The Ci║migiu Garden lies at the very heart of the capital and is a classical garden with a Romantic aspect. It was designed by the German landscapist Meyer and was created between 1849 and 1860. It has many orderly rows of trees lining its alleys and a small lake crossed by a bridge and surrounded by small shops. The name of the park comes from the word ôci║meaö (ôfountainö), the park housing originally a fountain that secured water for the inhabitants of Bucharest. The manager of this fountain, ômarele ci║migiuö (ôthe grand fountain administratorö) gave the park its name.
Less large than other parks in the city (only 17 ha), Ci║migiu is strewn by tens of alleys lined with sculptures and monuments, including the celebrated ôwriters alleyö and the monument commemorating the French soldiers who died in Romania during World War I. This is the work (1920) of the Romanian sculptor Ion Jale.
