-
Place de la Bastille
The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris, where the Bastille prison stood until the 'Storming of the Bastille' and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution; no vestige of it remains. The July Column (Colonne de Juillet) which commemorates the events of the July Revolution (1830) stands at the center of the square. (source: wikipedia.org)
-
Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde is amongst the most stunning plazas in the world. At 84,000 square meters, it is also the largest square in the city. It was constructed in 1772 around a large statue of King Louis XV. Stand in the square and you can see the Madeleine, the Arc de Triomphe, the Assemblée Nationale and the Palais Bourbon across the Seine. During the French Revolution a guillotine was set up in the plaza and King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed on it. Later, during the Reign of Terror, more than 1,300 people lost their heads here until more moderate times prevailed and the guillotine was removed.
-
Place Vendôme
Place Vendome was constructed in the 18th century to commemorate the armies of Louis XIV. Napoleon added the central column, modeled after Trajan's column in Rome, to commemorate his victory in Austerlitz. This impressive space is the design of architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart; pedimented screens canted across the corners give the Place Vendôme the aspect of an octagon. (partial source: wikipedia.org)
