Audio GuideVillemin - Mahsa Jîna Amini Garden

Jardin Villemin – Mahsa Jîna Amini, located in the tenth arrondissement of Paris near the busy Gare de l’Est, is much more than an ordinary city park. Once the grounds of the Villemin military hospital, it has become a place where the city’s layered past meets the everyday lives of local people.

Stefano Sgambellone

Step through the tall iron gates on Rue des Récollets and you are walking on ground shaped by centuries. The entrance, originally built for a hospital in the mid-nineteenth century, became an important centre for caring for soldiers returning from conflict. Earlier still, the site was home to the Récollets convent, with each era adding another chapter to Paris’s story.

Veronika DZYUBA

In the nineteen seventies, instead of making way for a new motorway, the plans changed and the park was created. Since then, new features have appeared: basketball and handball courts, a bandstand hosting live performances, a bowling green, and wide lawns shaded by rows of chestnut, plane, and cherry trees—perfect for families to relax and unwind.

Vibian Espina

A glass memorial stands beside one of the pathways, dedicated to Jewish children from the neighbourhood who perished during the Second World War. Its presence is a quiet but moving acknowledgment of the city’s difficult history.

Philippe SAVE

Community life thrives in the park. In two thousand and five, Paris’s first communal vegetable garden, Le Poireau Agile, was established here. Neighbours now grow potatoes and herbs together, sharing both their harvests and knowledge about sustainable gardening.

A new era began in June two thousand and twenty-three, when the park was named in honour of Mahsa Jîna Amini—a young Kurdish Iranian woman whose death after her arrest sparked worldwide protests for women’s rights and freedom in Iran. Her memory has become a symbol of courage and hope, uniting locals and visitors in a spirit of solidarity.

Today, Jardin Villemin – Mahsa Jîna Amini is a tranquil retreat from the city’s hustle and bustle. Flowers bloom around the old fountain, children play and laugh in the playground, and residents gather on the lawns for cultural events. With several metro stations nearby, this green haven welcomes both Parisians and travellers—a space where remembrance, resilience, and happiness are woven together.