Place de la Condorde is not far from the Louvre museum and you can get there through Jardin des Tuileries. Place de la Condorde is the largest square in Paris. The Place de la Condorde was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1755 filled with statues and fountains; the area was named Place Louis XV. In 1792, during the French revolution, the statue was replaced by another, large statue, called "Liberte" and the square was called place de la Revolution. A guillotine was installed at the center of the square by the new revolutionary government. The first notable to be executed at the Place de la Revolution was the King Louis XVI. Other important people guillotined there, were Queen Marie Antoinette, Madame Elisabeth, Madame du Barry, Danton, Lavoisier, and Robespierre. The guillotine was active between 1793 and 1795 and more than 1,300 people were executed. After the revolution the square received its current name "Place de la Concorde" symbolizing the end of a troubled era and the hope for a better future. At the north end of Place de la Condorde, two magnificent identical stone buildings were constructed. Separated by the rue Royale, these structures remain among the best examples of that period's architecture and initially served as government offices. Today western building is the luxurious Hotel de Crillon and the eastern is l'Hotel du Ministere de la Marine. In the center of the Place de la Condorde you can see the Obelisk of Luxor, a present the viceroy of Egypt gave to Charles X in 1829. The Obelisk of Luxor is weighting 230 tons and standing 22.83 meters high is flanked on both sides by two fountains constructed during the same period. The Obelisk of Luxor is more than 3,300 years old and is decorated with hieroglyphics portraying the reigns of the pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III. Gilded Pictures on the pedestal describe the monumental transportation to Paris and its installation at the square. |
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