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.

History

The Place was designed by Jacques Ange Gabriel in 1755 as a moat-skirted octagon between the Champs-Élysées to the west and the Tuileries Gardens to the east. Filled with statues and fountains, the area was named Place Louis XV to honor the then king. The Place was showcasing an equestrian statue of the king, which had been commissioned in 1748 by the city of Paris, sculpted mostly by Edmé Bouchardon, and completed by Jean-Baptiste Pigalle after the death of the former.

Related Topics:
Jacques Ange Gabriel - 1755 - Octagon - Tuileries Gardens - 1748 - Edmé Bouchardon - Jean-Baptiste Pigalle

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At the north end, two magnificent identical stone buildings were constructed. Divided by the rue Royale, these structures are among the best examples of that period's architecture and remain there to this day. Initially they served as government offices and the eastern one continues as the French Naval Ministry. Shortly after its construction, the western building was made into the luxurious Hôtel de Crillon (still operating today) where Marie Antoinette soon spent afternoons relaxing and taking piano lessons. The hôtel also served as the headquarters of the occupying German army during World War II.

Related Topics:
Rue Royale - French Naval Ministry - Hôtel de Crillon - Marie Antoinette - World War II

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During the French Revolution the statue of King Louis XV was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution". In a grim reminder to the nobility of a gruesome past, when the "Place des Grèves" was a site where the nobility and members of the bourgeoisie were entertained watching convicted criminals being dismembered alive, the new revolutionary government erected the guillotine there. The first notable to be executed at the Place de la Révolution was King Louis XVI, on January 21, 1793. Other important people guillotined there, often in front of cheering crowds, were Queen Marie Antoinette, Madame Elisabeth, Madame du Barry, Danton, Lavoisier, and Robespierre. The guillotine was most active during the "Great Terror", in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. With the "Reign of Terror" subsiding after the Thermidorian Reaction (July 27, 1794).

Related Topics:
French Revolution - King Louis XV - Place des Grèves - Guillotine - King Louis XVI - January 21 - 1793 - Queen Marie Antoinette - Madame Elisabeth - Madame du Barry - Danton - Lavoisier - Robespierre - Great Terror - 1794 - Thermidorian Reaction - July 27

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Following the Revolution, the Place underwent a series of transformations and several further changes of name: by 1795 the government began calling it Place de la Concorde (French for concord), then Place Louis XV (again), Place Louis XVI, Place de la Chartre, and once again Place de la Concorde. This name was made official in 1830.

Related Topics:
1795 - 1830

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