During the history class in high school, our history teacher taught us about the years of French Revolution. The storming of the Bastille was the turning point for the French Revolution as Bastille served as a symbol of the abuses of the monarch, who reigned in those days. Other than the historical storming of Bastille, another historical event during the French Revolution is the execution of the King Louis XVI and other prominent figures like the Queen Marie Antoinette by the guillotine. Place de la Concorde was the spot of the execution.
With that kind of bleak history, I cannot help but feel some kind of eerie vibe from otherwise, a bustling public square. Tour buses usually stop by at the area opposite the giant Egyptian obelisk. The obelisk of Luxor was given by the Egyptian government in the 19th century. It is decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramesses II.
It is best to visit Place de la Concorde in the morning as there are not many tourists visiting the square yet. Behind me lies the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation. There are actually two fountains at the Place de la Concorde and both of them are built in the same period.
When you are looking to the North from the Place de la Concorde, you will notice that there are two identical stone buildings, separated by the Rue Royale. The eastern one is the headquarter of the French Naval Ministry while the western one is the historic luxury hotel named Hotel de Crillon. A lot of high political figures had stayed in Hotel de Crillon over the history. Benjamin Franklin is one of those people.
Hotel de Crillon has just been undergoing a major renovation and it is now managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. This picture was taken back in 2011 so if you are interested in checking out the new look of Hotel de Crillon, you should go to its website here.
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