Parc des Buttes Chaumont - le carrousel

Carousel in Parc des Buttes Chaumont

It was only on my third visit to this park 

that I discovered the petite, colorful carousel.  

The top makes me think of le Petit Prince 

with its stars, moon, and rocket ship.

The rides are over-sized rabbits, cats, and other animals, 

along with a rocket and a fire truck.

The park itself is beautiful, particularly in the spring, 

but has a checkered past.  

It is close to Gibet de Montfaucon, 

a notorious site where criminals were hanged 

and their bodies put on display 

from the 13th century until mid-18th century.  

After the French Revolution it became a refuse dump,

and then a spot for cutting up horse carcasses.  

Baron Haussmann chose this site for a new park 

for the rapidly growing population of the 19th and 20th arrondissements.

Work began in 1864 and the park was opened on April 1, 1867.  

To see the park today one would never imagine its nefarious history.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

75019, Paris

Métros Buttes Chaumont et Botzaris