The majestic 20 acre Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris and has an infamous bloody history.
Originally called Place Louis XV, it was designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel and constructed between 1754 and 1763 and a large equestrian statue of King Louis XV stood here.
However, royalty soon fell from favour and during the French revolution the government renamed the square Place de la Révolution and replaced the statue with a guillotine. King Louis XVI (grandson and successor to Louis XV) lost his head here, as did his Queen, Marie Antoinette. During the Reign of Terror (Sep 1793 - Jul 1794), the revolutionary government guillotined the 'enemies of the revolution' in their thousands.
With the end of the French revolution the guillotine was removed, and after more name changes, the square finally received its present name Place de la Concorde.
In 1836 King Louis-Philippe erected an Egyptian obelisk where the guillotine had formally stood in honour of those killed. In the ground in front of the obelisk there is a bronze plaque to commemorate the executed.
The 3200 years old red granite obelisk comes from the ruins of temple of Ramses II at Thebes and stands on a pedestal decorated with gilded images that tells the story of the 250 ton obelisk's two year journey from Egypt to France.
During 1833 and 1846 the square was redesigned by Jacques Ignace Hittorff, who decorated each of the octagonal corners with statues that represent eight of France's cities, and added the square's two ornamental guilded fountains.
Address
Place de la Concorde
75008 Paris
How to Get There:
Métro: Station - Place de la Concorde on line 1, 8 or 12
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