Photo of the month: July... Place de la Concorde
Every month we will be sharing a photograph of a place in France. This month we take a look at Place de la Concorde in Paris.
The Place de la Concorde, located at the foot of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1755 linking the Champs-Elysées to the west and the Tuileries Garden to the east.
It was first known as one of the places of execution during the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette (among others) were guillotined there. It was between 1836 and 1846 that the architect Jacques-Ignace Hittorf shaped the place to become the one that we know today.
Among its noteworthy landmarks to spot today are the Luxor Obelisk (3,300 years old, this giant Egyptian obeslisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalts the reign of the pharaoh Rameses II), as well as the prestigious hotels bordering it and by the two monumental fountains designed by Hittorf (Fontaine des Mers and Fontaine des Fleuves).
July Events
July 1-23: Tour de France. The world’s biggest bike race during which 22 teams from around the world compete along a 3,500km course
July 7-9: Eurockéennes in Belfort, Territoire de Belfort. Outdoor music festival with camping facilities, inviting international headliners as well as up-and-coming bands to play music of all styles in a bid to raise awareness of humanitarian schemes
July 7-9: Flax and Needle Festival in Le Bourg-Dun, Seine-Maritime
July 13-17: Rose Days in Doué-la-Fontaine, Maine-et-Loire. Floral art and rose displays held in the underground caves of a Roman Arena
