Sunlight casts a neon glow on green hedges that carve paths to the French garden. Narrow and quick, their ends reveal a 17th century geometric inspired storybook Eden. Dirt paths lined with flower beds lead you through thin wooden arches graced with vines and pink roses. Deeper into the garden a small orchard
houses various pears and apples. Beyond the French garden, around the greenhouse, following the brown wooden path lies the Vosges Forest. Filled with thick, deep green deciduous trees, this forest paid homage to Albert Kahn’s childhood.
Original owner of the garden, Albert Kahn was a French banker turned philanthropist. In 1893 he purchased four-hectares in Boulogne, just outside of Paris, France showcases gardens from around the world.
On the edge of Vosges forest is the meadow and Golden Forest. Filled with spruce and birch trees, the meadow is ruled by native and seasonal wildflowers. The diversity of plants continues into the Blue forest occupied with atlas cedars and Colorado spruces. The rest of the plants are native to the area. Beyond the forests rests the English garden, most noted for its variety of vegetation and fountains. The final garden is the staple image of all four- hectares: the Japanese garden.
On the other side of the rose filled French arches, resides a breath into Japanese serenity. Designed to model a traditional Japanese village, a stream filled with koi fish and lily pads relax the ears with the sound of water flowing against sunlight stricken crystal boulders. On one end of the stream, women sit on stones with Japanese umbrellas and pose near the school of koi fish for photos. Near them, two teenagers sit on rocks edging the water discussing their summer plans. Along the middle of the stream, a giant tree shades a couple of benches where a teenager is sketching. Right next to the tree, is the iconic red bridge. The bridge that appears on Google Images when you search the Albert Kahn garden. The bridge on all of the postcards and tote bags in the gift shop. In the middle of the afternoon, the red of the bridge brightened in the sunlight as fashion students posed on it. On the edge of the stream, couples stroll hand in hand while children run up and down patches of grass and hop on and off stones.
The peace radiating throughout the gardens was no coincidence. Not only did the landscaping and flowers add natural harmony, but you could feel the essence of joy evaporate off of everyone present.
I had the chance to speak with two women strolling in the garden, Brigid and Linda. Both frequented the gardens at different times in their lives. Brigid shared that as a child, six decades ago, she and her friends “[…] would play hide and seek in the Japanese garden. There were always lots of children here.” She said the garden mostly looks the same from her childhood, but it’s more refined now. And Linda, a former gardener herself, hasn’t been back in a long time. “I like looking at the plants and the land. It’s beautiful,” said Linda. When asked why they decided to come here today, Brigid said “We haven’t seen each other in a long time. And we both know and love this place.”
While Albert Kahn intended for these gardens to showcase cultural garden diversity, it evolved into a place of mutual bliss among people. And that was the essence of Kahn himself.
Kahn’s disposition to bring people together is demonstrated in his documentation journey entitled, “Archives of the Planet.” This project consisted of Kahn, geographers, philosophers, and photographers traveling around the world to document people, architecture, and cultures. While photography was the initial medium to record these things, the introduction of motion pictures found its way into this project as well. All of which was funded by Kahn, until he ran out of money. “The Archives of the Planet” occurred from 1909 to 1931. Kahn lost his fortune in the stock-market crash of 1929.
Since Kahn’s project came to an abrupt halt, the Musee de Albert Kahn was created in 1986 to store the archives. The museum was built right outside of the gardens. Now, people of walks of life peruse “The Archives of the Planet” inside and the serenity of nature outside.
