Still not satiated by the Paris squares? So much the better! Let's discover together the history of the Place de la Concorde and its beautiful golden-tipped obelisk, symbols of the French capital.
Place de la Concorde was created between 1755 and 1775 at the instigation of King Louis XV. Built in classical style by the king's first architect, Jacques Ange Gabriel, this octagonal square is surrounded by prestigious hotels, including the famous Hôtel de Crillon. At the time, it was called... Place Louis XV (how amazing!). An equestrian statue of Louis XV by Bouchardon and Pigalle was inaugurated on the Place de la Concorde in 1763.
The Place Louis XV soon became the venue for major royal and popular events: weddings, royal births, fireworks displays to celebrate France's victories abroad.
During the French Revolution, Place Louis XV became Place de la Révolution. The statue of Louis XV was pulled down and replaced by La Liberté, the symbol of this revolutionary period. It was on this mythical square that Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre were guillotined in 1793.
Under the July Monarchy, Louis Philippe 1st asked the architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorf to redesign the entire square, renaming it Place de la Concorde, so that it would no longer be a reminder of the dark political events that had taken place there. From 1839 to 1846, the architect installed two monumental fountains, the Fontaine des Mers and the Fontaine des Fleuves, and above all the famous Luxor Obelisk, presented to Charles X in 1831 by Mehemet Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt.
The 23-metre-high obelisk still towers over the Place de la Concorde, marking the beginning of the world's most beautiful avenue: the Champs-Elysées!
