My favorite photos of this series are the ones of the statues bordering the square. There are eight statues which represent the great cities of France including Marseille, Lille, Bordeaux, Brest, Nantes, Lyon, Rouen, and Strasbourg. Jacques-Ignace Hirtoff, the same architect that designed the fountains, designed the magnificent female statues.
Did you know that Place de la Concorde was called the Place de la Guillotine during the French Revolution? A guillotine was constructed in the middle of the square and Louis XVI was the first to be executed there in 1793 with crowds cheering his demise. Other notable figures of the time followed the same sad fate as Louis XVI including Marie Antoinette, Princess Elizabeth of France, Madame du Barry, Robspierre, and Danton. Over 1100 people were publicly beheaded in a period of only two years.
Place de la ConcordeMetro: Concorde
Coming soon: Eye Prefer New York Tours
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotte’s professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.
Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
These photos are great! I've never paid attention to the details that you shared here. I will look at these statues much more closely next time. I think my favorite photo is the one with the bare foot! Thanks!
Posted by: Cheryl | July 06, 2010 at 03:56 PM
Oh Richard! I LOVE your detail shots of the statues!!! So much detail that most of us don’t get to observe from a distance…and lots of people don’t even observe it when there right on top of them!!! Thank you for your continuous “eagle eyes”!!
Posted by: Phil | July 06, 2010 at 05:32 PM
I love your photos!
Posted by: Joseph | July 06, 2010 at 05:35 PM