Information
Landmark: Place de la ConcordeCity: Paris
Country: France
Continent: Europe
Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, Europe
Overview
In the heart of Paris, Place de la Concorde spreads wide and open, one of the city’s largest and most celebrated squares, where fountains sparkle in the sun.Tucked between the Champs-Élysées and the Tuileries Garden, the square brims with history and displays grand monuments and weathered stone sculptures.Built in the 18th century, Place de la Concorde has seen some of France’s most turbulent moments-from the roar of crowds during the French Revolution to the quiet hum of modern traffic-and it still stands as a striking landmark that mirrors the nation’s tangled past.One.In 1755, architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel designed Place de la Concorde as a broad, open octagon to honor King Louis XV, its pale stone edges catching the sunlight in the heart of Paris.It was first known as Place Louis XV, with a bronze equestrian statue of the king standing proudly in the middle.Gabriel designed the space with balanced pavilions and wide, open grounds, framed by two imposing buildings that now hold the Hôtel de Crillon and the French Naval Ministry.During the French Revolution, Place Louis XV took on a new name-Place de la Révolution-and a grim reputation, as crowds gathered there to watch the guillotine’s blade drop.In 1793, right here, King Louis XVI lost his head beneath the blade, followed months later by Queen Marie Antoinette and thousands more the revolution branded as enemies.After the Revolution, leaders renamed the square Place de la Concorde, hoping it would bring peace and unity-like sunlight breaking over a quiet morning street.Number two.At the heart of Place de la Concorde rises the Luxor Obelisk, a slender shaft of sandstone over 3,300 years old, once carved and raised at Egypt’s Temple of Luxor.France received this ancient obelisk from Egypt in 1831, and today it rises 23 meters-about the height of an eight-story building-its 220 tons of stone catching the afternoon sun.The carved hieroglyphics honor the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II, each symbol etched as sharply as if cut yesterday.King Louis-Philippe had the obelisk set up in Place de la Concorde in 1836, and later a gleaming golden tip replaced its missing pyramidion.On either side of the obelisk rise two grand fountains-the Fountain of the Seas, with its bronze tritons and splashing spray, and the Fountain of the Rivers-both created by architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff in 1839.Modeled after the fountains in St. Peter’s Square, these displays burst with intricate sculptures-sails, waves, and figures-that honor France’s maritime and river trade.The themes celebrate the wealth and grace of rivers and seas, along with the harvests their waters carry to France-like baskets of glistening fish fresh from the coast.At each of the eight corners of Place de la Concorde, a stone statue rises to honor a major French city-Bordeaux, Nantes, Lille, Marseille, and others stand watch over the square.These statues stand for the strength and unity of France’s regions, like stone sentinels around the square, underscoring its place at the heart of the nation.Number three carried a faint smear of blue ink across the page.In the Napoleonic era, Place de la Concorde transformed as Napoleon imagined it as a grand stage for his triumphs, where cannons might boom and flags whip in the wind.His exact plans never came to life, yet the square still buzzed with importance, hosting parades and official speeches under the open sky.In the 19th century, the square got another makeover, adding streetlights that cast a warm glow at dusk, ornate benches, and other decorative touches.They added two fountains to make it more striking and to remind everyone it’s the heart of Parisian life, their spray catching the sunlight in a fine mist.Today, Place de la Concorde stands at the heart of the city, where crowds gather for New Year’s fireworks, political rallies, and every kind of public gathering in between.Standing at the far end of the Champs-Élysées and perfectly aligned with the Axe Historique-a sweep of landmarks from the Louvre to the Grand Arche de la Défense-it commands the view and stirs a quiet surge of national pride.Number four sat alone on the page, small and sharp like a single dried leaf in the corner.Today, Place de la Concorde buzzes with life, its wide stone square drawing crowds and keeping its place as one of Paris’s top attractions.From here, you can take in sweeping views of Paris’s best-known landmarks: to the west, stroll the Champs-Élysées toward the Arc de Triomphe; to the east, the manicured paths of the Tuileries Garden guide you to the Louvre; and nearby, the Seine glimmers beside the Pont de la Concorde, linking to the Assemblée Nationale and the Orsay Museum across the water.At your feet, the Place de la Concorde stands not only as a historic square but as a living showcase of the city’s cultural and architectural soul.What keeps it timeless is its sweeping grandeur, the iconic monuments that rise against the sky, and the way it serves as a gathering place where public life and memory meet.
