Place de la Concorde

The Place de la Concorde is one of the major squares in Paris, France. It is located in the VIIIe arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.

Features

• The eastern end of the Champs-Élysées is located to the west of the Place
• The western end of the Tuileries Gardens is located to the east of the Place. The Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume and the Musée de l'Orangerie, both in the Tuileries Gardens, border the Place
• North of the Place: two identical stone buildings, divided by the Rue Royale. The eastern one houses the French Naval Ministry. The western one is the Hôtel de Crillon. The Rue Royale leads to the Église de la Madeleine. The Embassy of the United States is located in the corner of the Place at the intersection of Avenue Gabriel and Rue Boissy d'Anglas
• The northeastern corner of the Place marks the western end of the Rue de Rivoli
• South of the Place: the Seine river, crossed there by the Pont de la Concorde, built by Jean-Rodolphe Perronnet between 1787-1790 and widened between 1930-1932. The Palais Bourbon, home of the French National Assembly, is located across the bridge, on the opposite bank of the river
• At each corner of the octagon formed by the Place are statues, created by Jacob Ignaz Hittorf, representing the French cities of Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Brest and Rouen.

Obelisk

The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II. It once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple. The viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali, presented the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk to France in 1829. King Louis-Philippe had it placed in the centre of Place de la Concorde in 1833. Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat — on the pedestal are drawn diagrams explaining the machineries that were used for the transportation. The red granite column rises 23 metres high, including the base, and weighs over 250 tonnes. Missing its original cap, believed stolen in the 6th century BC, in 1998 the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk. The obelisk is flanked on both sides by two fountains constructed at the time of its erection on the Place.

Related Topics:
Obelisk - Hieroglyphics - Ramses II - Luxor Temple - Egypt - Mehemet Ali - Luxor - 1829 - King Louis-Philippe - 1833 - Granite - 23 - Metre - 250 - Ton - 6th century BC - 1998

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Without warning, in 2000, French urban climber, Alain "Spiderman" Robert, using only his bare hands and feet and with no safety devices of any kind, scaled the obelisk all the way to the top.

Related Topics:
French - Alain "Spiderman" Robert

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