Welcome to the largest square in Paris; Place de la Concorde.
This massive 86,400 square meters large place, located between the Champs-Élysées and the
Tuilerie Garden, dates back to mid 18th century.
The square was built to complement a statue of the French King, Louis XV, which was raised
in 1763.
The statue was erected at the site to celebrate the recovery of the king after a serious illness.
The square itself was created later, in 1772, and was named "Place Louis XV".
However, the name "Place Louis XV" and the statue of the king didn't last for long.
During the French Revolution which followed, many buildings and sites which had connections
to the monarchy were attacked and destroyed, and the statue of King Louis XV was of course
no exception.
The surrounding square was also renamed "Place de la Révolution".
This as a direct counter to "Place de Grève", which was a square where the nobility were
entertained watching convicted criminals being dismembered alive.
The "Place de la Révolution" was thought to be a reversed "Place de Grève", where
the people punished the nobility for their crimes, and not the other way around.
This symbolic name change and the reference to "Place de Grève" sent a grim message to
the nobility of what was waiting them ahead.
The Place de la Révolution was the place where the famous guillotine stood.
The first notable person to be executed was Louis XV:s grandson; Louis XVI.
Following him came much of the Paris nobility, all falling victim to the blade of the guillotine,
often in front of cheering crowds.
The guillotine was most active under the summer of 1794, during a period which has been called
the "Reign of Terror".
In a single summer month, more than 1.400 people were executed by the guillotine.
It is said that the smell of blood was so strong that herds of cattle refused to cross
the place.
The guillotine was removed one year after the "Reign of Terror" and the name of the
square was changed from "Place de la Révolution" to its current name; Place de la Concorde.
This was done as a gesture of national reconciliation and a way to put horrible past behind.
The French word "Concorde" means agreement, so the square of revolution changed name to
the square of agreement.
Today, "Place de la Concorde" is dominated by a large obelisk.
If you take a closer look at the obelisk, you will see that it is covered with what
looks like Egyptian hieroglyphs.
While it might seem unlikely, the obelisk is actually an authentic 3.300 year old Egyptian
obelisk, with hieroglyphs that praises the reign of Ramses II.
This is one of two obelisks given to France in 1829 by the Ottoman leader and founder
of modern Egypt; Mehmet Ali.
This 23 meter high, red granite obelisk, once served as one of two obelisks marking the
entrance to the Egyptian Luxor Temple, and it is therefore known as the "Luxor Obelisk".
Today, the Luxor Temple is a noted Egyptian tourist destination, but it only has one obelisk
at its entrance.
If you ever visit the temple, you will be one of the few visitors who know where the
other half can be found.
The top of the obelisk had been missing before its arrival to France, but in 1998, the French
government added a gold-leafed cap at the top to complete the obelisk.
The obelisk is sometimes called "L'aiguille de Cléopâtre", or "Cleopatra's Needle".
As you can image, moving this 230 ton heavy piece during the 19th century was no easy
task.
If you look at the pedestal on which the obelisk rests, you can see diagrams explaining the
technique that were used during the transportation.
The transportation issue was the reason that the other obelisk remained in Egypt, as it
was even heavier than the one standing next to you.
In the 1990s, President François Mitterrand gave the second obelisk back to the Egyptians.
Another main feature of Place de la Concorde is its two large fountains, designed by the
architect Jacque-Ignace Hittorff.
If you take a closer look at the fountains, you will see that both fountains have marine
themes.
The south one, closer to the Seine, is dedicated to the seas, with figures representing the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
The north one is devoted to the rivers, with figures representing the rivers Rhone and
Rhine.
The same man who designed the fountains also designed the statues you can find at each
one of the octagonal squares corners.
The statues were installed in 1836 and symbolize the cities; Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon,
Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg.
If you look north of the square, you can see two identical stone buildings, separated by
the street Rue Royale.
The eastern one houses the French Naval Ministry and the western one is the classic Hôtel
de Crillon.
The hotel served as the headquarters of the occupying German army during World War II.
To the left of the hotel you can also find the US embassy.
Even though today's Place de la Concorde thankfully doesn't have a guillotine, it very much looks
the same as it did during its early days, excluding all the modern traffic.
As you now know, the square had played an important part in the French history, and
it continues to play a central role in the Paris cityscape.