Place de la Bastille is one of the most famous in Paris. She got this name thanks to the historical fortress that once stood there. The vast area (215x150 m) became the scene of many revolutions that had significant consequences for the history of France. This place still remains the most important point of the French capital for demonstrations, processions and public celebrations.
Description of the Bastille Square
This symbol of the French Revolution has survived a turbulent history. It was here that the famous Bastille prison was located, destroyed stone by stone during the coup. In its center from far away you can see the beautiful July column, which is crowned with the statue "Spirit of Freedom."
One of the other iconic monuments in the square, of course, is the Bastille Opera. This modern building, opened in 1989, was built by Carlos Ott instead of the old station.
Today, Place de la Bastille is one of the very busy intersections in Paris with many intersecting streets. It also serves as a popular meeting place for young Parisians in the evenings on the terraces of cafes and breweries, as well as a favorite place for political meetings, parades, public marches, concerts and festive events.
And, although the story of the Bastille with its fortress turned into a prison is fascinating, unfortunately, none of the original buildings has remained untouched.
If tourists went on vacation to Paris in the 1980s, they would have found that this area was more likely to be a worker and nothing could be seen around the Place de la Bastille, except for the July column in the center and the old train station called Gare de Vincennes. But since then, much has changed.
The old train station was there since 1859, but was closed in 1969, and in 1984 it was demolished to make way for a new Opera in Paris.
To celebrate the bicentennial of the French Revolution in July 1989, the impressive modern Opera House was erected, which opened on July 14. There was also a significant restructuring of the surrounding area and the streets around the square.
Thanks to these actions, the area has become a chic and popular place with numerous clubs, galleries, theaters, bars and restaurants in Paris, which today are very popular among tourists and among Parisians themselves.
Bastille Fortress
After the defeat of the French in Poitiers in 1356 during the Hundred Years War with England, a need arose for a fortress to protect Paris from invasion.
In 1370, Charles V began to build a large fortress on the site of the fortified gate. The construction was completed in 1382. It was called the fortress of the Bastille. The massive building had walls 4 meters wide and 8 towers 22 meters high.
Over the centuries, it changed its purpose, becoming a warehouse of weapons, the reception room under Francis I and the safe of the royal treasury under Henry IV. But it was Cardinal de Richelieu during the reign of Louis XIII who made her a state prison, in which all opponents of the king and his regime were locked. Among the most famous prisoners are Voltaire, Michel Montaigne, Beaumarchais and the Marquis de Sade. The fortified prison was destroyed between July 14, 1789 and July 14, 1790, and its stones were partially used for the construction of the Concorde Bridge (arch bridge over the Seine River in Paris).
The capture of the Bastille
On July 14, 1789, the Bastille was stormed by a mob reinforced by a rebel detachment of the National Guard. Several guards soon surrendered, and seven prisoners were released.
The capture of the fortress marks the beginning of the French Revolution. The event is celebrated every year as Bastille Day, which was declared a French national holiday in 1860.
Two days after the crowds captured the Bastille fortress, orders were given to demolish the building. The only traces of the past are on the earth: a triple row of cobblestones bordering the old place.
Create Square
Place de la Bastille appeared in 1803. It was built on the site of the fortress and fortifications of Charles V, which marked the border between Paris and the “foburas” (suburbs).
It included a fountain in the shape of an elephant 24 meters high, referred to by Victor Hugo in his novel Les Miserables. It was dismantled in 1847.
On July 14, 1790, entrepreneur Pierre Francois Palloy organized the first popular dance ball to celebrate Independence Day. Among the ruins of a former prison, he set up a tent with the inscription: Ici on danse (people are dancing here). This tradition has survived to the present day.
From June 9 to June 14, 1794, the infamous guillotine was located on the square. 75 people were beheaded here before this execution tool was transferred to the current area of the Nation.
July Column
The monumental July column (Colonne de Juillet) was commissioned by Louis Philippe in 1830 and inaugurated in 1840. The height of the column in the Corinthian style is 50.52 meters. It was developed by architects Jean-Antoine Alavoyne and Joseph-Louis Duc. A staircase with 140 steps leads to the observation deck. Its name refers to the three glorious days of July 27-29, 1830 (July Revolution), when King Charles X was rejected by the “July Monarchy” of Louis Philippe. On the commemorative plaque there are inscriptions to the glory of French citizens who armed themselves and fought for the protection of public freedoms.
At the top of the column is the gilded angel of Auguste Dumont called the "Spirit of Freedom." The statue holds the torch of civilization and the remains of its broken fetters.
The July column is visible from many viewing platforms in Paris: from the Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, the cemetery of Pere Lachaise, the towers of Notre Dame and Montparnasse, the Institute of the Arab World.
Bastille Opera
There used to be a railway station on the site of the Opera, open between 1859 and 1969. It was demolished in 1984 to give way to an ambitious project - the modern Bastille Opera. Former railways were transformed into a promenade.
The Bastille Opera is part of the grand projects of Francois Mitterrand, a grandiose plan that included the construction of the Great Arch of Defense, the National Library and the glass pyramid of the Louvre.
The building was built between 1984 and 1989. Its discovery coincided with the bicentennial of the French Revolution. The opera was designed by Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott and has a capacity of 3309 seats.
Interesting Facts
There are many interesting facts about Place de la Bastille:
- Marking on Henry IV Boulevard shows where the former fortress building was located. Some foundation stones are visible at the Bastille metro station, on line No. 5, where you can also see a line on the floor that marks the exact location of the former fortress.
- On the site of the Place de la Bastille in Paris, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte wanted to create a copy of the Arc de Triomphe - the Bastille elephant. This project was never completed, and today only the round base of the fountain remains. Interestingly, an exact copy of the monument was built in Mexico City in 1910.
- The largest remains of the fortress can be found in Piazza Henri Galli, located southwest of Piazza Bastille at the end of Boulevard Henri IV.
- The bastille was unique to French prisons at that time, because prisoners could be sent there for the crimes they had committed without a trial. Instead, petty criminals were given a letter stating that they would be arrested and imprisoned. Since these prisoners did not need to be tried, their reputation did not suffer. As a result, many aristocratic families decided to send members of their family who committed minor crimes to this prison in order to maintain their reputation. The French monarchy until 1789 planned to close it precisely for this reason.
Area today
Today, open-air concerts and festivals, as well as political demonstrations, are often held in the square. The south side of the square is a popular place for ice skating.
Under the Place de la Bastille there is a metro station, and you can get to it via lines 1, 5 and 8. In fact, during the excavation of the area for the construction of the metro station, some sections of the foundation of the old fortress were found, which can be found in the park on Henri Galli square, located near Henry IV Boulevard.
Behind the square there is a marina for pleasure boats. It is located on the first section of the Canal Saint-Martin, which begins on the River Seine. There are many different types of pleasure boats, river boats. You can take a short cruise along the canal from Bassin de l'Arsenal, which passes through the tunnels located under the old foundation of the fortress and the square itself. Then the boat goes outside and passes through several locks before reaching Bassin. This is an unusual way to look at such a landmark in Paris as the Place de la Bastille, from a completely different perspective.
Tourists who prefer to be on land also have something to offer. Leaving the square and turning right from the Opera, and then going to Daumesnil Avenue, you can climb the stairs to the embankment. There is a beautiful garden, which was planted along the old railway viaduct, and tourists can walk through it to the Vincennes forest.