Place de la Concorde, Paris (12/6)
The public square in Paris, France, covers 8.64 hectares (21.3 acres). The Place was designed in 1755 and was named Place Louis XV to honor the king at that time. The square showcased an equestrian statue of the king, During the French Revolution the statue was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution".
The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI ,and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed in 1793. Other important figures in French history followed them to the guillotine on the site, often in front of cheering crowds.
The guillotine was most active during the "Reign of Terror", in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. A year later, when the revolution was taking a more moderate course, the guillotine was removed from the square.
The square was renamed Place de la Concorde as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the French Revolution.
It underwent a series of name changes in the nineteenth century, but the city eventually settled on Place de la Concorde.
The public square in Paris, France, covers 8.64 hectares (21.3 acres). The Place was designed in 1755 and was named Place Louis XV to honor the king at that time. The square showcased an equestrian statue of the king, During the French Revolution the statue was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution".
The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine in the square, and it was here that King Louis XVI ,and Queen Marie Antoinette were executed in 1793. Other important figures in French history followed them to the guillotine on the site, often in front of cheering crowds.
The guillotine was most active during the "Reign of Terror", in the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. A year later, when the revolution was taking a more moderate course, the guillotine was removed from the square.
The square was renamed Place de la Concorde as a symbolic gesture of reconciliation after the turmoil of the French Revolution.
It underwent a series of name changes in the nineteenth century, but the city eventually settled on Place de la Concorde.
Place de la Concorde, Paris, France. (12/6) The 3300 year old Egyptian obelisk ,which is a prominent feature of the public square is one of two obelisks which once marked the entrance to the ancient Luxor Temple, in Egypt. It stands 23 metres (75ft) high and weighs over 250 tonnes (280 tons). The two red grantite columns were offered to France as a gift in 1829 by Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Khedive of Egypt. In 1832, a French paddle ship and barge towed the obelisk from the Egyptian port of Alexandria to France. It arrived in Paris in December 1833. Three years later, King Louis-Philippe of France had it placed in the center of Place de la Concorde. The other obelisk remained on location in Egypt. In the 1990s, President François Mitterrand, as a symbolic gesture, officially renounced any French claim to the second obelisk.
|
Paris, France. (12/6)
Keith Wickenton poses for photo of the Eiffel Tower from the bank of the River Seine, near Pont de Passy,Paris, France.
The iron structure was built between 1887 and 1889.
Keith Wickenton poses for photo of the Eiffel Tower from the bank of the River Seine, near Pont de Passy,Paris, France.
The iron structure was built between 1887 and 1889.
Paris, France. (12/6)
Looking down Avenue des Champs Elysees, from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.
The famous Parisian memorial and landmark contains the tomb of the unknown soldier and an eternal flame.
Looking down Avenue des Champs Elysees, from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.
The famous Parisian memorial and landmark contains the tomb of the unknown soldier and an eternal flame.
View from the top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris. (12/6)
The Arc d’Triomphe stands out from the cities roads and buildings.
Visitor numbers to the Eiffel Tower were just over one million in 1952 when this photo was taken. In recent years they have averaged about six million.
The Arc d’Triomphe stands out from the cities roads and buildings.
Visitor numbers to the Eiffel Tower were just over one million in 1952 when this photo was taken. In recent years they have averaged about six million.
Paris, France (12/6)
Keith Wickenton at another location along the Seine.
The Eiffel Tower from Jardins du Trocadero. (Trocadero Gardens). The tower is 320 metres (1050ft) high. It was built for the World Exposition of 1889 in Paris and the original plan was to remove it after the event.
Keith Wickenton at another location along the Seine.
The Eiffel Tower from Jardins du Trocadero. (Trocadero Gardens). The tower is 320 metres (1050ft) high. It was built for the World Exposition of 1889 in Paris and the original plan was to remove it after the event.