Square du Vert Galant, Paris

Square du Vert-Galant is a small triangular park at the downstream tip of Île de la Cité, beside the Pont Neuf. Its pointed form comes from land made by joining two smaller islands to the main island in 1884. The name honours Henry IV, whose nickname referred to his many mistresses despite his advanced age.

The equestrian statue of Henry IV above the square is part of that story too: its bronze surface has weathered into a vivid green. The statue you can see today was cast in 1818 by François-Frédéric Lemot, using a copy of the earlier mould after the original was destroyed during the Revolution. Near the entrance, a plaque marks the execution of Jacques de Molay, leader of the Knights Templar, on this ground in 1314.

Before this became a park, the site held bathing facilities and later a music café; flooding destroyed the café in 1879. The square now sits at an unusually low level beside the Seine, so major floods can cover it completely. Chestnuts, yews, willows, ginkgoes and other trees soften the narrow point, while the river keeps the setting open and dramatic.