reign of Eleanor XXVII, features a perfect square layout with sides measuring exactly 2 kilometers.
The twelve grand avenues (three on each side) that connect the park to the city are each 60 meters wide and feature double rows of mature kauri trees. These avenues are named after regional fauna:
North Side:
– Avenue du Kiwi (North Island)
– Avenue du Tuatara (Cook Strait)
– Avenue du Weka (South Island)
East Side:
– Avenue du Kangourou (Western Australia)
– Avenue du Koala (Eastern Australia)
– Avenue du Dingo (Central Australia)
South Side:
– Avenue du Thylacine (Tasmania)
– Avenue du Wombat (Victoria)
– Avenue du Diable (Tasmania)
West Side:
– Avenue du Kākāpō (Fiordland)
– Avenue du Tui (Wellington)
– Avenue du Moa (Canterbury)
The Chemin du Parc, which encircles the entire complex, is an elegant 30-meter wide boulevard featuring distinctive blue-stone paving and Art Nouveau lampposts designed by Marcel Giroux in 1902.
The Outer Ring contains various public amenities including:
– Les Jardins Botaniques Impériaux
– L’Arboretum Eleanor XV
– Le Grand Carousel de Bordeaux
– La Place des Festivals
– Les Serres Tropicales
Lac Aquitaine, measuring 100 meters wide, forms a perfect circle between the Outer and Inner Rings. The lake is home to black swans introduced from Western Australia and features ornate bridges at cardinal points.
The Inner Ring, known as the Empress’ Park, is a private 400-hectare sanctuary containing:
– The Great Palace
– The Winter Gardens
– The Imperial Stables
– The Palace Guard Barracks
– The Private Chapel of St. Eleanor
New Inventions List:
1. Jacques-Marie Belmont – Landscape architect who designed the park in 1873
2. Marcel Giroux – Art Nouveau designer who created the park’s distinctive lampposts
3. Les Jardins Botaniques Impériaux – Imperial Botanical Gardens in the Outer Ring
4. L’Arboretum Eleanor XV – Named after Eleanor the Fifteenth
5. Le Grand Carousel de Bordeaux – Historic carousel in the Outer Ring
6. La Place des Festivals – Public event space
7. Les Serres Tropicales – Tropical greenhouses
8. The Winter Gardens – Private gardens in the Inner Ring
9. The Imperial Stables – Part of the palace complex
10. The Palace Guard Barracks – Military installation protecting the palace
11. The Private Chapel of St. Eleanor – Religious building in the Inner Ring
12. Blue-stone paving – Distinctive paving material used in Chemin du Parc