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Le Jardin Humoristique

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"Fernand Chatelain was a retired baker who first began to sculpt in dough, making strange shaped loaves, including one of the Tower of Pisa. The smiling figures and creatures in his garden near Le Mans were crudely constructed from chicken wire, newspaper and cement, and greeted passers-by with a wave; alongside them stood messages such as "Bonjour aux Promeneurs". At the centre of this assembly of brightly painted sculptures stands the group "Les Centaures". Begun in 1965, the garden has lain abandoned since Chatelain's death, but 60 or so of his creations still gaze out from the overgrown roadside frontage, gradually disintegrating as the years go by."

- From "Fantasy Worlds" by Deidi Von Schaewen and John Maizels

You will be happy to know that the garden is undergoing a restoration. Many of the sculptures have been rebuilt and repainted. These sculptures will make you happy. This was my favorite site.

Hours

The sculptures can be seen very well from the road, as they are intended to be seen. The unscrupulous and scoff-law viewer can hop a fence and walk among the sculptures, but this is not necessary. The only building is a small garage, which hints at unrestored sculptures within, but there are no known hours, and possibly nothing to see in there anyway.

Directions

72610 Fyé, near Alencon
The sculptures are on N138, south of Alencon 12 kilometers, and about 37 kilometers north of Le Mans. You can't miss it.



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