Garden of dreams

At the foot of the ramparts of the citadel of Amiens, the Garden of Dreams pays tribute to the Australian troops who prevented the city from being taken during the First World War. The garden is a delicate voyage of discovery, with warm colors that change with the seasons. From the street, movement in the ground beckons visitors and guides them into the center. Paths of crushed brick and ochre sand echo both the red earth of the Australian bush and the ramparts of the citadel. On either side, islands of earth, held back by burnt pine palisades, rise from the ground, evoking the scars of war and the oppressive atmosphere of the trenches. Like a landscape archipelago, this network of vegetation suggests the fragmentation of cultures and origins, while symbolizing the alliance of foreign forces involved in the war. Approaching the center, the topographical interplay becomes more pronounced and the paths become narrower, surrounded by increasingly dense vegetation. Finally, arriving at the heart of the garden, visitors are plunged into a subdued atmosphere of undergrowth, conducive to contemplation. In the center, under a canopy of sculptural treaes, seemingly inert rocks bloom with white flowers each spring.