Des racines et des ailes 400th anniversary Jardin des Plantes episode, Digi Mart USA News (Paris, France): Tonight’s new edition of the magazine Des racines et des ailes on France 3, titled “Gardens of Exception, on the Occasion of the 400th Anniversary of the Jardin des Plantes,” will air from 9:10 p.m. It is also available on replay and streaming via France.tv.
Host Carole Gaessler welcomes viewers to the Jardin des Plantes, which is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. She will also showcase the Bagatelle estate, a lavish English-style park and small château built in the 18th century following a bold wager between Marie-Antoinette and her brother-in-law, the Comte d’Artois.
Created in 1626 at the initiative of King Louis XIII, the Jardin des Plantes sits in the heart of Paris and holds a remarkable scientific, architectural and artistic heritage. It became the Muséum d’Histoire naturelle during the French Revolution and helped give rise to major disciplines such as paleontology and comparative anatomy.
Today it houses one of the world’s richest natural history collections and remains an essential research center for biodiversity conservation.
As the institution approaches its 400th anniversary, Isabelle Glais, director of botanical gardens, is preparing an exceptional floral display inspired by historical vellums held in the archives, recalling the garden’s medicinal origins.
Taxidermist Isabelle Huynh Chan Hang maintains the stuffed animals of the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution. She is undertaking the restoration of a black swan brought from Australia in 1802 and presented to Empress Joséphine, the first specimen of its species discovered in Europe.
At the Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy, architect Isabelle Pallard is overseeing a historic renovation, the first of such scale since the Art Nouveau building was constructed 130 years ago.
Research also continues in the field. In Charente, paleontologist Ronan Allain is searching for new dinosaur fossils, while in Brittany, Line Le Gall dives to collect algae as part of a large scientific program.
Some specimens will be added to the museum’s historical herbaria.
Finally, in the Italian Alps, Oliver Marquis of the Parc zoologique de Paris is leading a mission to protect a salamander species threatened with extinction, reflecting the museum’s commitment to species protection.
