Place de la Concorde

The Place de la Concorde, previously known as the Place Louis XV and the Place de la Révolution, is a public square in Paris, France.

History

Built in honor of King Louis XV in 1772, the Place borders the Champs-Élysées to the west, and the Jardin des Tuileries to the east. It is linked to Palais Bourbon through the Pont de la Concorde.

It was the scene of the tragic festivities surrounding the marriage of the then-dauphin Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, where, according to official figures, 132 people were trampled during a fireworks display. Twenty-three years later, Louis XVI was executed in the same plaza, followed by Marie-Antoinette a few months later.

The guillotine was installed at the Place permanently from May 19, 1793 until June 13, 1794. In these thirteen months, around 1,500 people were executed, including Georges Danton and the thieves of the French Crown Jewels. According to Scottish historian Sir Archibald Alison, 1st Baronet, there were so many people put to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror that an immense aqueduct was built stretching from Place de la Concorde to Porte St Antoine in order to drain away the gore. Four men were employed to empty the blood of victims into this reservoir each day.

In 1830, the obelisks at the portal of Luxor Temple were given by Egypt to France, through the influence of Jean-François Champollion. The original pedestal, which had sculptures of baboons with prominent male genitalia, was deemed too obscene and it was separated from the rest of the work, being sent to the Louvre, and would later be exhibited in the museum's annex in Lens. On 25 October 1836, the obelisk was erected in the Place de la Concorde, with the engineer of the machine that raised it, Jean-Baptiste Apollinaire Lebas, remaining underneath during the process, so that if it failed, he would die without suffering the shame.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Unity
• L'Armoire de Fer (mentioned only)
• Le Secret des Mines (mentioned only)