The History Of Longchamp Racecourse In 1 Minute

The Longchamp Racecourse, located within the beautiful surroundings of the Bois de Boulogne, is one of France’s most prestigious tracks. At the park’s westernmost edge, the 57-hectare complex overlooking the Seine is capable of holding a crowd of 50,000 people and hosts half of all top-tier French horse races each year. The most highly anticipated event of the calendar, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, is held on the first weekend in October and attracts the fastest horses and fattest wallets from around the world.
On Sunday April 27th, 1857, a massive crowd, including the Emperor Napoleon III and his wife, Eugénie de Montijo, gathered to watch the track’s first day of racing. The royal couple had made quite the entrance by arriving at the venue in a yacht which had cruised down the Seine. In its early days, the better viewing boxes were reserved exclusively for the aristocrats of the world, including racing enthusiasts Prince Murat of Nassau and Prince Napoléon Bonaparte.