Paris - Place de la Concorde - 8me

Plate LXXV – Place de la Concorde

An octagonal space designed in 1755 by Jacques-Ange Gabriel under Louis XV the Place was an annex of the Tuileries gardens. At some 86,500 square metres it is the city’s largest square. First called Place Louis XV, it became known as the Place de La Revolution during the eponymously named uprising, and although reputedly the site of the guillotine according to popular legend, in truth it was only one of many sites used for public executions where M Guillotine’s invention so efficiently did her work. Heads that were lost here include Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and Danton. Its present name was assumed after the Reign of Terror.

The twenty three metre high, hieroglyphics decorated obelisk (said to mark the spot where the guillotine was erected), was given to France by Egypt in 1829 and comes from the tomb of Ramses II in Thebes. It is more than three thousand years old. Transporting the stone to France was logistically challenging, and the story of its journey is diagrammed on its pedestal.

The most notable features of the Place de la Concorde are the magnificent fountains immortalized by Hollywood in the award winning film An American in Paris where a stylistically represented version became the setting for the climactic ballet sequence featuring Gene Kelly and Lesley Caron.

Fronting the Pont de la Concorde can be seen the Palace Bourbon, named after the Duchess of Bourbon (daughter of Louis XIV), and today the seat of the French National Assembly. Begun by the architect Giardini in 1722 it was continued by Lassurance, to be eventually completed in 1728 by Aubert and Gabriel. The present façade, creating a symmetrical element with the facing Église de la Madeleine was built for Napoleon by Poyet in the early nineteenth century. Many fine works of art adorn the interior, including Delacroix’ cycle The History of Civilisation in the library.

Paris - Tuileries Gardens - 1er

Plate VII - Tuileries Gardens - towards the Grande Louvre

One of the first places I head for when revisiting Paris is the oldest and largest of the Parisian public parks, the Tuileries Gardens. Nothing could make anyone feel more immediately French than a cheese baguette or croque monsieur and a good Burgundy wine taken in the convivial surroundings of the gardens.

Originally the setting of the Tuileries Palace, the gardens that remain hint at what was to be enjoyed with a royal lifestyle. Destroyed by fire during the Paris Commune on May 23, 1871 the palace was named after the ‘tuiles’ or roof tile kilns (tuileries) that operated for many years near the site. The gardens are still largely as laid out in 1664 by landscaper Henry le Notre with fountains and pathways, and many statues have been placed around the grounds while the vision of the Grande Louvre becomes a completed reality.

The acres (some 60 or more) of limestone gravel found here started me on an unusual habit of collecting an interesting piece of stone at each place I have visited. This stone collection that now covers many places of interest in Europe, the UK, America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East all started right here in the Tuileries Gardens. I can still recall the origin of each piece. I will occasionally succumb to a local curio (‘No more stuff’, my wife’s voice echoes in my mind), but mostly these stones along with many enduring images are my souvenirs, and best of all … they’re free.