Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix
Place Vendôme is located in one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in Paris.
It can be accessed via Rue de Castiglione, from Rue de Rivoli and the Tuileries gardens, and via Rue de la Paix, a street renowned for its exceptional concentration of luxury establishments, and which connects it to the Opéra Garnier.
Commissioned by François Louvois, Superintendent of Buildings under King Louis XIV, this almost perfectly square (700 m x 735 m) was laid out at the turn of the 18th century.
The architect Hardouin-Mansart designed the plan, while Girardon sculpted the equestrian statue of Louis XIV that initially marked its centre.
Nineteen identical private mansions were built in a record time of 20 years, giving the square a remarkable architectural unity. Perfect examples of classical architecture, each one is listed as a historic monument.
Elegant arcades frame the ground-floor windows, while columns adorn the first- and second-floor facades, and dormer windows decorate the pointed slate roofs.
On the west side, these townhouses are home to institutions such as Crédit Foncier, the Ministry of Justice, and the prestigious Ritz Hotel, where Princess Diana spent her final days.
The eastern side’s mansions are home to high-end renowned jewellers and haute couture boutiques, such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chaumet, Mauboussin, De Beers, and Chanel among many others.
Colonne Vendôme
The Place Vendôme has undergone numerous transformations over the decades.
The original statue of King Louis XIV was destroyed during the French Revolution and replaced in 1810 with a column topped with a statue of Napoleon as Caesar.
This statue was removed during the Bourbon Restoration, and Louis-Philippe had it replaced by a statue depicting Napoleon as a corporal!
The column and statue were toppled by insurgents led by the painter Gustave Courbet during the Paris Commune of 1871. Despite Courbet’s efforts, a new column was erected under the Third Republic, at the painter’s expense, as a form of punishment.
The new 44-meter-high Colonne Vendôme was cast with the bronze of the cannons captured at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. A spiral sculpted with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Napoleon’s military campaigns winds around the shaft, which is surmounted by a replica of the original statue Napoleon dressed as Caesar.
Directions: 1st District
Metro: Tuileries on Line 1
Coordinates: Lat 48.867447 – Long 2.329434
