Place de la Concorde is the largest square in Paris, which sprawls over 8 hectares of octagonal area. This beautiful historical square is situated at the 8th arrondissement or district of Paris along the Seine between the Tuileries and Champs-Elysées.
Between the period 1833 and 1846, Hittorf finished the decoration of Place de la Concorde. The obelisk was placed at the middle of an oval area where there were fountains at the two edges. Statues symbolizing some of the major cities of France like Lille, Rouen, Strasbourg, Lyon, Nantes, Marseille, Bordeaux, Brest are located at each corner of the octagon.
At the entrance of the Champs Elysées, a monumental statue of a group of horses, known as the Horses of Marly were positioned. The original statue is currently housed at the Louvre Museum and a replica of it isplaced here. Place de la Concorde is surrounded by the Jeu de Paume and L'Orangerie of the Tuileries on the east, l'Hôtel Crillon and l'Hôtel of the Navy Minister on the north and part of the Champs Elysés on the west. To its south lies the bridge of the Concorde.
Place de la Concorde in Paris preserves the general appearance of the eighteenth century. During the
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Revolution, the statue of Louis XV was removed. This statue was substituted by the Obelisk of Luxor that was given by Mohamed Ali, the viceroy of Egypt, to Louis Phillipe. The obelisk was set up in 1836, which is 22.83 meters high and weighs about 230 tons. The obelisk marks the entrance of the Amon temple at Luxor.
Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde
At the center of the Place de la Concorde, a 3200 years old obelisk was installed in 1836. It was derived from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes. The obelisk is 23 meters tall monolith made from pink granite and weighing about 230 tons. It was gifted to Louis Philippe by the Viceroy of Egypt in the year 1831. The Viceroy presented three obelisks but only one was send to Paris. The obelisk is engraved with hieroglyphs that depict the rule of pharaohs Ramses II & Ramses III.
The orientation of Place de la Concorde is very interesting and scenic as it overlooks some of the beautiful sights of Paris like the Assemblée Nationale, the Palais Bourbon, the Madeleine, the Arc de Triomphe, the Tuileries and the Seine. Tourists can explore the history and heritage of Paris in Place de la Concorde.
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