THE CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN PARK, A REMARKABLE GARDEN
Open from April to October, the Parc des Enclos Calouste Gulbenkian is an exceptional 33-hectare park, located a few minutes from the center of Deauville in the commune of Bénerville-sur-Mer. It is planted with remarkable species and combines different atmospheres conducive to meditation, as desired by its designer.
The Domaine des Enclos is an exceptional 33-hectare park acquired in 1937 by Calouste Gulbenkian (1869-1955), a businessman and aesthete who was one of the greatest art collectors of the 20th century. An Armenian born in Turkey, of British nationality and living in France, he made his fortune by owning, after having negotiated for them, 5% of the shares of the large European oil companies present in the Arabian Peninsula.
During a visit to Spain in 1928, Calouste Gulbenkian was charmed by the discovery of the Retiro gardens near Malaga. After this visit, he wrote in his diary, "A man of science and a dreamer in a garden of my own, these are the two great objectives of my life that I have not been able to achieve. However, nine years later, during one of his stays in Deauville, he acquired the Domaine des Enclos, in the commune of Bénerville, bordering Deauville. It was a hotel surrounded by a vast park. He was going to create the garden of his dreams there and entrusted its creation to Achille Duchêne. Calouste Gulbenkian died in 1955, at the age of 86. The Parc des Enclos was then managed by the Gulbenkian Foundation, which in July 1973, donated it to the City of Deauville.
to the City of Deauville.
The Parc des Enclos was acquired in 1937 by Calouste Gulbenkian, a businessman and aesthete. During a stay in Spain in 1928, he was charmed by the discovery of the Retiro gardens near Malaga. At the end of this visit, he wrote in his diary: "A man of science and a dreamer in a garden of my own, these are the two great objectives of my life that I have not been able to achieve. However, nine years later, during one of his stays in Deauville, he acquired the Domaine des Enclos. It was a hotel surrounded by a vast park. He was to create the garden of his dreams there and entrusted its creation to the landscape architect Achille Duchêne, who combined the classical style of French gardens with geometrically arranged parterres, the more natural layout of English gardens and the Italian style with its pointed yews and balustrades. For Calouste Gulbenkian, who was very busy with his business, the park was a place to recharge his batteries. When he stayed in Deauville, he stayed at the Hotel Royal and went to the Enclos every day. There, he would walk or sit in a canvas chair and contemplate the old trees, breathe in the scent of the shrubs and flower beds, and listen to the birdsong. After his death in 1955, the park was managed by the Gulbenkian Foundation, which donated it to the City of Deauville in 1973.
"My desire is to arrive at an ensemble of great harmony excluding all the pettiness that is too frequent in the gardens of style (...) to preserve the romantic character of the ensemble and to enhance it, to embellish it and not to stylize it..."
Calouste Gulbenkian, Letter to Achille Duchêne, spring 1938
The upper part: on the upper plateau, combines a plantation of conifers and a vast meadow that crowns the park.
The central part: includes a magnificent driveway starting from the main entrance with boxwood hedges. It leads to a vast, gently sloping, hilly clearing. At the entrance to the park, a path, the large scenario, a median leading to a staircase, leads to a horseshoe-shaped clearing on the site of the former mansion. A little further on, the small scenario, a median limited by a wall decorated with balustrades, was built with the stones and the railing during the demolition of the old mansion. Below, several terraces are laid out: a rose garden (with geometric flowerbeds and a basin), an orchard (apple and pear trees lined with pruned boxwood) dominated by a small garden building where a permanent exhibition tells, since 2010, the history of the park and its development. The garden itself combines different atmospheres, responding to its designer's need for meditation and calm. It combines the classical style of French gardens with geometrically arranged beds, the more natural layout of English gardens and the Italian style with its balustrades. The many steps, staircases and balustrades in the park provide spaces for concerts or readings.
The lower part: which cannot be visited, includes a farm and its outbuildings, grasslands and a set of hutches and aviaries.
Discover the species and the map of the park here.
