JARDIN DES FONDERIES

In 2009, the first covered public garden in Nantes was laid out beneath the restored naves of the former Atlantic Foundries. The garden features exotic plants evocative of the long-distance voyages of Nantes' ships.

The foundry owned by the Babin-Chevaye brothers, "Nantaise de fonderies", was established on the site in 1908. From the 1920s onwards, it manufactured propellers and turbines for the shipbuilding industry.
Successive industrial crises from the 1970s onwards led to the site being abandoned in 2001. It was converted into a garden in 2009. The nave, furnaces, overhead travelling crane and moulding vats, now planting vats, have been preserved and restored. Camellias, azaleas, rhododendrons and magnolias now line the edges of the aisles. Emblematic
emblematic of Nantes' horticultural palette, they add a splash of colour from early spring onwards. Palms, banana trees and tree ferns create a tropical atmosphere. A
Alongside them, grasses, agaves and cacti evoke arid landscapes. Along the metal structures, wisteria, passionflowers and climbing hydrangeas colonise the metal. In the evening, the green foliage is highlighted by white lighting.