The park was built in 1847, at a time when Bucharest was the capital of Wallachia, on a site formerly known as "Lacul lui Dura neguțătorul" (the "Lake of Dura the merchant"), or simply as "Dura". The pool it replaced was a popular site for fishing from as early as the 17th century, and was inhabited by mallard colonies. A part of the present-day gardens was occupied by a vineyard, which was planted around a water source: the latter had been tapped during the bubonic plague epidemic of 1795, when the two sons of Prince Alexander Mourousis took refuge in the largely uninhabited zone.