HAMMA TEST GARDEN

A veritable green lung covering 32 hectares, the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma reopened its doors in 2009 after 10 years of neglect. It was created in 1832 on the former marshy strip between the shore and the first slopes of the Bois des Arcades, which needed to be cleaned up. Hamma means both "mud" and "fever". A supplier of seedlings, from 1838 the Garden was the "Government's Central Nursery" until 1861, when it became the "Scientific and Acclimatization Garden for Exotic Plants". From 1842 to 1867, numerous plant species were introduced: araucarias, plane trees, palms, bamboos, dragon trees, ficus..

Considered one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in the world, it was visited by Napoleon III in 1865 and aroused the curiosity of Karl Marx, who was resting in Algiers at the time and took a stroll there in 1882. In 1914, French architects Régnier and Guion embellished and enlarged the garden, creating the French Garden around this majestic avenue of washingtonias.

In 1918, the site became an educational hub, with a horticultural school and a housekeeping school. In 1932, it was used as a film location for W. S. Van Dyke's Tarzan, the Ape Man, starring Johnny Weissmuller in the title role. The giant ficus tree, over 15 metres tall and wide, where some of the outdoor scenes were filmed, is still one of the park's major attractions. In 1942, it was occupied by the Allies as a depot and truck repair shop. Heavily damaged by bombing, it was rehabilitated at the end of the war. After independence, its management was entrusted to Algeria's National Institute for Agronomic Research, later replaced by the National Agency for Nature Conservation. The Garden went through a difficult period, during which it was stripped of more than half its plant species. From 2001 to 2009, it underwent major restoration work in cooperation with the Mairie de Paris, starting in 2005.

The Garden today. With over 3,000 plant species, it is one of the world's largest test gardens. It is structured around the Platane, Dragon, Ficus and Coco avenues, and comprises a French garden around the Washingtonia avenue, and an English garden with wild liana trees and two ponds. Numerous greenhouses, a small zoo and sculptures also occupy the space.