ThePlace de la Concorde (French:[plasd(ə)lakɔ̃kɔʁd]ⓘ; "Harmony Square"), originally thePlace Louis XV (Louis XV Square), and later thePlace Louis XVI (Louis XVI Square), is apublic square in Paris. Measuring 7.6 ha (19 acres) in area, it is the largest square in the city. It is located in the8th arrondissement, at the eastern end of theChamps-Élysées.
The square was the site of many notable public executions, including Louis XVI,Marie Antoinette andMaximilien Robespierre in the course of theFrench Revolution, during which it was temporarily renamed thePlace de la Révolution ('Revolution Square'). It received its current name in 1795 as a gesture of reconciliation in the later years of the revolution, although later the original name was reverted for a period.[1] Ametro station is located at the northeastern corner of Place de la Concorde on Lines1,8, and12 of theParis Métro.
The square was originally designed to be the site of an equestrian statue of King Louis XV, commissioned in 1748 by the merchants of Paris, to celebrate the recovery of King Louis XV from a serious illness. The site chosen for the statue was the large esplanade, or space between the revolving gate, theTuileries Garden and the Cour-la-Reine, a popular lane for horseback riding at the edge of the city. At the time, theConcorde bridge and theRue de Rivoli did not exist, and theRue Royale was a muddy lane that descended down to a marsh beside theSeine.[2]
The architectAnge-Jacques Gabriel made a plan for the site and the square was finished by 1772. It was in the form of an octagon, bordered by a sort of moat twenty meters wide, crossed by stone bridges, and surrounded by a stone balustrade. At the eight corners Gabriel placed stone stairways to descend into the square, which was divided into flowerbeds. In the center of the gardens was the pedestal on which the statue stood. The statue, byEdmé Bouchardon, depicted the King on horseback as the victor of theBattle of Fontenoy, dressed as a Roman general, with a laurel wreath on his head. On the four corners of the pedestal, designed byJean-François Chalgrin, are bronze statues byJean-Baptiste Pigalle, depicting the virtues of great monarchs; Force, Justice, Prudence, and Peace.[3]
The statue was dedicated on 20 June 1763, but by this time the King had lost much of his popularity. A few days after its dedication, someone hung a placard on the statue, proclaiming: "Oh, the beautiful statue! Oh, the fine pedestal! The Virtues are under the feet, and Vice is in the saddle!"[4]
On the north side of the square, between 1760 and 1775, Gabriel planned and built two palatial buildings with identical façades. The classical façades were inspired by those created byClaude Perrault, the royal architect, for the façade of the Louvre. They were originally intended to be occupied by embassies, but in the end the east building became a depot for the Royal furnishings, then the headquarters of theFrench Navy, theHôtel de la Marine. The west building was divided into individual properties for the nobility.[5]
Beginning in 1789, the square was a central stage for the events of theFrench Revolution. On 13 July 1789, a mob came to the Hôtel de la Marine and seized a store of weapons, including two old cannons, gifts from the King of Siam, which fired the first shots during thestorming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. On 11 August 1792, the statue of Louis XV was pulled down and taken to a foundry, where it was melted down. A few months later, a new statue, "Liberty", by the sculptorFrançois-Frédéric Lemot, took its place; it was a figure wearing a red liberty cap and holding a lance. The Place Louis XV ("Louis XV Square") became the Place de la Revolution ("Revolution Square").
In October 1792, the first executions by guillotine in the square took place. The two people who were executed were thieves who had stolen the royal crown diamonds from the Hotel de la Marine. On 21 January 1793, KingLouis XVI was executed there, followed in the same year on 16 October by QueenMarie Antoinette. As theReign of Terror commenced, the guillotine was set up again on 11 May 1793, midway between the Statue of Liberty and the turning bridge at the entrance to the Tuileries Garden, and remained there for thirteen months. Of the 2,498 persons guillotined in Paris during the Revolution, 1,119 were executed on the Place de la Concorde, 73 on thePlace de la Bastille and 1,306 on thePlace de la Nation. Besides Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, others executed on the same site includedCharlotte Corday andMadame du Barry. During the later days of the Reign of Terror in 1794,Georges Danton,Camille Desmoulins,Antoine Lavoisier,Maximilien Robespierre, andLouis de Saint-Just were executed there. The last executions, those of thePrairial riot participants, were carried out on the Place de la Concorde in May 1795.[6]
The Place de la Concorde in 1829, before the modifications by KingLouis-Philippe
The erection of the Luxor Monument, 25 October 1836
The square in 1872
In 1795, under theDirectory, the square was renamed the Place de la Concorde ("Concord Square") as a gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the revolution. After theBourbon Restoration of 1814, the name was changed back to the Place Louis XV, and in 1826 the square was renamed the Place Louis XVI ("Louis XVI Square"). After theJuly Revolution of 1830, the name was returned to the Place de la Concorde.
Under KingLouis-Philippe and his prefect of the Seine,Claude-Philibert Barthelot de Rambuteau, the square was remade. In 1832,Jacques Ignace Hittorff was named chief architect of the project. In October 1835 Hittorff installed the new centrepiece of the square, theLuxor Obelisk, a gift to the King from thewaliMuhammad Ali of Egypt. It was hoisted into place, before a huge crowd, on 25 October 1836. Hittorff commissioned celebrated sculptors, includingJames Pradier andJean-Pierre Cortot to make eight statues representing the major cities of France, which were placed in 1838 on columns which had earlier been put in place around the square by Gabriel. These statues form something of a rudimentary map, such that when viewing the Place de la Concorde from a birdseye perspective, the north-eastern states represent north-eastern cities, in the appropriate arrangement relative to one another, and so on.[7] A ring of twenty columns with lanterns were put in place during the same time.[8]
Between 1836 and 1840, Hittorff erected twomonumental fountains, the Fontaine Maritime to the side of the Seine, and the Fontaine Fluviale to the side of the Rue Royale. The design, consisting of two fountains each nine meters high, was modeled after that of the fountains ofSt. Peter's Square in Rome. In 1853, underNapoleon III, the deep moats around the square, which had turned into rendez-vous points for prostitutes, were filled in.[9]
20th century: Expositions, occupation and triumphs
In 2024, the square was the venue for 4 sports at the2024 Summer Olympics (BMX freestyle,Breaking,Skateboarding andBasketball 3x3), as well as the venue for theopening ceremony of theParalympic Games. Temporary stands and sporting facilities were built, while protecting items such as the Luxor Obelisk. Over 25,000 people attended the square each day during the Olympics, and the Paralympics opening ceremony was watched by 35,000 people in the square.[12][13]
Following the Games, vehicle traffic did not return to the majority of the square, afterAnne Hidalgo, theMayor of Paris announced a partialpedestrianisation of the square in January 2024, with plans for a substantial redesign of the square in future.[14][15]
Illustration on the base of the obelisk, showing how it was raised into place in 1836
Hieroglyphs on the obelisk.
Hieroglyphs on the upper obelisk. The Pharaoh on his throne is portrayed at the top
The centrepiece of the Place de la Concorde is an ancient Egyptianobelisk decorated withhieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaohRamesses II. It is one of two which the Egyptian government gave to the French in the 19th century. The other one stayed in Egypt, too difficult and heavy to move to France with the technology at that time. On 26 September 1981 PresidentFrançois Mitterrand formally returned the title of the second obelisk to Egypt.[16]
The obelisk once marked the entrance to theLuxor Temple. Thewali ofEgypt, or hereditary governor,Muhammad Ali Pasha, offered the 3,300-year-oldLuxor Obelisk as a diplomatic gift to France in 1829. It arrived in Paris on 21 December 1833. Three years later, it was hoisted into place, on top of the pedestal which originally supported the statue of Louis XV, destroyed during the Revolution. The raising of the column was a major feat of engineering, depicted by illustrations on the base of the monument. KingLouis Philippe dedicated the obelisk on 25 October 1836.[17]
The obelisk, a yellowgranite column, rises 23 metres (75 ft) high, including the base, and weighs over 250tonnes (280short tons). Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat – on the pedestal are drawn diagrams explaining the machinery that was used for the transportation. In 1998, the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramidal cap to the top of the obelisk, replacing the missing original, believed stolen in the 6th century BC.[18]
Base of the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation
The Fountain of River Commerce at night
When he had completed the installation of the Luxor Obelisk, in 1836, Jacques-Ignace Hittorff, chief architect of the square, moved ahead with two new fountains to complement the obelisk. Hittorff had been a student of theNeoclassical designerCharles Percier at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts. He had spent two years studying the architecture and fountains of Rome, particularly thePiazza Navona andPiazza San Pietro, each of which had obelisks aligned with fountains.[19]
Hittorff's fountains were each nine meters high, matching the height of the earlier columns and statues around the square representing great French cities. The Maritime Fountain was on the south, between the obelisk and Seine, and illustrated the seas bordering France, while the Fluvial Fountains or river fountain, on the north, between the Obelisk and the Rue Royale, illustrated the great rivers of France. It is located in the same place where the guillotine which executed Louis XVI had been placed.[20]
Fountain of the Seas
Base of the Fountain of the Seas
Detail of the Fountain of the Seas
Both fountains had the same form: a stone basin; six figures oftritons ornaiads holding fish spouting water; six seated allegorical figures, their feet on the prows of ships, supporting the pedestal, of the circularvasque; four statues of different forms of genius in arts or crafts supporting the upper inverted upper vasque; whose water shot up and then cascaded down to the lower vasque and then the basin.[21]
The north fountain was devoted to the Rivers, with allegorical figures representing theRhone and theRhine, the arts of the harvesting of flowers and fruits, harvesting and grape growing; and the geniuses of river navigation, industry, and agriculture.
The south fountain, closer to the Seine, represented the seas, with figures representing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; harvesting coral; harvesting fish; collecting shellfish; collecting pearls; and the geniuses of astronomy, navigation, and commerce.[22]
The north side of the square, along theRue de Rivoli, is occupied by two palatial buildings, whose matching façades were designed byAnge-Jacques Gabriel. They are separated by theRue Royale, which enters the square from the north and was also designed by Gabriel. He planned the harmonious façades of the buildings along Rue Royale, including the façade and interior of his own residence at Number eight.
The Neoclassical facades of the two major buildings on the Place de la Concorde are nearly identical. Their design was inspired by theLouvre Colonnade, begun in 1667 byLouis Le Vau, architect ofLouis XIV,Charles Le Brun, andCharles Perrault.[23] The front is decorated with sculpted medallions and guerlands, another feature borrowed from the Louvre east front. The long front of colonnades is balanced at either end two sections with triangular frontons and Corinthian columns.
The building on the east, theHôtel de la Marine, was originally the royal Garde-Meuble, the depot for all the royal furnishings.Marie Antoinette also had a small apartment there. In 1792, during the Revolution, it became the headquarters of the French Navy. The Navy departed in 2015, and the building is now a national monument and museum. The ceremonial rooms of the Navy and the apartments of the original intendants before the Revolution have been restored. Since 2021 the building is also home to theAl Thani Collection, a collection of ancient art from early civilisations brought together by SheikhHamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, first cousin of the Emir ofQatar.[24][25]
The building on the west is divided into four separate buildings, which were originally occupied by members of the French Nobility.[26]
Number 6 was first occupied by the Rouillé de l'Estaing, secretary of the King, and later by the Marquise de Plessis-Bellière, who left it in her will toPope Leo XIII. The Pope in turn sold it to theAutomobile Club of France in 1901, and they still occupy it.
Number 10 was occupied in 1775 by the 6th Duke of Aumont beginning in 1775. He ceded it in 1788 to the Duke of Crillon, who emigrated from France during the French Revolution. The Duchess of Crillon returned and she and her descendants occupied it from 1820 until 1904. in 1909 it became a hotel for wealthy travellers, theHôtel de Crillon.[27] In 2010 it was bought by a Saudi prince,Mutaib bin Abdullah Al Saud.[28]
East side: The Tuileries Garden, Jeu de Paume and Orangerie
On the east the Place de la Concorde is bordered by the two terraces of theTuileries Garden, the park of theTuileries Palace. The palace was burned by theParis Commune in 1871, and few vestiges remain. The highly-ornate gilded gateway to the garden was designed byAnge-Jacques Gabriel, the architect to the square, and leads to the grand promenade of the garden which extends east as far as the Louvre. The gateway is flanked by two monumental equestrian sculptures byAntoine Coysevox, "Fame Riding Pegasus" and "Mercury Riding Pegasus", made for theChâteau de Marly of Louis XIV, and installed at the Tuileries in 1719. They are copies; the originals are now in theLouvre.[29]
The early west gateway of Paris, the Port de la Conference, was located at the south end of the square, next to the Seine. It was built byHenry III of France, and as the city grew was demolished in 1730. A revolving bridge originally gave entry to the gardens; it was located where the ornamental is today.
The terraces of the Garden overlooking the square are the home of two museums. At the north end, near the Rue de Rivoli, is the National Gallery of theJeu de Paume. It was built under EmperorNapoleon III as the imperial tennis court in 1861 and was enlarged in 1878. During the Second World War it was used by the Germans as a depot for storing looted art. From 1947 until 1986 it displayed theImpressionist paintings of the Louvre. In 1997, it was entirely rebuilt, and now displays temporary exhibitions of contemporary art.[30]
Closer to the Seine is theOrangerie Museum, which was built in 1852 by architect Firmin Bourgeois as a winter shelter for the Tuileries citrus trees, also under Napoleon III. It was later converted into an art exhibition hall, and since 1927 it has been the home of one of the most famous groups of works of Impressionism, the eight paintings of the "Water Lilies" series byClaude Monet. It also displays the Walter Guillaume collection of impressionist and paintings and works from the school of Paris.[31]
The terrace overlooking the square also displays a number of important works of sculpture. These include, since 1998, four works byAuguste Rodin:The Kiss (1881–1888); a bronze copy of the marble original, cast in 1934; "Eve" (1881); TheGrand Shadow (1881); andMeditation, with arms (1881–1905). It also displays more modern works, includingLe Belle Costumé (1973) byJean Dubuffet, andLe Grand Commandement Blanc byAlain Kirili (1986). Two marble statues of lions are also displayed on the terrace, dating from the 18th century, and made byGiuseppe Franchi.[32]
First proposed byAnne Hidalgo, theMayor of Paris in January 2021,[33] the square is planned to be redesigned to increase pedestrian space, reduce car traffic, and add more green space and trees. Traffic will be directed around the outside edges of the square, with the number of traffic lanes greatly reduced.[33][15] Four large areas of trees and greenery will be created in the corners of the square around the obelisk and monuments and open space in the centre – with 3.2 hectares (7.9 acres) of new green space.[15] Work is scheduled to begin in 2026.[15]
The 1920s redesign ofLogan Circle (Philadelphia) was based on the Place de la Concorde and includes near-copies of the Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel de la Marine and an allegorical fountain representing the rivers of the Philadelphia area.
^"Place de la Concorde".Unveiling the Splendor of Place de la Concorde: A Journey through History, Architecture, and Culture.Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved27 June 2023.
^Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 235
^Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 235
^Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 235
^Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 236
^Hillairet, Jacques, "Connaissance du Vieux Paris" (2017), p. 236
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