At the base of the Castle, until recent times, a spring gushed into a cave opening onto the beach, allowing the supply of fresh water to passing vessels, as well as that of fishermen. Occupied since the 10th century BC, this hill, with that of Cimiez, can be considered the origins of Nice. Over the centuries, different types of settlements followed one another, from the installation of the Greeks at its base, to the running away of the whole city on its summit for defensive reasons. The fortifications of the Middle Ages were destroyed by Louis XIV in 1706.
The metamorphosis towards the current form took place in the XIXth century, with the creation of a first public park, in 1821, realized after approval, by letters patent, of the king of Sardinia Charles Felix. The project was entrusted to Antoine Risso, a famous naturalist and botanist from Nice, who transformed the wasteland dotted with ruins, into a botanical garden and in a park intended for the enjoyment of the first tourists and winter visitors. The hill of the Castle has been remodeled and embellished on several occasions, notably with the creation of a waterfall, built in 1885 in place of the ancient keep.