Montsouris

Parc Montsouris stands out for the massive, jagged limestone quarry that once occupied this southern edge of Paris. In the eighteen sixties, Napoleon the Third commissioned Adolphe Alphand to transform this hollowed-out site into a lush English-style garden. Workers hauled in tons of dirt to cover the unstable ground, creating the rolling hills and lake visitors enjoy today. During the park's opening, the centerpiece was a full-scale replica of a Tunisian palace that later burned to the ground during a renovation.