It is the second-largest park in Paris, slightly smaller than the Bois de Vincennes on the eastern side of the city. It covers an area of hectares acres , [ 2 ] which is about two and a half times the area of Central Park in New York , slightly larger than Phoenix Park in Dublin , [ 3 ] and slightly smaller than Richmond Park in London.
The Bois de Boulogne is a remnant of the ancient oak forest of Rouvray , which included the present-day forests of Montmorency, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Chaville, and Meudon. His grandson, Childeric II , gave the forest to the monks of the Abbey of Saint-Denis , who founded several monastic communities there. Philip Augustus β bought back the main part of the forest from the monks to create a royal hunting reserve. In , Isabelle de France , sister of Saint-Louis , founded the Abbey of Longchamp at the site of the present hippodrome.
In , Philip made a pilgrimage to Boulogne-sur-Mer, on the French coast, to see a statue of the Virgin Mary which was reputed to inspire miracles. He decided to build a church with a copy of the statue in a village in the forest not far from Paris, in order to attract pilgrims. The chapel was built after Philip's death between and , in what is now Boulogne-Billancourt.
During the Hundred Years' War , the forest became a sanctuary for robbers and sometimes a battleground. In β17, the soldiers of John the Fearless , the Duke of Burgundy, burned part of the forest in their successful campaign to capture Paris. Under Louis XI , the trees were replanted, and two roads were opened through the forest. It took its name from a similar palace in Madrid, where Francis had been held prisoner for several months.
Despite its royal status, the forest remained dangerous for travellers; the scientist and traveller Pierre Belon was murdered by thieves in the Bois de Boulogne in Henry IV planted 15, mulberry trees, with the hope of beginning a local silk industry.
