Place de la Concorde
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and separates
the beautiful Tuileries Gardens and the majestic Champs-Elysées. The square
lies at the intersection of two major axes. The first axis is called the Voie Triomphale and extends in a
perfectly straight line from The Louvre, past the Arc du Carrousel, through the
Tuileries Gardens, along the Champs-Elysées and to and beyond the Arc de Triomphe. The
second axis runs from the Place de la Madeleine to the Palais Bourbon .Originally named Place Louis XV, the octagonal square has played a significant role in the history of France. During the French Revolution it was known as Place de la Révolution. Nowadays, the square is home to a massive 3,200-year-old obelisk and numerous sculptures and statues.
The Place de la Concorde is bordered by other places of interest, such as the Embassy of the United States, the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume which used to be the indoor tennis court of Napoleon III, and the Musée de l’Orangerie.
History
Construction began in 1754 and was finished in 1763. It was designed by the architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel as an octagon surrounded by moats, which
are gone now. The square was beautifully decorated with fountains and statues and named Place Louis XV after the King. A
large equestrian statue of King Louis XV was erected in 1763 as well. Two identical buildings were built at the northern
end of the square. They are still there and are some of the greatest examples of Louis XV architecture in Paris.A couple of decades after its completion, the Place de la Concorde was the location of one of the bloodiest conflicts in French history, the French Revolution. The revolutionaries took over the square, tore down the King Louis XV statue, and renamed the square Place de la Révolution. They replaced the statue with another one, called Liberté. Another addition was a guillotine. Between 1793 and 1795, more than 1,100 people were beheaded at the square, including King Louis XV, Marie Antoinette, Maximilien Robespierre, and Antoine Levoisier. After the revolution, the square was renamed several times: Place de la Concorde, Place Louis XV again, Place Louis XVI, Place de la Chartre, and finally, in 1830, Place de la Concorde again.
Features
The one main landmark on the Place de la Concorde is without a doubt the massive Egyptian Luxor Obelisk in the center. The obelisk once stood at the entrance to the Temple of Amon in Luxor and is more than 3,200 years old. It was given to France by Mehmet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, in 1829. The 75-feet, 230-ton, pink, granite obelisk contains hieroglyphs depicting the reigns
of pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III. The structure arrived in Paris in 1833 and was placed at the center of the square,
flanked by fountains. The pedestal has pictures that describe the obelisk’s transportation to Paris and its
installation, no easy feat at the time.Each corner of the octagonal square has a statue representing a French city. Featured cities are Lyon, Strasbourg; Lille, Marseille; Nantes, Rouen; Brest, and Bordeaux. The statues were installed in 1836. The same year also saw the construction of a bronze fountain called La Fontaine des Mers. A second fountain, Elevation of the Maritime, was added in 1839. The fountains were influenced by the fountains of Rome.
The obelisk and the two fountains are the major highlights in the Place de la Concorde. The three structures are perfectly aligned.
Visiting Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde is centrally located and surrounded by important landmarks on all sides. When standing in the middle of the square, you can see the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower; the Champ-Elysées, La Madeleine; the Tuileries Gardens, the Palais Bourbon; and the Pont de la Concorde.
How to Get There
The square can be reached on foot from anywhere in the Paris city center. Surrounded by parks, the River Seine, and grand boulevards, it is actually a pleasure to walk there. The subway system is extensive and also makes it easy to get there from anywhere in the city. The nearest subway station is Concorde and can be reached on the M1, M8, and M12 trains.Nearby and Similar Landmarks
There are numerous other landmarks located nearby. Examples are the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre; the Arc de Triomphe, the Centre Georges Pompidou; the Musée d’Orsay, the Grand Palais; and Notre-Dame de Paris.Other major public squares elsewhere in the world are Times Square in New York City, Tiananmen Square in Beijing; the Grand Place in Brussels, Piazza Navona in Rome; Liberty Square in Taipei, Federation Square in Melbourne; and Plaza de Oriente in Madrid.
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Author: bramreusen. Last updated: Dec 22, 2014
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