|
This forms a straight line from the former royal palace, which is
now the famous museum in Paris called The Louvre, through the Tuileries Gardens, up the
Avenue des Champs Elysees, to the Arc de Triomphe
and now going through to the Grande Arche
in the Defense area of Paris.
Unfortunately this square has become known in history for many bloody events that took
place here and this was one of the reasons why the square was renamed to Place de la
Concorde after the French Revolution.
One terrible event that took place here was when many people were trampled to death trying
to watch the fireworks at Marie Antoinette's wedding. But the most horrific time in
the history of this square that most people relate to, is during the French Revolution
when the statue was removed and then a guillotine was erected in its place and the square
was renamed from Place Louis XV to Place de la Revolution.
Located along the River Seine between the Tuileries Gardens
of The Louvre Museum and the start of the Avenue
des Champs Elysees this is the square that many people will know as the place where
many people were beheaded, which included Marie Antoinette, after they had been detained
in the oldest prison in France called La
Conciergerie.
It was after the French Revolution that change to the name of the Place de la Concorde, it
was actually finished under the reign of King Louis Philippe. An obelisk called the Luxor Obelisk was erected where the original
statue had stood and this particular monolith was a gift from the viceroy of Egypt,
Mehemet Ali. There are also two fountains at two of the edges.
Also in this famous Paris square there were statues created by Jacob Hittorf and put in
place to symbolise some of the major cities in France, such as Bordeaux in the Aquitaine region, Lyon in the Rhone-Alpes
region and Marseille in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur
region.
There are eight of these statues in total that are at the corners of the octagon shaped
square and another one that represents Strasbourg in the Alsace
region of France was actually modelled by Juliette Drouet who was a muse of Victor Hugo.
There was also a statue of a group of horses that was put in place at the entrance to the
Avenue des Champs Elysees and this statue known as the Horses of Marly by the French
sculptor Guillaume Coustou, is now on show at the Louvre Museum, but there is a replica in
its place.
The Place de la Concorde is bordered to the north by l'H?tel Crillon, to the east by the
Jeu de Paume and L'Orangerie of the Tuileries, to the west by the beginning of the Avenue
des Champs Elysees. To the south of the square is the bridge called Pont de la
Concorde that was built by Jean-Rodolphe Perronnet between 1787 and 1790 and enlarged
between 1930 and 1932 crossing the River Seine it leads to the Palais Bourbon, which is
home of the French National Assembly.
But the most recent change to take place at the square, was when the obelisk had a
pyramidion made of bronze and gold leaf added in 1998 to celebrate relations between
France and Egypt.
And apart from the fact that the ground itself is now made of concrete and tarmac, this
fabulous square is still very similar to how it was back in the 18th century and with its
heritage plus being full of history, it is a great place to visit and admire the
surroundings.
|
|
