Cimetière des Batignolles

The Cimetière des Batignolles opened its gates in eighteen thirty-three, serving initially as a small, local burial ground for the commune of Batignolles-Monceau. As the population grew and the area was eventually absorbed into Paris, the cemetery expanded into the eleven-hectare space you see today. While it is now a peaceful park filled with nearly nine hundred mature chestnut and maple trees, its geography was permanently scarred in the late nineteen sixties by the construction of the Boulevard Périphérique. This major ring road was built directly over a section of the cemetery, forcing the relocation of many graves and creating a stark contrast between the quiet resting place and the constant roar of passing traffic.