Place de la Concorde in Paris on the map. France. Paris. Place de la concorde (2008). Place Vendôme in Paris

Place de la Concorde
One of the most visited attractions in Paris is the Place de la Concorde, which appeared in the 18th century, when Louis XV "The Beloved", as his contemporaries called him, sat on the throne. The square is built in the shape of an octagon, surrounded by a deep moat. At the corners of this octagon there are eight statues - symbols of the main cities of France. In the center is a statue of Louis himself on horseback, presented to him by his subjects in honor of his recovery. This statue should be thanked for the appearance of the square, because it was because of it that it was decided to lay the square, since the king could not find a place where he could install this work.

The Place de la Concorde is the place where the history of France was made. During the Great French Revolution, it was not a statue of a radiant monarch, but a guillotine that decapitated more than a thousand Frenchmen. Massacres have become so commonplace for the inhabitants of the city that they went to the next head-cutting to see how they would look at an outlandish little animal in a traveling circus. And after the next unfortunate was beheaded, the audience looked into the tavern "At the guillotine", which was very popular at that time. Then the square was called Revolution Square, and after the bloody times passed, it turned into Concorde Square, symbolizing reconciliation between enemies with its name.

The bloody massacre during the revolution was preceded by another no less bloody story. At the wedding of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette during the festive fireworks, a firecracker hit the crowd. A fire broke out, a crowd in which many people died ...

Now about the composition of the square. It is built up only on the north side. The remaining three sides are open, allowing you to contemplate the vast space beyond. Several buildings overlook the square. The first is the Maritime Ministry. There once came to get a job young Guy de Maupassant, who at that time was a simple official. The second building is a palace donated by the king to the Criyon family. Now it is the most luxurious and prestigious hotel in Paris, which has seen a lot of interesting things in its lifetime. For example, in one of its numbers in the early 20s of the last century, the scandalous poet Sergei Yesenin and his wife Isadora Duncan stopped. They were soon expelled from the fashionable institution, because the poet behaved scandalously and disturbed the rest of the guests.

In the 19th century, the Luxor Obelisk of Ramses II was installed here, which was presented to the King of France by the Viceroy of Egypt. To transport the obelisk to its destination, the Luxor ship was built. For two years, the obelisk wandered towards Paris, and was installed in just a few hours.

Now about eight statues - symbols of French cities. Here the pedestals deserve more attention. They are very large, so much so that in the 19th century they contained apartments that could be rented for several hundred francs a year. And there were people who wanted to. Now they are the entrances to the parking lot.

In front of the Champs-Elysées, you are greeted by sculptures of "Horses of Marley". But these are only copies of an amazing piece of art, and the original version is installed in the Louvre. A rather comical story is connected with these sculptures. In the last century, a certain French Ostap Bender sold these horses to a stupid but very rich American. And he seriously tried to take the acquisition to the United States. Naturally, the French authorities prevented this blasphemy. This is how it is - Place de la Concorde in Paris: amazingly beautiful, majestic, bloody and fatal.

Photograph of Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde on the map of Paris

Place de la Concorde or Place de la Concorde is a truly vast square, an outstanding monument of urban planning of the Classical era, located between the Tuileries Garden and the Champs Elysees.

- a truly vast area, an outstanding monument of urban planning of the era of classicism, located between tuileries garden And Champs Elysees. The decision to establish the square was made Louis XV. in 1775 and entrusted to the architect Gabriel.

Initially, the square was an octagon surrounded by a moat, at the corners of which stood eight allegorical statues, symbolizing the main cities of France. In the middle stood an equestrian statue Louis XV work Bushardon And Pigalle. On the north side were erected elegant buildings of the Maritime Ministry And Hotel de Crillon.

During its existence, the square changed its name - several times it was called Place Louis XV, after - Place de la Revolution, then - Concorde, then again Louis XV, and from 1830 to this day it bears the name - Place de la Concorde.

Concord Square is one of the most beautiful in Paris. But there is something about her that makes her different. From any point of the square, a beautiful view of Paris opens up; it is not built up around the perimeter with houses - that's what makes it special.

Place de la Concorde decorates obelisk, donated by the Egyptian ruler Mahmet-Ali. The obelisk was brought to the capital of France from Temple of Amun at Thebes. The date of erection of the monument is approximately 3600. Fountains are installed on both sides of the obelisk Hittorf (Hittorff)- two copies of the fountains located on St. Peter in Rome.

Place de la Concorde 75008 Paris, France

Take the metro to Concorde‎

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It received its last name as a sign of reconciliation of the estates, after the revolutionary terror ended in 1795. This is one of the most delightful places in Paris, occupying a large area between the Champs Elysees and the Tuileries Garden.

In the 18th century, by order of King Louis XV, the square was laid out by the court architect Gabriel, and was originally named after the king. In the center of it was an equestrian statue of the monarch, as in many main squares in France, but there was a significant difference - Place de la Concorde(Fr. Place de la Concorde) was not built up around the perimeter with buildings, making it possible to admire the beauties of the city, echoing them.

The statue of the monarch, at the dawn of the French Revolution, was overthrown and Louis XV Square got its new name - Revolution Square, and was installed in the place of the king. Here, near, on January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI was beheaded.

Later, a scaffold with a guillotine was erected near the terrace of the Tuileries Garden, the Duke of Orleans Philippe-Egalite, Queen Marie Antoinette, the king's favorite Madame du Barry, Charlotte Corday, revolutionaries Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Maximilian Robespierre, Saint-Just and many others were executed there the Girondins.

Luxor obelisk. The fountains of Giettorf.

On December 21, 1833, during the reign of Louis Philippe, the Luxor obelisk of Ramses II, donated by the ruler of Egypt, Mehmed Ali, was brought to Paris from the Egyptian temple of Amun. By decision of the King of France, a pink granite obelisk, 23 meters high and weighing 230 tons, was installed in the center of Place de la Concorde. All sides of the obelisk were painted with hieroglyphs praising the pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III.

It took two years and 25 days to deliver the gift of Mehmed Ali from Egypt to France, for this a huge ship, the Luxor, was specially built. Not everything went according to plan, and the obelisk waited for its turn for a long time (three years) on the banks of the Seine River while the installation of lifting devices created by the engineer Apollinaire Leba was underway. In August 1835, after so many years of waiting, a monumental obelisk was erected on a granite pedestal, in just three hours! In memory of the transportation and installation on the pedestal of a multi-ton structure, some episodes were painted that tell about this process.

A few years later, the architect Gittorf erected fountains 9 meters high on both sides of the obelisk, they are very similar to the Roman fountains from St. Peter. The figures of Nereid, Triton and other mythical characters give the fountains a unique look, especially in the evenings when they sparkle and shimmer in the dark.

Place de la Concorde and its buildings.

The location of the fountains with mythical, marine characters on the Place de la Concorde is not surprising, because. here is the Ministry of the Navy, where the young official Guy De Maupassant worked, some of his works are based on this period of his life. Also here is the second building, no less amazing in beauty and grandeur, which was sold to the Duke of Crillon, and in 1909 the palace became one of the most prestigious. Today, everything also receives guests.

The building of the US Embassy stands on the corner of the square and Rue Boissy de Angla, here in the 19th century there was a mansion, which housed from 1828 to 1842. The Russian Embassy. Near the embankment of the river Seine - the museum "Orangerie", with the late works of Claude Monet and the Gallery of Modern Art on the corner of Rivoli.

Eight cities in France.

In each of the eight corners of Place de la Concorde, under King Louis Philippe, monumental statues were erected, symbolizing the main cities of France: Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Brest, Lille and Strasbourg. For many years, the statue symbolizing the city of Strasbourg was covered with black crepe, as a sign of national misfortune during the German occupation of Alsace and Lorraine (1870-1914)
The statues are not examples of high art, but they are notable for the fact that each of the huge pedestals contained a small apartment, and in the 19th century the authorities rented this unusual housing for 500 francs. Nowadays there is an underground parking.

Since 1795, at the suggestion of the artist David, on Place de la Concorde statues of "Horse Tamers", known as "Horses of Marly", were installed, decorating the palace of Louis XIV in the Parisian suburb of Marly. Immaculate replicas now stand in this place, the originals, which began to lose their appearance due to exhaust gases, were installed in the Louvre in 1984.
In the 50s of the 20th century, an interesting story happened, “Marley Horses” were sold by one swindler to a gullible American with a “big wallet”, but the French authorities did not allow the statue to be taken out, recognizing the “purchase” as illegal. And the purchase agreement, the unlucky buyer, was offered to hang in his bedroom.
Address: Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde is one of the most famous attractions in paris, located in the eighth arrondissement, which is in the eastern part of the Champs Elysees.

The square, designed by Gabriel Ange-Jacques in 1755, is an octagon surrounded by a moat, located between Champs Elysees in the west and Tuileries Garden in the east.

The events taking place on the Place de la Concorde, located in the very heart of the capital, did not correspond to its name in any way.

During the Revolution, between 1793 and 1795, about 1300 people were killed here by the guillotine, including Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Robespierre and Danton. In each corner of the octagonal Place, statues, created by the sculptor Jacques Ignace Guittorof, rise, symbolizing French cities. Strasbourg , Lille , Marseilles , Lyon , Nantes , Bordeaux , Rouen and Brest.

After the end of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871, when the provinces Lorraine and Alsace went to Germany, on solemn occasions the statue of Strasbourg was covered with black mourning crepe and often decorated with wreaths. This was done until France returned these regions to its composition after the First World War.

Being in the center of the Place de la Concorde, you can admire the building of the National Assembly of France located on the other side of the Seine, as well as, on the other side, to the north, the imposing the Madeleine at the end of Rue Royal.

The entrance to the Rue Royale is flanked by two twin mansions: the neoclassical Hotel Crillon, an exceptionally luxurious hotel for the wealthy guests of Paris, and the building that houses the Ministry of the Navy (Hotel de la Marine). The view of this street is at right angles to the view of Arc de Triomphe .

Luxor obelisk and Giettorf fountains

It took exactly two years and 25 days to deliver the gift of Mohammed Ali from Egypt to France, for this even a huge ship, the Luxor, was specially built. However, not everything went according to plan, and the obelisk waited for its turn for a long time (three years) on the banks of the Seine River while the installation of lifting devices created by the engineer Apollinaire Leba was underway.

In August 1835, after years of waiting, a monumental obelisk was erected on a granite pedestal, in just three hours! In memory of the transportation and installation on the pedestal of a multi-ton structure, some episodes were painted that tell about this complex process.

After several years, the architect Gittorf erected fountains nine meters high on both sides of the obelisk, they are very similar to the Roman fountains from St. Peter's Square. The figures of Triton, Nereid and other mythical characters give the fountains a unique look, especially in the evenings when they flicker and sparkle in the dark.

Place de la Concorde (Fr. Place de la Concorde) in Paris

Category: Paris

To visit Paris means to visit the Place de la Concorde (fr. Place de la Concorde). All guidebooks of the French capital lead the traveler through it. All descriptions of sights name the area among the first. Three beams of alleys lead citizens and guests to the square - the largest in Paris, open to "the city and the world."

Why is she so extraordinarily beautiful? Place de la Concorde is remarkable for its architecture, open space solution - it was the first in history not limited by palaces and walls. But there are larger areas.

However, it is difficult to find another altar square in the always slightly festive Paris. From above it is flooded with the sun, the multilingual dialect of tourists, fountains shine and the obelisk shines with gold. And under the stones of the square - blood ...

Do not be afraid - it has long been the earth. Thousands of people who died here became earth and wild flowers and herbs, and the Revolution became Accord.

gift to the king

1748 was an unusually successful year for the untalented King Louis XV. The exhausting War of the Austrian Succession has ended, and the pre-war status quo has been restored in Europe. The joy of the Parisians was such that they even decided to erect a monument to the weak-willed ruining king - equestrian, as a true commander.

Some historians believe that the initiative came from the masters who wanted to curry favor with the king: he was extremely greedy for flattery and generously rewarded sycophants. In accordance with their expectations, Louis XV was quite pleased with the idea and took the matter so seriously that he even arranged a competition for the best design for the square for the monument.

He himself chose a place for the square - outside of Paris in those years, on the banks of the Seine, "in the gardens" of the Tuileries Gardens and the Champs Elysees. The choice is explained in different ways - both by an empty treasury (the land was expensive within the city), and by the desire to preserve the existing urban ensemble, and simply by the desire not to coexist with any monuments.

Be that as it may, the strange choice turned out to be very successful. He allowed Ange Jacques Gabriel - the First Royal Architect - to embody the revolutionary grandiose idea of ​​an open square.

Revolution in the world of squares

Before Gabriel, all squares around the world were closed. They were “closed” along the perimeter with buildings, which determined the beauty, the architectural rhythm of the place. Gabriel, on the other hand, creates a quadrangular (it is sometimes mistakenly called octagonal - by the number of statues-cities) area with borders open on three sides.

In the east, the Place de la Concorde opens in the Tuileries, in the south flows the Seine, in the west - the prospect of the Champs Elysees, only in the north - 2 administrative buildings: the Crillon Hotel and the Ministry of the Navy. They are designed to emphasize the architectonics of the square. The facades of the buildings are designed in the form of Corinthian colonnades and are deployed horizontally, turning into the "wings" of the Royal Street, which runs between them.

Paris received a generous gift from Louis XV in 1775. In those years, the capital of France lost to European cities in terms of amenities, cleanliness, lighting, and led guests, for example, Petersburgers, into disappointment: young Petersburg was significantly superior to Paris in this respect. Concorde Square has become a new stage in the formation of a beautiful city.

In the center of it, much earlier than the completion of the construction of the square itself - in 1763 - an equestrian statue of Louis was installed - in a laurel wreath and clothes of the Roman emperor. The Four Virtues supported the "great" emperor on a pedestal. The discrepancy between reality and sculpture was so great that almost immediately upon installation, a home-made tablet appeared on the horse’s neck with an unpleasant rhyme “in honor” of impudent Louis.

Revolution in the square

Historians believe that Louis XV, with his mediocre rule, which led to general impoverishment and violation of laws, greatly contributed to the Great French Revolution. She burst out during the reign of Louis XVI.

It was the Place de la Concorde, which then bore the name of Louis XV, that became the symbol of the hated power for the people. The square was named after the Revolution, and instead of the imperial statue, they installed the "sword of justice" - the guillotine.

The heads of Louis, Queen Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth of France, and then the revolutionaries themselves - Camille Desmoulins, Saint-Just, Robespierre rolled onto the stones of the square. About 40,000 people were executed there. The blood stopped washing off the stones - and the stones had to be changed ...

Agreement. Egyptian obelisk

In 1795, the square receives the symbolic name of the long-awaited Accord. And in the XIX it was rebuilt and completed. The moat, which runs along the Tuileries and was chosen by ladies of easy virtue, is filled up. Allegory statues of the eight main French cities - Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Brest, Rouen, Lille and Strasbourg - are installed at the corners of the square. A tragic episode is connected with the latter: when Strasbourg fell under the rule of Germany, the face of the statue in his honor was covered with a black veil. Equestrian statues are placed at the entrance to the Champs Elysees.

The center of the square remained empty. The problem was solved in 1836, when the Egyptian, or Luxor, obelisk was installed on the square - a gift from France from the Egyptian Viceroy Mohammed (Mehmet) Ali. It was an expensive gift - and antiquity, and grandeur, and the value of the architectural form itself.

It was in Egypt that the first obelisks began to be made - receptacles for the spirit of the Sun, carving them from solid granite, mined near Aswan. Some obelisks were 24 meters high and weighed so much that only a few thousand people could move them. The technology of production and, most importantly, the movement of obelisks, as well as the construction of pyramids, is still a mystery. On four sides, the obelisks were covered with hieroglyphs extolling the pharaohs and floated down the Nile to other Egyptian cities.

Egyptian gift obelisks are installed in front of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, in London on the banks of the Thames, in New York's Central Park.

The obelisk that adorned Concorde Square was one of the pairs at the Luxor Temple of Amun-Ra (XVI-XI centuries BC) in the south of Thebes. For more than a year it was transported by sea - from August 1832 to December 1833. Then it was simply stored for 3 years - all this time they developed technology and devices for its installation.

In addition to the obelisk, the square is decorated with rostral lantern columns, richly decorated with palm trees, pearls, anchors, and mythological figures. Another attraction of the Place de la Concorde is the fountains, reminiscent of those installed on St. Peter's Square in Rome.

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