Place De La Concorde
by Hany J
Title
Place De La Concorde
Artist
Hany J
Medium
Photograph - Original Photo
Description
The Place de la Concorde is one of the major public squares in Paris, located at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. Measuring 8.64 hectares in area, it is the largest square in the French capital.
The place was designed in 1755 as a moat-skirted octagon between the Champs-Elysées to the west and the Tuileries Garden to the east. The area was named the Place Louis XV to honor the king at that time, and was decorated with many statues and fountains. At the north end of the square, two magnificent identical stone buildings were constructed (separated by rue Royale). The eastern building served as the French Naval Ministry, and the western building became the opulent home of the Duc d'Aumont. It was later purchased by the Comte de Crillon, whose family resided there until 1907. The famous luxury Hôtel de Crillon, which currently occupies the building, took its name from its previous owners.
During the French Revolution in 1789 the statue of Louis XV of France was torn down and the area renamed the Place de la Révolution. The new revolutionary government erected a guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI was executed in January 1793. Other important figures guillotined on the site include Queen Marie Antoinette, Princess Élisabeth of France, Antoine Lavoisier, and Maximilien Robespierre.
In 1795 the square was renamed Place de la Concorde as a gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the French Revolution. After the Bourbon Restoration of 1814, the name was changed back to Place Louis XV, and in 1826 the square was renamed Place Louis XVI. After the July Revolution of 1830 the name was returned to Place de la Concorde and has remained that way since.
The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramesses II. The obelisk once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple. The self-declared Khedive of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, offered the 3,300-year-old Luxor Obelisk to France in 1829. It arrived in Paris in December 1833. Three years later, in October 1836, King Louis Philippe had it placed in the center of Place de la Concorde.
The obelisk is a yellow granite column, 23 metres (75 ft) high. Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was no easy feat — on the pedestal are drawn diagrams explaining the machinery that was used for the transportation. The obelisk is flanked on both sides by fountains constructed at the time of its erection on the Place. Missing its original cap, believed stolen in the 6th century BC, the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk in 1998.
All images are taken with a Canon 5D III (full frame) and a Canon 7D II (crop frame) using a variety of Canon L-Series lenses, and Tamron and Sigma pro-line lenses; processed in RAW with ACR, PSC, Photomatix, and a variety of other imaging software.
All images are Copyright © 2016 Hany G. Jadaa; C.Chem. M.Sc. Eng.; and Copyright © 2016 Prince John Photography (the Artist). The material contained herein may not be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or downloaded in any way, shape or form. All rights are reserved. Copying, altering, displaying or redistribution of any of these images without written permission from the Artist is strictly prohibited and will be prosecuted under US, Canadian, European, and Australian Copyright laws.
Image is available for purchase at higher resolution and no copyright stamps upon request. Please contact the artist directly at pjphotography@uniserve.com
Uploaded
July 21st, 2017
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