Concord Square Gabriel. The most famous squares in Paris. Place de la Bastille in Paris

Place de la Concorde is impossible to ignore while on holiday in Paris. It is especially beautiful in the evening, when spotlights illuminate the streams of water gushing from the fountains. The square has become one of the main attractions of Paris. Thousands of tourists visit it every day.

History of the square

The history of the square began during the reign of Louis XV. The king, following the example of his grandfather, Louis XIV, decided to create a square glorifying the military campaigns of the monarch. The ruler of France chose the place to create the square himself, pointing to a vacant plot of his possessions on the banks of the Seine between the Champs Elysees and the Tuileries Garden.

Louis XV commissioned his “first architect” Jean-Ange Gabriel to design the square.

By that time, Gabriel had already created a masterpiece of French architecture of the 18th century - the Petit Trianon at Versailles, a small palace intended for Countess DuBarry.

Gabriel created a unique square that at that time had no analogues not only in Paris, but throughout the world. Previously, city squares were built up with buildings along the perimeter, and architectural unity was ensured by the uniformity, rhythm or harmony of this development. This is how Places Dauphine, Vosges and Vendôme were created in Paris.

Jean-Ange Gabriel designed the square in the shape of an elongated octagon (245 x 140 m, or 3.2 hectares), and this shape was defined not by buildings, but by a line of moats enclosed by high balustrades, and eight guard boxes anchoring the apexes of the polygon. That is, Gabriel solved the problem of creating a new square with the help of small architectural forms. In doing so, he made excellent use of the advantage of the open coastal space, while making the allocated area the axis for the further development of Paris.

The architect skillfully determined the spatial orientation of the square. The Tuileries Garden opens to the east, the Seine flows from the south, and the prospect of the Champs Elysees goes to the west. And only the northern side was architecturally decorated.

To visually organize the space, the architect provided visual accents exactly in the middle of each side of the square. In the west, such an emphasis was the perspective of the Champs Elysees, in the south - the bridge over the Seine (the palace on the opposite bank appeared later), in the east - the exit from the Tuileries Garden, decorated with two equestrian statues.

On the north side, Gabriel erected two majestic three-story buildings, and the visual accent on this side was Royal Street, laid between them. One of these buildings - the former Aumont Palace - was then the home of nobles and ambassadors (now the Crillon Hotel), and the second served as a national furniture storage facility (now the Ministry of the Navy).

The palaces are elongated in shape, with two projections, decorated with porticos on both sides, arcades on the first tier and colonnades on the second, creating a picturesque play of chiaroscuro.

On the sides of these buildings, Gabriel designed two more streets, parallel to the Royal, and thereby connected the square with other quarters of the growing city.

In 1763, an equestrian statue of Louis XV by Bouchardon and Pigal was installed in the center of the square. Louis XV sat on horseback wearing Roman robes and wearing a laurel wreath. The pedestal was surrounded by four allegorical figures of the Virtues. A short time later, a sign with a lampoon was found on the horse’s neck:

"Beautiful is the statue, beautiful is the pedestal...

Poor Virtues stand,

Vice has mounted a horse, impudent!"

In 1775 the work was completed and Paris acquired the most beautiful of its squares. It is now the second largest square in France (after Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux). At first she bore the name of Louis XV.

In 1787-90. a bridge was thrown across the Seine, which on the opposite bank abuts the building of the National Assembly (formerly the Bourbon Palace). Now it is called the Bridge of Concord.

A short time later, the Great French Revolution broke out. The king's statue was toppled and the Statue of Liberty was erected in its place. The square was given a new name - Revolution Square. Here, on January 21, 1793, King Louis XVI was beheaded.

Later, a scaffold with a guillotine was erected near the terrace of the Tuileries Garden, where Queen Marie Antoinette, Duke of Orleans Philippe-Egalité, and then the revolutionaries Danton, Desmoulins, Robespierre, Saint-Just and many others were executed.

At the end of the revolutionary terror in 1795, the square received its current name - Place de la Concorde - as a sign of the reconciliation of classes.

Under King Louis Philippe (1830-1848), the Luxor obelisk, two fountains, equestrian groups and marble statues depicting the cities of France appeared on the square.

The obelisk decorating the square is a gift from the Egyptian ruler Mehmet Ali. It was brought to Paris from the Temple of Amun in Thebes. Carved from pink granite, the obelisk, 23 meters high and weighing 230 tons, is decorated with hieroglyphs that glorify the deeds of Pharaoh Ramses II. Its age is about 3600 years. It was placed on a granite pedestal on the Place de la Concorde on August 16, 1835, in the presence of the royal family and a crowd of 200,000 Parisians. In 1999, the top of the Luxor obelisk was crowned with a gold tip, the casting of which took 1.5 kg of pure gold.

Horses Marley

In 1795, at the entrance to the Champs-Elysees, at the suggestion of the artist David, two sculptural groups “Horse Tamers”, known as “Horses of Marly” (sculptor Coustou), were installed. Previously, these statues decorated the palace of Louis XIV in the Parisian suburb of Marly. In the 20th century, the sculptures began to lose their appearance due to exhaust fumes, and in 1984 they were transported to the Louvre, and flawlessly executed copies were installed in their place.

Giettorf fountains

Architect Hittorf installed a 9-meter-high fountain on both sides of the obelisk.

Decorated with statues of Triton, Nereid and other mythical characters, they are similar to the fountains of St. Square. Peter's in Rome. The Giettorf fountains are especially beautiful in the evenings, when they sparkle and flicker in the dark.

Statues of eight cities of France were mounted on stone watchtowers that stood around the square. They represent the major cities and departments of France - Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Lille, Brest, Rouen, Strasbourg. The statues are not examples of high art.

After Alsace and Lorraine were occupied by the Germans, the statue of Strasbourg was covered with black crepe. Throughout the period 1870-1914, when Alsace and Lorraine were part of Germany, the Strasbourg statue was a place of patriotic pilgrimage for the French.

Place de la Concorde (Paris, France) - description, history, location, reviews, photos and videos.

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Parisian Place de la Concorde is called one of the main squares of the city. It has the shape of a regular octagon, in each corner of which there is a statue symbolizing one of the French cities (Brest, Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg). Another famous monument is the huge Egyptian obelisk located in the very center.

An interesting fact is that in 1871–1918, when Strasbourg belonged to Germany, the face of the statue symbolizing it was covered with a mourning veil.

Short story

The design of the square was created in 1755 by Gabriel Ange-Jacques. After the Great French Revolution, a guillotine was installed in the center of the square, and it itself was renamed “Place of the Revolution”.

Many noble persons were executed in this square: Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday, Madame Elisabeth and others. After the decline of revolutionary sentiment, the guillotine was removed. Somewhat later, the place was renamed “Place de la Concorde”.

In 1993, the French AIDS Society organized a provocative action: a giant pink condom was placed on the central obelisk.

Place de la Concorde

How to get there

You can get to the square by taxi or metro to Concorde station. In addition, more than 5 bus routes run through the square.

Place de la Concorde is the central square of Paris, and it is also one of the most famous and beautiful squares in Paris. It is located between the Tuileries Garden and the Champs Elysees. The square was built back in the 17th century, and was originally named after King Louis XV. ( 11 photos)

1. In general, the square was originally surrounded by a moat and had an octagonal shape, and at each corner there were allegorical statues that symbolized the most important cities of France: Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Rouen, Brest, Lille and Strasbourg. It is worth noting that there is nothing special in the architecture of the statues, but there is also something interesting about them, inside these statues there are small apartments, which, of course, the authorities successfully rented out for a very impressive sum of 500 francs. Nowadays these apartments are not for rent.

2. On the square you can see statues with a marine theme, because the square was also built in order to glorify the great sea voyages of the monarch. The building of the Ministry of the Navy is also located here. Also next to the square is one of the most prestigious and famous hotels in all of France, the Crillon Hotel. The list of famous buildings does not end there; on the corner of the square and Boissy-de-Anglas street there is the US Embassy, ​​and a little earlier, namely from 1828 to 1842, the Russian Embassy was located in this building.

3. During its existence, the square was decorated with many statues, for example, initially in the center of the square there was a statue of the monarch, but it was soon replaced by a guillotine. From then on the square began to be called Revolution Square. Such great personalities as Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette died under the guillotine. Also here were executed: Duke of Orleans Philippe-Egalite, Queen Marie Antoinette, as well as many revolutionaries such as: Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Maximilian Robespierre, Saint-Just and others.

4. But finally, in 1833, a huge obelisk was installed in the center of the square instead of a guillotine. And the obelisk was brought from Egypt and was presented to France by the ruler of Egypt, Mahmet Ali. This obelisk was delivered to France and then installed for two whole years, so the entire delivery process was reflected on the sides of the obelisk. The obelisk is quite impressive, its height is 23 meters, and it weighs 230 tons; of course, at that time, delivering such a colossus was quite a task.

5. The obelisk is made of unusual pink marble and on all its sides there are Egyptian hieroglyphs in which the Egyptian pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III are glorified. At the very top of the monument you can see the gilded edge, but these are improvements made by modern architects; the gilding was applied in 1998.

6. Similar obelisks to this one were also installed in New York and London; they are also called “Cleopatra’s Needles”.

9. In 1795, statues of “Horse Tamers” were installed on the square, but in 1984 the government was forced to remove them because they were crumbling due to exhaust gases and vibration of passing cars, and in their place exact copies of the statues were installed.

Paris is known for its majestic squares, often with tall monuments in the center and grand buildings lined up. Place de la Concorde in Paris is one of the most famous and is located in the historical center of the city.

Historical facts

The place where excursions in Paris often begin, one of its attractions is the Place de la Concorde, located on eight hectares. On one side are the Champs Elysees, and on the other are the Tuileries Gardens. During the reign of Louis XV, in the center of the still undeveloped square there was a monument made by the sculptor Bouchardon - a large statue of the king. Place de Louis XV was designed and created much later by the architect Jacques-Angers Gabriel. It was an octagon surrounded by a dug ditch and balustrades.

To get to the square, you had to walk along stone bridges thrown across the moat. Its corners were decorated with original pavilions, on which it was planned to install statues of gods who personified the virtues of the king.

French revolution

The monument erected to the king was demolished from its pedestal during the French Revolution of 1792. It was sent to melt down to make cannons. Over time, to commemorate the revolution, a statue called “Liberte” (“Freedom”) was erected on the empty pedestal of the previous monument. The Place de la Concorde in Paris was also renamed. Now it has become Revolution Square. A weapon of intimidation and execution, the guillotine, was also installed here. Over the course of several years, 1,119 people were beheaded. In total, during the years of the revolution, 2,498 people climbed to the scaffold, where they were deprived of their lives.

Among them were famous historical figures of the era, including King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The guillotine also took the lives of the Jacobins themselves - Robespierre and Saint-Just. After the revolutionary events, the central square of Paris changed its name many times and only in 1830 it was named Place de la Concorde in honor of reconciliation.

Fountains

The square is decorated with two elegant fountains with a theme of rivers and seas, partly due to their proximity to the Ministry of the Navy and the Seine. They were designed by Jacques Hittorf, a student of the famous L "École des Beaux-Arts. Hittorf served as the official architect of festivals and ceremonies for the king and studied the architecture and fountains of Italy for two years. The fountains he created were very similar to the Roman ones. The mythical figures give the compositions a fantastic look. In in the evening they sparkle in the rays of spotlights, and it seems that it is not water that is pouring, but the silver Northern bronze Fountain of river trade is dedicated to the rivers of France, with allegorical figures representing the Rhone and the Southern Fountain of maritime navigation, which is closer to the Seine, representing the Atlantic. and Mediterranean oceans.

Luxor Obelisk

In 1832, the Egyptian Sultan Mahmed Ali presented three obelisks to King Louis Philippe, but only one was delivered to the French capital. This gift is one of the oldest artifacts in Paris. The obelisk of the era of Ramses II dates back to the 13th century BC. e., it is also called L "aiguille de Cleopatre ("Cleopatra's Needle"). The age of the obelisk is 3200 years. It was located in the Egyptian temple of Amun and was the Luxor obelisk of Ramses II in Thebes. It took more than two years for the obelisk from Egypt to reach France.

To transport it, it was necessary to build a ship with a large displacement, since the monolith weighed 230 tons. The ship was lined up and the obelisk was delivered to the banks of the Seine, where it had to lie, awaiting the creation of lifting devices to bring it into a vertical position and install it on the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Finally, in August 1835, the 23-meter obelisk was hoisted onto the pedestal in three hours. It contains hieroglyphs telling about the times of the reign of the pharaohs. There are also pictures on the obelisk that describe how the obelisk was transported and how it was installed.

Building

Around the huge Place de la Concorde with fountains there are buildings for various purposes. Among them is the building of the Ministry of Sea and River Fleet. The very beautiful palace of the Duke of Crayon was turned into a prestigious hotel in Paris in 1909, which is still operating and welcoming guests. The large US Embassy building is located on the corner of Boissy-de-Anglas Street. On the banks of the Seine is the Orangerie Museum, which displays the works of Claude Monet. The Arc de Triomphe can be seen in a western direction from the Place de la Concorde in Paris, and in its eastern part are the Tuileries Gardens. The National Assembly is located on the other bank of the Seine, to the north, at the end of the Rue Royale is the imposing Church of the Madeleine.

Symbols of French cities

In the 1800s, Place de Louis XV was renamed Place de la Concorde and eight statues were designed by architect Jacques Hittorf to symbolize the cities of France. They were installed at each of the eight corners. Below in the photograph is an image of the Lyon allegorical statue located at one of the points of the octagon.

When conducting excursions in Paris, the guide always tells tourists about these monumental statues, which are not an example of high art, but with originally designed rooms in each pedestal. In the 19th century, you could rent a house there for 500 francs. It was a small apartment.

There is another decoration on the square - “Marley’s Horses”. They were at one time a decoration of the palace of Louis XIV, located in the suburbs of Marly. But the statues on the Place de la Concorde in Paris are not original. The original "Horses of Marley" is in the Louvre.

Place de la Concorde is a tourist attraction and also the end point of the annual Tour de France cycling race, the winner of which can stay at the famous Crillon Hotel.

Place des Vosges is located in the Marais quarter and is one of the oldest squares in the French capital. Square in shape, it is formed by 36 buildings built according to a general plan. On each side of the square there are 9 houses, the facades of which are made in the same style, and the first floors are united by a common arcade. All buildings on the square have the same dimensions; among them, only the pavilions of the king and queen, located on opposite sides of the square, stand out for their size.

A distinctive feature of the buildings on the Place des Vosges is their red and white color, which is uncharacteristic of Paris. This is due to the fact that the facades of the houses are lined with white stone and decorative brick. The first floors are occupied by art galleries, bookstores and antique shops, and small cafes. Most of the area is occupied by a fountain and linden alleys. In its very center stands an equestrian statue of King Louis XIII.

Until 1799, the name of the square was different; it was called Royal, since the residence of the French kings was once located here - the Tournel Palace, in which King Henry II was mortally wounded during a knightly tournament. A few years later, the widow of the late king, Catherine de Medici, having moved to the Louvre, ensured that the palace was destroyed and no longer reminded of that tragedy. Until 1607, the place was empty, then, by order of Henry IV, a square was built here. In 1800, in honor of the province of Vosges collecting the most taxes, the Place Royale was renamed Place des Vosges.

Place Madeleine

Place de la Madeleine, named after the Church of St. Mary Magdalene located on it, is one of the most popular places among the many visitors to Paris. The construction of the square at the end of the 18th century was carried out simultaneously with the construction of the church, which is undoubtedly the main architectural pearl of the square. The church is stylized as a classical Greek temple with a colonnade of 52 Corinthian columns encircling the building on all sides.

Throughout the 19th century, Place de la Madeleine enjoyed enormous popularity among the residents of Paris and was one of their favorite vacation spots. There were numerous cozy cafes, prestigious restaurants and shops on it. Once upon a time, Alphonsine Plessis lived on the Place de la Madeleine, who became the prototype of the heroine of the novel “The Lady of the Camellias,” written by Alexandre Dumas. It is symbolic that it was on the Place de la Madeleine that there was a huge flower market. In one of the houses located on the square, in 1895, a world-scale event took place - the first public film show of the Lumiere brothers took place in the "Grand Café".

After centuries, the Place de la Madeleine continues to be one of the main places for recreation and walking. Popular shops and restaurants are located here today. Here you can buy everything - from exotic fruits to expensive wines. In addition, it is convenient to get to the main attractions of Paris from here.

Hittorf fountains on Place de la Concorde

On both sides of the Luxor Obelisk, Hittorf placed two nine-meter fountains. They were smaller copies of the fountains from St. Peter's Square in Rome. The fountains are decorated with statues of Nereid, Triton, and other mythical characters, as well as eighteen columns. In the evenings, the fountains are illuminated. Several years ago, work on the restoration of the Hittorf fountains was completed.

Place Monge

Place Monge is located in Paris, France. There are many shops, restaurants and bars around this small square. Three times a week there is a good open-air market on the square.

On this cozy square there is a fountain, around which the market is located. The surrounding trees add to the beauty of the market. Here you can buy prepared foods, wines, various French cheeses, meats, seafood, fresh fish, olive oil, seasonal vegetables and fruits grown in the nearby countryside and other food products. You can also buy wallets, clothes, shoes, flowers and much more here. On one side of the square is the entrance to the barracks of the Republican Guard.

Place Pigalle

Place Pigalle is located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris at the intersection of Boulevard Clichy and Boulevard de Rochechouart. The square received its name in honor of the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigal.

Place Pigalle is a square where nightlife “boils and rages”: there are a huge number of cafes, concert halls, nightclubs, and sex shops. Therefore, no one has any questions about the fact that the world famous music hall Moulin Rouge and Le Divan Du Monde are located here.

This is perhaps one of the few areas of Paris where you should not look for cultural entertainment during the day, but rather visit it at night. Confirmation of this is the presence of the Museum of Erotica (Musee d'Erotica), which is located on Boulevard Clichy, 72.

During World War II, soldiers descended on the square in search of strawberries, so the area was nicknamed "Pig Alley."

But still, for those who are interested in the more cultural life of the square, we recommend the area located to the south of the square: there is retail trade in professional musical instruments. Toulouse-Lautrec's studio was located on the square, where artists Picasso and Maurice Newmont visited. The unsurpassed works of Salvador Dali can be seen in Montmartre at Espace Dali.

Victory Square

Place de Victoire appeared in the 17th century thanks to Louis XIV. In the history of France he is remembered as a conqueror of foreign lands. Just look at the war with the Netherlands and the United Provinces. The square serves as a symbol of his victories.

There is even a legend that the memorial depicts a statue of Louis XIV on horseback. After the February Revolution, the residents of Paris threw a noose over the image and threw it off the pedestal. Under Napoleon, an equestrian statue was again erected, but not of the king, but of one of his generals. Louis XIV returned to the square as a monument only in 1828. The monument is made of bronze by the sculptor François Joseph Bosio.

It wasn't just the statues that changed in the square. The name Place de Victoire itself also underwent changes. For some time the French called it the Place des Victories Nationales.

Many documentaries have been made about Place de Victoire. In 2006, an episode in the feature film “Paris, I love you” was dedicated to Victory Square.

Place des Vosges

Place des Vosges is a surprisingly complete architectural ensemble formed by thirty-six buildings in the same style. The square owes its existence to King Henry IV, who decided to build houses for his courtiers. Moreover, the far-sighted ruler forbade dividing the buildings between heirs and rebuilding them, so Royal Square (that was what it was called then) has retained its historical face to this day. The inauguration of the square took place in 1612, and this event marked the engagement of Anne of Austria and Louis XIII.

Three-story buildings form an almost closed space here - you can only get to the square from one street. Along the perimeter of the square, each side of which is 140 meters long, there are red brick houses. Their corners and windows are framed by stripes of light sandstone, and the first floors are decorated with arched galleries. Two buildings stand out, facing each other - they are slightly higher than the others, and they are called the King's Pavilion and the Queen's Pavilion.

Of course, the first persons of the state never lived here, but the houses on the square were immediately chosen by wealthy Parisians. Suffice it to say that house number 21 belonged to Cardinal Richelieu, and the great Frenchmen lived in the houses next door (much later): Victor Hugo, Alphonse Daudet, Théophile Gautier.

Today, the perimeter of the square is decorated with neatly trimmed linden trees, in the middle there is a square with flower beds and a fountain, and the galleries house antique shops and art salons.

Cairo Square

Previously, there was a monastery of the Daughters of God on this site. The monastery was closed during the revolution and finally destroyed under the Directory. It was built in 1276 and was intended for street girls who sold bodies - in those years prostitution flourished, however, little has changed since then.

On the square, under an unusual facade in pseudo-Egyptian style with three heads of the goddess Hathor (a sign of Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt), an arched entrance opens into a string of galleries called the “Cairo Arcade” (Cairo Arcade, Passage du Caire), which has 6 entrances and includes 3 galleries with a total length of 360 meters and a width of 2.6 meters.

Despite its good preservation, this is the oldest passage in Paris. The passage was erected in 1798 not so that customers could escape the mud flying from under the wheels of horse-drawn carriages and hide from the rain, but in imitation of Cairo's Khan al-Khalili market.

Area Denfert Rochereau

Place Denfert Rochereau is located in Paris. It was created in 1879, the original name of the square was translated as “place of Hell” (Place d'Enfer). However, it was soon renamed in honor of the French hero. This is one of the largest and most important squares available on the left bank of the Seine.

In the center of the square there is a statue of the Lion of Belfort. It symbolizes the courage and courage of the French commander Pierre Denfert-Rochereau, who organized the defense of the city during the French-Prussian War. It is in his honor that the square, as well as the nearby metro station, are named.

The area of ​​Denfert Rochereau is planted with trees - maples, chestnuts. Nearby are Place Abbe Migne, Place Jacques Antoine and Place Claude Nicolas Ledoux. The Paris Catacombs Museum is nearby. The buildings of the 19th century simply fascinate with their architecture.

Place Dauphine

Place Dauphine rightly bears the title of one of the pearls of the architectural ensemble of the capital of France. According to many outstanding writers and thinkers of past centuries, Dauphin Square was the most beautiful square in the city, but to this day it has not retained its original appearance. Over the four centuries of its existence, the square was rebuilt several times, and of the several dozen houses surrounding it, only two remained in their original form.

At the end of the 16th century, two small islands located to the west of the island were annexed to the Ile de la Cité. This happened during the construction of the New Bridge on the initiative of Henry III. His successor, Henry IV, seriously changed the original design and ordered a square to be built in the area adjacent to the bridge. According to the monarch's plan, the triangular square was to be surrounded by three-story brick houses with arcades on the first floors, with facades trimmed with white stone.

Construction proceeded quickly, and soon the residents of Paris were able to enjoy the view of the new square. In the houses surrounding it there were numerous trading shops, among which were many jewelers. Very quickly the square became one of the busiest places in the city. Gamblers, charlatans and girls of easy virtue constantly hung around here, and tooth-cutters worked here. However, the main characters in the life of the square were Italian comedians. During almost the entire 18th century, Place Dauphine was a real center of artistic life in France; young artists exhibited their works here. Nowadays, everything looks different here - the noise has long died down, and Parisians are attracted to this place by its romantic peace and quiet.

Trocadéro Square

Place du Trocadéro is located in the heart of the French capital. In the Middle Ages, a castle stood on the site of the square; in the 17th century, there was a monastery here, which was later destroyed by order of Napoleon. The fact is that the Emperor of France wanted to build a palace on this site for his son. The project dragged on and was eventually implemented in the 19th century. According to the Parisians, the palace was terrible, so it was demolished and the Chaillot Palace was built in its place, which has survived to this day.

The main reason for the insane popularity of Trocadero Square is the incomparable view that opens from here to the Eiffel Tower. This becomes clear without words to anyone who finds themselves on the square late in the evening - the sight of the TV tower sparkling with bright lights is etched in the memory for a long time.

Place du Tertre

Place du Tertre, or Place du Hill, located in the 18th municipal arrondissement of the city of Paris, is considered the “heart” of Montmartre. Tertre is the highest point and one of the most popular attractions in the capital of France.

Most of the square's buildings were built in the 18th century. At the beginning of the 20th century, such famous artists as Picasso and Utrillo lived on its territory, and the surrounding area of ​​Tertre was a center of art. Currently, the square has become a kind of exhibition-fair of works by contemporary artists and caricaturists. Here you can order your portrait, as well as purchase a painting with views of Paris.

The first floors of nearby houses are occupied by small restaurants and cafes, where the true bohemian spirit of Montmartre can be clearly felt. And the Mere Catherine restaurant, founded in 1793, became famous for the fact that it was from here, at the instigation of the Russian Cossacks, that the word “bistro” spread throughout the world.

Grevskaya Square

There is a square in Paris whose history is very sad. Now it is called Place de la Hôtel de Ville, but previously it was called Place de Greve. The name of the square is directly related to its location: here, on the right bank of the Seine, there used to be a river pier, which was covered with pebbles and sand.

The square had to be renamed in order to forget the terrible events that took place here. Public executions were carried out on the square, so the center of the square was “decorated” with a gallows and a pillory. And soon, these deadly attributes were supplemented by the guillotine, which was used here for the first time.

Nowadays, the square is visited by many tourists who do not know its terrible history. The Hôtel de Ville square, 155 meters long and 82 meters wide, is a pedestrian area. In the winter season, a skating rink is filled here, so there are a huge number of people who want to frolic on skates on the square. And in the summer, young people gather on the square for an active game of beach volleyball.

Carousel Square

Place Carrousel is located between the two large side wings of the Louvre. In the 17th century a riding arena was built here (in French “Carousel”), hence the name of the square.

In 1806-1808, a triumphal arch was erected here in honor of Napoleon's victories in Italy. The project was developed by the court architects Percier and Fontaine. According to their plan, the arch was supposed to serve as a ceremonial entrance to the emperor's residence - the Tuileries Palace. On four sides the arch is richly decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the Battle of Austerlitz, the capitulation of Ulm, the capture of Vienna and other famous episodes of the Napoleonic wars.

The square contains sculptures, both old and modern.

Furstenberg Square

Place Furstenberg is located in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and is quite famous in the city of Paris. The square is quite small, named after the famous Prince of Fürstenberg, a descendant of Napoleon. This place has been the main subject of many popular paintings for many years, with artists finding inspiration in this place. Here was the studio of the artist Eugene Delacroix, and now his museum, where you can see drawings and sketches, personal belongings of the great artist and the works of his friends.

Currently, there are many cozy cafes on the square where you can sit with a cup of coffee and listen to street musicians. The spirit of romance that hovers over the square attracts many tourists at any time of the year.

Place des Nations

Place de la Nation is located at the crossroads between the 11th and 12th arrondissement of Paris. The square received its name on July 14 in 1880, in honor of a holiday of national significance - Bastille Day. The square is also called the eastern gate of Paris.

During the Revolution, since 1972, on the south side of the square there was the cemetery de Picpus, where notable aristocrats are buried: Andre-Marie Chénier, the famous composer Josse-Francois-Joseph-Benaut, Cecile Renault, the martyrs of Compiègne.

The famous Place des Nations is a circular square with a diameter of 252 meters.

The central place on the square is occupied by the Triumph of the Republic monument, unveiled in 1899. The sculptor Jules Dalu worked on the design of the monument. Initially it was made of plaster, but soon the plaster was replaced by bronze. The sculpture is a figure standing on the globe in a chariot, which is drawn by lions and surrounded by various figures of a symbolic nature. The idea of ​​the monument is associated with the Republic, which is why it faces the Place de la Bastille.

In 1963, a grandiose concert was organized on the Square, in which such world stars as Richard Anthony, Frank Alamo, Johnny Hallyday took part. Thanks to this event, more than 150 thousand young people gathered in the square.

Place de la Concorde

Place de la Concorde is one of the main and most beautiful squares in Paris. This outstanding monument of classical urban planning can be found in the 8th arrondissement of the city, between the Tuileries Garden and the Champs Elysees.

Construction of the square was carried out in several stages and began in 1755. Initially, the square was an octagon, where in each corner there was a sculpture personifying a particular city in France. In its center stood an equestrian statue of Louis XV (due to which the square bore his name for a long time).

In 1790, the square received a continuation in the form of a bridge spanning the Seine. Subsequently, the Bridge of Concord gave the name to the square. The name change occurred as a sign of reconciliation between classes after the revolutionary terror

Sights of Paris

Library-Museum of the Comédie Française, Paris, France Gustave Moreau Museum, Paris, France