Bois de Boulogne - probably the most famous green mass on the western outskirts of Paris, which has a rich history. Today it is - one of the "lungs" of the French capital, providing the metropolis with oxygen (the second "easy" - Bois de Vincennes in the east of the capital).

Ancient oak forest Rouvray, once surrounded Lutetia, first mentioned in chronicles 717 years: records that Childeric II from the Merovingian dynasty gave the land to the abbey of Saint-Denis. After four and a half centuries Philip Augustus bought Crooked monks land for hunting. In 1308 another Philip - beautiful - gave the daughter of King Edward. The wedding took place in the Cathedral of the seaside town of Boulogne-sur-Mer. When he returned, the king ordered the construction of the forest Small Cathedral of Our Lady of Boulogne. So the forest got its name.

In the Middle Ages it had the dubious fame: during the Hundred Years War, settled here many robbers. Struggling with them, Duke of Burgundy, in the years 1416-1417 of the forest burned. Louis XI again he planted. When Francis I here was completed the royal Chateau de Madrid, hunting grounds surrounded by walls. Henry IV tried to establish here silk textiles, planted 15,000 mulberry trees. Former his wife Marguerite de Valois lived after the divorce is located here Chateau de la Myuett. It is from November 21, 1783 for the first time in the world took to the air in the balloon scientist Pilatre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arland. For 25 minutes, they flew over the Seine and landed safely.

Since the beginning of the XVIII century the forest became a favorite place for walks of the nobility, but Louis XIV opened it up to all layers of society. In 1775, the king's brother Philippe d'Orleans at a bet with daughter Marie Antoinette built here in just two months Bagatelle Palace (in French une bagatelle - «nothing»). Prince won the bet with the help of 900 workers who worked day and night.

Napoleon III completely renovated Forest: 80 kilometers of paved alleys, planted 400,000 trees, arranged lakes and canals. The forest was landscaped under the leadership of Baron Haussmann Prefect of Paris. Now more than half of all the trees here - still oaks. There are bike paths stretching 14 kilometers, ten restaurants. In the northern part of the forest is a children's park with a menagerie.

At the same time, the Bois de Boulogne has long had a reputation for low places and stores it now - in the evening and night here work prostitutes.