The two islands in the middle of Lac Daumesnil feature a jagged, man-made grotto built for the Universal Exposition of eighteen sixty-seven. Napoleon the Third commissioned this park, and his engineers moved rocks from the forest of Fontainebleau to construct the artificial caves and waterfalls. One of the islands holds a small wooden temple brought all the way from the island of Java. The emperor intended the park to provide a breathing space for the working people of eastern Paris.
Les îles du Lac Daumesnil
park garden