Les Machines de L'île (Machines of the Isle of Nantes) is a mechanical-animal theme park based in Nantes, France. In the old covered buildings of the former shipyards in Nantes, which were at one time used for ship construction, Machines of the Isle promote the city’s image as a model of urban redevelopment. The site of the Machines is worlds away from traditional amusement parks; unlike a typical gated park, it is open to the city. The site was opened to the public on July 1, 2007.
The co-founders of the Machines de L’île are François Delaroziere, a visionary artist and the engineer behind the elephant, and Pierre Orefice, the General Manager and co-creator of the Machines. They combined their experience and expertise to develop an unprecedented project that has become an amazing site for culture and tourism.
The Grand Éléphant
An old shipyards building holds The Great Elephant and Gallery of Machines. The Great Elephant is a mechanical elephant, 40 feet (12 meters) high and 26 feet (8 meters) wide, made from 45 tons of wood and steel. It can take up to 50 passengers for a 30-minute walk, either from the warehouse to the Carousel, or on the reverse trip. The elephant’s head moves from side to side, its trunk curls up, unfurls and sprays water on unsuspecting viewers, its ears flap to and fro, it bats its eyelashes and trumpets loudly from time to time. It seems almost like a living creature when it bends its knee and extends its huge foot forward to take a step.
I bought a ticket online for a ride on the Great Elephant long before we went to France. It cost only 8 ½ euros ($9.30), but I had to pick the date and time when I paid for the ticket. By coincidence, the MS Loire Princesse moors right opposite Les Machines de l’ile. From the ship, I could see the famous giant mechanical elephant plodding its way across the old boatyards. I rode the elephant at the end of our cruise on the Loire River, but I didn’t have a chance to visit the rest of the theme park. I’m going back to Nantes in 2020 to do just that.
The articulated trunk allows it to move in amazingly lifelike ways.
An upward view toward the ceiling of the warehouse
Eyelashes to die for
The boarding place to get on the elephant is on the second floor of the building on the right. A ramp gives access to the side balcony. We were free to stay on that level or to climb a spiral staircase to the top level of the elephant.
Kids make a beeline for the highest level of the elephant. It is almost 10:00 AM, and in the lower left of the pic, you can see people lining up either to buy a ride on the elephant or to get admission to the Machine Gallery.
Galerie des Machines (The Machine Gallery)
Inside the old shipyard workshops is an exhibition place which illustrates the background story of the machines. The entire process of the construction is displayed by means of sketches, models and films. The impressive mechanical menagerie features a spider, a heron and a giant ant – all highly original creations.
High up in the rafters of the Galerie des Machines, you can see a heron with a 26-feet (8-meter) long wingspan soaring gracefully above the crowd.
Steps lead up through the trees to a forking “branch,” that right now looks like a succession of brown horizontal slats. This branch is the first part of a monumental tree that will have 22 branches in all. The Heron Tree will be a steel structure 164 feet (50 meters) in diameter and 115 feet (35 meters) in height, topped with two herons. Coming in 2022, the Heron Tree is an enormous new project, a colossal garden in the sky--the largest hanging garden built since ancient Babylon. Once complete, visitors will be able to walk from branch to branch in the hanging garden and take a ride under the herons’ wings for a circular flight over the hanging gardens of the tree.
Gallery with trees intertwined with spiral stairs
The Great Elephant begins to leave the shipyards building.
The Great Elephant puts its best foot forward.
The Great Elephant is on its way, with city buildings in the background.
The elephant tucks its trunk up.
He extends his trunk.
He sends plumes of spray on unsuspecting people in his path.
Becky on the Great Elephant
The elephant nears its destination.
A look at the machinery propelling the elephant. It has 150 HP motor, with a speed of 1-3 KM/H. It has 62 cylinders, 46 of which are hydraulic, 6 pneumatic and 10 gas-powered.
The elephant arrives at the carousel.
Carrousel des Mondes Marines
Carrousel des Mondes Marines (The Marine World Carousel) is a huge carousel, rising nearly 82 feet (25m) high and measuring 72 feet (22 m) in diameter. It is a three-level merry-go-round with sea creatures instead of horses. The underwater creatures inhabit three levels of the ocean: the ocean floor, the depths, and the surface. Altogether, there are 35 larger-than-life underwater creatures, including giant crabs, squids, manta rays, and jellyfish. Visitors can climb on the animals and control the animal’s moving parts while the plateau is rotating.
Becky after debarking from the Great Elephant at the carousel.
Robert, my husband and camera man for my journey on the Great Elephant.
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