Place de la Concorde, Ile De France

Place de la Concorde - details and images

A while after its construction, the market served as a meeting place for participants in the bloodiest revolution in French history. After the revolutionaries came to power, they renamed Revolution Square and replaced the statue of King Louis XV with a guillotine. Between 1793 and 1795, over 1300 people were beheaded, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre. The name symbolizes the Place de la Concorde end of an era of suffering and hope for a better future.

Obelisk of Luxor, a pink granite monolith was given to France in 1829 by the Viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali and replaced the guillotine in the Place de la Concorde. The building, which once marked the entry into the temple of Amon is over 3,300 years old and is decorated with hieroglyphs representing the power of Pharaoh Ramses II and III. Obelisk that was brought in 1833 weighs 230 tons and is 22.83 meters.
The obelisk is flanked by two monumental fountains: Fountain big wells and rivers. They marked the entrance of Luxor Temple of Thebes and was offered as a tribute to the French Champollion, who deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphics. The hieroglyphs on the obelisk we honor Ramses II Pharaoh. Obelisk resting on a base of 9 feet in 1998 received a gold over 3.5 meters pyramid placed on top of it. The obelisk is also a sundial on the ground there are lines drawn in this respect.
Having survived more than 33 centuries, the obelisk has suffered most damage in the latter half of last century due to exposure to exhaust gas pollution. The obelisk is a monument inscribed with four surfaces, forming a pyramid to the top. Egyptians rose by two and associate them with sunlight which grew in thickness when approaching the ground.

In every corner of the market forming octagonal, are statues representing French cities: Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Brest and Rouen. In the south-east market, Concorde bridge spans the Seine to find where the Bourbon Palace Ensemble. Near the obelisk, is in the Tuileries gardens and the Orangerie Museum.

Place de la Concorde, located between the Arc de Triomphe and the Tuileries Gardens at the entrance to the Champs Elysees in August arrondissement is one of the largest markets of Paris, with an area of eight hectares (Quinconces Market is second only to Bordeaux).

Although most markets are surrounded by buildings, Place de la Concorde is surrounded on three sides by open space: Boulevard, the gardens and the Seine. In the north there are two impressive buildings, identical on both sides of the street Rue Royale.

They are the best examples of architecture dating from the eighteenth century: Hotel de la Marine and Hotel Crillon. Their facades were designed by architect Louis XV, who also shot and Market were built with the same period.

The whole square is surrounded by rostral columns with lanterns.

If you visit Paris metro station get off at Concorde. Neighborhood which is called the Place de la Concorde Madeleine.

Market History

Eighteenth century - Louis XV Square

Construction began around 1753 and was completed in 1772 under King Louis XV. Originally called Market Louis XV (1792-1795 was named in Revolution Square, and in 1830 received the current name).

City of Paris decided in 1748 to erect an equestrian statue in honor of King Louis XV to celebrate its reinsanatosirea. Following a competition held, attended by many architects, Ange-Jacques Gabriel has proposed the Tuileries Gardens near the market on a vacant land, unused. This area was chosen because of new urban plans and expansion of the city towards the west.

Gabriel was the first Architect of the King and led the Royal Academy of Architecture. It held a competition for land esplanade and chose the best ideas offered by competitors. Supported by Madame de Pompadour, Gabriel's project was accepted in 1755, and in 1758 was signed between the Municipality, the Monarchy and the heirs of the land. The latter - Law's heirs - have received in return a building in the north-west of the market and land on both sides of future streets Rue Royale, where they would build buildings. Market was designed with an octagonal shape.

Started by Bouchardon and completed by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, the equestrian statue of Louis XV was inaugurated on 20 June 1963. The statue was in the center of the Esplanade, facing towards the east at the intersection of rue Royale - the new road linking the Seine Madeleine - the axis of the Champs Elysees and the Tuileries Gardens.

In 1770 an incident took place last fires caused by fireworks launched at the marriage of the dolphin and Marie Antoinette of Austria.

Late eighteenth century - Market Revolution

On 11 August 1792 King's statue is pulled off the pedestal and the market is renamed Revolution Square and the place is bloody scene of all time with the installation of public capital guillotine (was originally installed for the beheading of those who temporarily stole the crown jewels, was then brought back on January 21, 1793 for King Louis XVI, and installed in 1793 for home use over a whole year, then was transferred to the current market has the nation and brought back one time for the execution of Robespierre and his acolytes ).

Over 1,000 victims have perished in the Revolution Square - almost 2,500 people guillotined during the French Revolution. Statue of Louis XV was temporarily replaced by one representing freedom, until 1800.

In 1795 were installed at the entrance of the Champs-Elysees Marly horses, Coustou Guillaume's work. Today a copy of this work is all in the same place, and you can admire the original in the Louvre. That same year, the market was renamed Place de la Concorde, to forget reign of terror.

Nineteenth century - Place de la Concorde

In the early nineteenth century tried to make a new statue in the Place de la Concorde. There have been various plans: a statue of Charlemagne, a fountain or a statue of Louis XVI, beheaded at here, framed by a chapel and a weeping willow. Just been and renamed Louis XVI Square, but the revolution of 1830 disrupted these plans and the market has returned to the Place de la Concorde initial name, home use until today.
Starting now, the market has been transformed by the architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorff, an architect who has tried to maintain the principles of the architect Gabriel, the initiator of this market.
Hittorff added two monumental fountains - Fontaine and Fontaine des Mers des Fleuves-on both sides of the obelisk and the market surrounded by lanterns and rostral columns - columns reminiscent of ship design.

The two wells have been opened by the Prefect in 1840, on May 1, in honor of river navigation - the fountain in the north is enhanced by figures representing Rinulv and Rhone, and grape harvests and grains - and maritime navigation in the South is well- Mediterranean Oceans and Fisheries. Many artists have worked to achieve these wells.


Last year:

In this space have held various events and manifestations:
- In 1979 Jean-Michel Jarre concert
- In 1993 with World AIDS Day, a giant condom, 30 meters obelisk was mounted and was symbolically renamed Market Square Aids victims
- In 1995 was celebrated President Jacques Chirac's choice
- In 2000 a French urban climber scaled the obesliscul without protection, with no climbing and no one to announce
- President Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 was celebrated the success or


Address: Place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris
Metro: Concorde (line 1, 8, 12);
Bus: 24, 42, 52, 72, 73, 84, 94.

Information source