This may be judged Europe's most romantic public park, opened in 1864. Since it was made in a disused quarry, it is also a prime example of how industrial land can be recycled. Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand's plan implies a calm mood, but Buttes Chaumont approaches the drama of a Delacroix painting. There are high cliffs, great trees, a 30 m waterfall and an iron bridge which springs from a cliff face to a pinacle crowned by a temple. In landscape design, as in many of the fine arts, romanticism began in the eighteenth century and reached its zenith in the nineteenth century.

It’s a favourite with Parisians, who come here to practise t'ai chi, take the kids to a puppet show or simply to relax with a bottle of wine and a sundown picnic.

The most famous feature of the park is the Temple de la Sibylle, inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, Italy, perched at the top of a cliff fifty metres above the waters of the artificial lake.

Most of the architecture of the park, from the Temple de la Sibylle, the cafes and gatehouses to the fences and rain shelters, was designed by Gabriel Davioud, chief architect for the city of Paris. He created a picturesque, rustic style for the parks of Paris, sometimes inspired by ancient Rome, sometimes by the chalets and bridges of the Swiss Al.