Place de la Concorde, a grand setting
The Place de la Concorde occupies a prominent place in Paris.
It indeed connects the Avenue des Champs-Elysées to the Tuileries gardens, while the Pont de la Concorde links it to the National Assembly on the south bank of the Seine. The Rue Royale leads directly to the Madeleine Church.
Thanks to its strategic location, the square becomes an important gathering place for major events such as Bastille Day, when it hosts the presidential stand where French and foreign dignitaries are invited to attend the grand military parade on July 14th.
The royal Place Louis XV
The Place de la Concorde is one of the five royal squares of Paris, along with the Place des Victoires, Place Vendôme, Place des Vosges and Place Dauphine. These squares were built by or for the kings of France.
The Place Louis XV was created in 1772. At the time, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées was merely a rudimentary path winding through groves and undergrowth, a far cry from the grand avenue we know today!
The aldermen of Paris, wanting to honour their king, commissioned the architect, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, to design an elegant octagonal square surmounted by an equestrian statue of the monarch. The area was deserted, therefore ideal!
Gabriel’s design included a 20-meter-wide moat, spanned by six stone bridges and surrounded by a balustrade. Eight small pavilions marked the corners, while four large platforms, planted with lush lawns, trees, shrubs and flowerbeds, provided the finishing touch to the square.
Place de la Révolution
The square was renamed Place de la Révolution in 1792, a name perhaps unoriginal, but rich in symbolism for the time! The statue of Louis XV was toppled and melted down, and replaced by an allegorical figure of Liberty.
Unfortunately, the square became tragically famous because the revolutionaries installed the sinister guillotine, which operated there until the summer of 1795. During those terrifying years, the square was the site of the execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, Queen Marie-Antoinette on October 16, and thousands of other people from all walks of life, aristocrats, revolutionaries, and ordinary citizens, all sacrificed in the name of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity!
The name of the square changed several times in the years that followed, as France alternated between monarchy, republic, and empire: Place de la Concorde, then Place Louis XV (once again!), then Place Louis XVI, and finally back to Place de la Concorde in 1830, the name it has retained ever since! The choice of “Concorde” was not accidental; it symbolised reconciliation after decades of turmoil!
Hittorff’s transformation
In the 1850s, the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff gave the square much of its present form.
He indeed filled in the old moats, increasing the square’s area to an impressive 6.5 hectares, making it the largest square in Paris.
He had statues representing major French cities placed at each corner: Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen, and Strasbourg. He also added the splendid 20 gilded candelabras and the two monumental fountains inspired by those in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
He preserved the iconic Horses of Marly, sculpted by Coustou, which frame the entrance to the Champs-Élysées.
The original sculptures, however, were moved to the Louvre Museum during the 20th century to protect them from pollution, and replicas were installed in their place.
The 23-meter-high obelisk of Ramses II is one of two obelisks that marked the entrance to the Temple of Amun in Luxor. Mehmet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt, presented it to King Charles X in the early 1830s as a gesture of reconciliation after the Napoleonic campaigns. The obelisk dates from the 13th century BC and is the oldest monument in Paris!
Grabriel’s mansions on Place de la Concorde
In 1775, Gabriel designed the elegant neoclassical twin buildings that frame the entrance to the Rue Royale. Their porticoes with twelve Corinthian columns, surmounted by triangular pediments, lend them an almost Templar majesty.
No. 2 has housed the Ministry of the Navy since 1789. The neighbouring private mansions each have their own history: the Hôtel de Coislin at No. 4; the Hôtel du Plessis-Bellière at No. 6, which later merged with No. 8 to house the Automobile Club of France; and finally, the Hôtel de Crillon at No. 10.
Hôtel Crillon
The Hôtel de Crillon, formerly the residence of the Duke of Crillon, underwent a remarkable transformation and became a luxury hotel in 1907.
However, by 2010, competition from newer establishments such as the Mandarin Oriental, the Peninsula, and the Shangri-La had significantly reduced its revenue.
A major renovation costing up to €100 million was launched in 2012, financed by its new owner, a member of the Saudi royal family.
Despite the need for renovation, the Hôtel de Crillon was determined to preserve its 18th-century neoclassical architecture while elevating its amenities to palatial levels, including luxurious rooms, a swimming pool, a spa, and room rates ranging from €750 to €1,000 per night.
Finally, just opposite the Crillon, at the corner of Avenue Gabriel and Rue Boissy d’Anglas, you will find the United States Embassy, testifying to the international importance of this place.
Directions: 8th District
Metro: Concorde on Lines 1, 8, 12
Coordinates Place de la Concorde: Lat 48.865633 – Long 2.321236
