Place de la Concorde, Paris, France

The octagonal Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris. It is situated between the Tuileries and the Champs-Elysées. In 1763, a large statue of king Louis XV was erected at this site to celebrate the recovery of the king after a serious illness. The square surrounding the statue was created later, in 1772, by the architect Jacques-Ange Gabriel. It was known as the place Louis XV.

In 1792, during the French revolution, the statue was replaced by a another, large statue, called Liberté (freedom) and the square was called Place de la Révolution. A guillotine was installed at the center of the square and in a time span of only a couple of years, 1119 people were beheaded here. Amongst them many famous people like King Louis XVI, Marie-Antionette, and Obelisk at Place de la Concorde, Paris revolutionary Robespierre, just to name a few. After the revolution the square was renamed several times until 1830, when it was given the current name Place de la Concorde.

In the 19th century the 3200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes was installed at the center of the Place de la Concorde. It is a 23 meters tall monolith in pink granite and weighs approximately 230 tons. In 1831, it was offered by the Viceroy of Egypt to Louis Philippe. The obelisk is covered with hieroglyphs picturing the reign of pharaohs Ramses II & Ramses III. Pictures on the pedestal describe the transportation to Paris and its installation at the square in 1836.

At each corner of the octagonal square is a statue representing a French city: Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg. They were installed in 1836 by Jacob Ignaz Hittorf, who redesigned the Place de la Concorde between 1833 and 1846. That same year a bronze fountain, called La fontaine des Mers was added to the square. A second one, the Elevation of the Maritime fountain, was installed in 1839. Both fountains were designed by Hittorf.

References:

A View on Cities

User Reviews

Mark Chimes (3 months ago)
A remarkable square. Very large open space. Safe at night. You can see the Eiffel tower from here. You can also see straight down the Champs Elysees towards the Arc de Triomphe.

Alex Siamantas (3 months ago)
Another amazing mega plaza with more mega structures in the center of Paris. This one has a very very dark past as it's where the guillotines were placed. The vibe here is egyptian as the biggest thing is an Egyptian Obelisk that has been donated to France centuries ago. It's totally amazing getting to see this in person.

Brid Hennessy (3 months ago)
There are really really beautiful views from here depending on the time and type of day you come here. Super early in the morning it's really beautiful especially with a nice sunrise. It an be chaotic at other times which isn't as pleasant.

Mike Day (3 months ago)
Such an inspiring place with such a dark past. Site of the infamous guillotine where most of the gentry met their end. Now a tourist attraction and events venue. Ornate fountains surround the Obelisk that is adorned with Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Ironically the Place can be seen in direct line from the original Palace of the Louvre. I was unable to get closer as the site was being restored after the Olympics.

Brian E (5 months ago)
Place de la Concorde was impressively transformed into an urban sports complex for the Olympics. This historic square as a vibrant sports hub was a sight to see, with the skate park standing out. It was fascinating to see such a classic Parisian landmark seamlessly adapted for contemporary sports and activities -- a fresh and dynamic experience.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright w_lemay

Historic Site of the week

Temple of Edfu

The Temple of Edfu is one of the best preserved ancient shrines in Egypt. It was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC.

Edfu was one of several temples built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom, including the Dendera Temple complex, Esna, the Temple of Kom Ombo, and Philae. Its size reflects the relative prosperity of the time. The present temple initially consisted of a pillared hall, two transverse halls, and a barque sanctuary surrounded by chapels. The building was started during the reign of Ptolemy III Euergetes and completed in 57 BC under Ptolemy XII Auletes. It was built on the site of an earlier, smaller temple also dedicated to Horus, although the previous structure was oriented east–west rather than north–south as in the present site.

Place de la Concorde

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Temple of Edfu