Place de la Concorde, a grand setting
The Place de la Concorde enjoys a prominent position in Paris.
It links the Avenue des Champs-Elysées to the Tuileries gardens, while the Pont de la Concorde carries it across the Seine to the National Assembly.
At its north side, the Rue Royale leads directly to the Madeleine Church.
Given its strategic location, the square becomes a focal point for significant official gatherings such as Bastille Day, when it hosts the presidential tribune and dignitaries from France and abroad for the great military parade of July 14.
The royal Place Louis XV
The Place de la Concorde is one of Paris’ five ‘royal squares’ alongside the Place des Victoires, Place Vendôme, Place des Vosges and Place Dauphine.
Its story begins in 1772, when it was laid out as the Place Louis XV. At the time, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées was nothing more than a rudimentary trail cutting through unruly thickets and undergrowth, a far cry from the grand avenue we know today!
The aldermen of Paris wanted a fitting monument to honor Louis XV and commissioned the king’s architect, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, to design an elegant octagonal square crowned with an equestrian statue of the monarch.
Gabriel’s plan featured a 20-meter-wide moat, crossed by six stone bridges and encircled by a balustrade.
Eight small pavilions marked the corners, while four large platforms were planted with lush lawns, an array of trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds, bought the final touch to the square.
Place de la Révolution
With the Revolution of 1792, the square was renamed the Place de la Révolution, a change perhaps short on imagination, but long on symbolism. The statue of Louis XV was toppled and melted down, replaced by an allegorical figure of Liberty.
Soon, however, the square became infamous as the site of the guillotine, which operated here until the summer of 1795. During those bloody years, it bore witness to the execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1793, Queen Marie-Antoinette on October 16, and thousands of others from all walks of life, aristocrats, revolutionaries, and ordinary citizens, sacrificed in the name of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.
In the years that followed, as France lurched between monarchy, republic, and empire, the square’s name changed repeatedly: from Place de la Concorde to Place Louis XV (once more!), then to Place Louis XVI, and finally back to Place de la Concorde in 1830, a name it has retained ever since! The choice of “Concorde” was no accident, it symbolized reconciliation after decades of turmoil.
Hittorff’s transformation
In the 1850s, the architect Jacques Ignace Hittorff reshaped the square into much of the form we see today.
He filled in the old moat, expanding the site to an impressive 6.5 hectares, making it the largest square in Paris.
At each corner he placed statues representing major French cities: Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen, and Strasbourg.
He also added 20 golden candelabras that still illuminate the square at night, and two monumental fountains inspired by those in St. Peter’s Square in Rome.
He retained the iconic Chevaux de Marly, sculpted by Coustou, that frame the entrance to the Champs-Elysées. The original sculptures were transferred to the Louvre Museum during the 20th century to safeguard them from the effects of pollution, while replicas were installed in their place.
Obelisk of Luxor
The 23m high Obelisk of Ramesses II and is one of the two obelisks that marked the entrance to the Temple of Amun in Luxor. Mehemet Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt, donated it to King Charles X in the early 1830s as a sign of goodwill after the Napoleonic campaigns. Dating from the 13th century BC, it is the oldest monument in Paris!
Grabriel’s mansions on Place de la Concorde
In 1775, Gabriel constructed the elegant neoclassical twin buildings that flank the entrance to Rue Royale.
Their porticos of twelve Corinthian columns, crowned by triangular pediments, give them a temple-like majesty.
No. 2 has been the home of the Ministry of the Navy since 1789.
The adjacent mansions each carry 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 de France; and finally, the Hôtel de Crillon at No. 10.
Hôtel Crillon
The Hôtel de Crillon, once the residence of the Duke of Crillon, underwent a remarkable transformation and became a luxury hotel in 1907.
By 2010, however, competition from newer palaces like the Mandarin, Peninsula, and Shangri-La had cut its revenues sharply. A sweeping renovation costing up to €100 million was launched in 2012, funded by its new owner, a member of the Saudi royal family.
Despite the imperative for renovation, the Hôtel Crillon remained steadfast in preserving its 18th-century Neoclassical architecture while elevating its amenities to palace standards, including luxurious rooms, a swimming pool, a spa and nightly room rates averaging €750–1000.
And, just across the street, at the corner of Avenue Gabriel and Rue Boissy d’Anglas, you’ll find the U.S. Embassy, a reminder of the square’s international importance.
Directions: 8th District
Metro: Concorde on Lines 1, 8, 12
Coordinates Place de la Concorde: Lat 48.865633 – Long 2.321236
