Gardens of the Observatory of Paris

The Gardens of the Observatory of Paris are distinguished by the Paris Meridian line that runs directly through them, marking the historic path used to calculate longitude and solar noon before international standards shifted to Greenwich. This small, tranquil space sits behind the gates of the Paris Observatory, an institution founded in sixteen sixty-seven by King Louis XIV. While the site is a research center, the garden provides a quiet point of intersection between the rigorous work of astronomers and the city that grew around them.