Place du Châtelet | |
|---|---|
| Public Square | |
 Fontaine du Palmier in the Place du Châtelet, 2022 | |
| Features | Fontaine du Palmier,Théâtre du Châtelet,Théâtre de la Ville |
| Construction | 1802-1810 |
| Opening date | 1810 |
| Location | Paris |
  Place du Châtelet | |
| Coordinates:48°51′27.5″N2°20′50.5″E / 48.857639°N 2.347361°E /48.857639; 2.347361 | |
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ThePlace du Châtelet (French pronunciation:[plasdyʃɑtlɛ]) is a public square inParis, on theright bank of the riverSeine, on the borderline between the1st and4tharrondissements. It lies at the north end of thePont au Change, a bridge that connects theÎle de la Cité, near thePalais de Justice and theConciergerie, to the right bank. The closestmétro station isChâtelet
The name "Châtelet" refers to the stronghold, theGrand Châtelet, that guarded the northern end of the Pont au Change, containing the offices of theprévôt de Paris and a number of prisons, until it was demolished from 1802 to 1810.[1]
At the square's center is theFontaine du Palmier, designed in 1806 by architect and engineerFrançois-Jean Bralle (1750-1832) to celebrate French victories in battle. It has a circular basin, 6 m (20 ft) in diameter, from which a column rises in the form of a palm tree's trunk 18 m (59 ft) tall. The palm trunk is surmounted by a gilded figure of the goddess,Victory, holding a laurel wreath in each upraised hand; the goddess figure stands on a base ornamented with bas-relief eagles. The gilded finial is by sculptorLouis-Simon Boizot.
Four allegorical figures also by Boizot ring the base of the fountain:Prudence,Temperance,Justice, andStrength. From top to bottom, bands of bronze gilt pay tribute to the victories achieved in the following battles: theSiege of Danzig (1807), theBattle of Ulm (1805), theBattle of Marengo (1800), theBattle of the Pyramids (1798), and theBattle of Lodi (1796). Its sphinxes were designed in 1858 byGabriel Davioud and sculpted byHenri Alfred Jacquemart (1824-1896); they commemorateNapoleon's victory inEgypt.
Two identical-looking theatres stand facing the square, theThéâtre du Châtelet and theThéâtre de la Ville, both designed by architectGabriel Davioud and completed between 1860 and 1862 as part ofBaron Haussmann's grand reconfiguration of Paris.
