Place de la Concorde

The Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris. It was constructed in the form of octagon bordered by large moats, which have now long disappeared. It is situated along the Seine and separates the Tuilerie Gardens from the beginning of the Champs Elysees. It was constructed by architect Jacques Ange Gabriel on behalf of Louis XV in 1754 ,and was eventually completed in 1763 . It was constructed to hold an equestrian statue of Louis XV that was commissioned by the city in 1748. It was then named the Place Louis XV. It is without doubt a picturesque spot in Paris and if you are walking around the city, you can get some pictures of Paris from there. Along the Champes lyses with the Arc de Triomphe in the background, the Eiffel Tower, the National Assembly ,and the Louvre. Therefore , it's certainly worth stopping and spending time in here . Inside , there is plenty to see. At each corner of the octagonal square stands statues that each represent a French city. Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg. They were installed in 1836 by Jacob Ignaz Hittorf, while he was redesigning the Place de la Concorde. At the north end, two magnificent identical stone buildings were constructed. Separated by the rue Royale, these remain among the best examples of architecture from that period. Initially they served as government offices, with the eastern one being the home of the French Naval Ministry. Shortly after its construction, the western building was made into the luxurious Hotel de Crillon, which is still operating today, this is where Marie Antoinette spent afternoons relaxing and taking piano lessons. The hotel also served as the headquarters of the occupying German army during World War II. There are also two fountains designed by Jacques Ignace Hittorff. These two fountains were on the theme of rivers and seas, in part because of their proximity to the Ministry of Navy, and to the Seine. Their arrangement, on a north-south axis aligned with the Obelisk of Luxor and the Rue Royale, and the form of the fountains themselves, were influenced by the fountains of Rome, particularly Piazza Navona and the Piazza San Pietro, both of which had obelisks aligned with fountains. Both fountains had the same form: a stone basin; six figures of tritons or naiads holding fish spouting water; six seated allegorical figures, their feet on the prows of ships, supporting the pedestal, of the circular vasque; four statues of different forms of genius in arts or crafts supporting the upper inverted upper vasque; whose water shot up and then cascaded down to the lower vasque and then the basin.

The north fountain was devoted to the Rivers, with allegorical figures representing the Rhone and the Rhine, the arts of the harvesting of flowers and fruits, harvesting and grape growing; and the geniuses of river navigation, industry, and agriculture. The south fountain, closer to the Seine, represented the seas, with figures representing the Atlantic and the Mediterranean; harvesting coral; harvesting fish; collecting shellfish; collecting pearls; and the geniuses of astronomy, navigation and commerce. There is also a 3200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes, now modern day Luxor, installed at the centre . It is a 23 meters tall monolith in pink granite and weighs approximately 230 tons . It was offered by the Viceroy of Egypt to Louis Philippe in 1831. It was only one of 3 obelisks offered by the Viceroy, but only one ended up being transported to Paris. The obelisk is covered with hieroglyphs picturing the reign of pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III. The Place de la Concorde is surrounded by many other attractive places . A monumental building , known as the Palais Bourbon which is home to the the Assemble Nationale, the French parliament's lower house , located within 500 m . The Jardin des Tuileries , one of Paris's most visited gardens ,located between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde . Petit Palais, which houses an excellent collection of art work from various centuries . The greek temple , situated just north of the Place the Concorde which is known as 'La Madeleine' or 'L'glise de St-Marie-Madeleine' .The opulent Opra de Paris Garnier , designed by Charles Garnier for Emperor Napoleon III is also well worth visiting . There is a small lake ,exists under the opera building which was the hiding place of the 'Phantom of the Opera' in Paul Leroux's famous play. I think this place interested me so much because it is well known for its design , beautiful views , and surroundings . It is one of the many picturesque spots in Paris . It is both thriling and exciting to know that at the center of Place de la Concorde , The Guillotine was installed during early part of the French , for it held one of the famous events throughout the world . 1119 people, amongst them many famous people like King Louis XVI, MarieAntionette, and revolutionary Robespierre ,beheaded in only a couple of years .