Place de la Concorde, Paris

Ever wonder what an Obelisk is doing in Paris ? Isnt it supposed to be in Egypt ?

Well it actually comes from Luxor. Mehemet Ali, vice king of Egypt, gave it to France in 1829. It marked initially the entrance of the Amon temple, palace of Ramses III. Its twin is still in place in Luxor.

Whats written there ?

Nevermind . But when you walk closer you will notice that the whole column is bathed in hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs was the writing of the Ancient Egypt and the word "hieroglyph" means "sacred writing".

This monolith has been cut in a single block of pink granite, it is 23 m high and 1.70 m large at its base. Its weight is 230 t. The stone comes from the quarry of Syene. The surface of the needle is burnished, and 3 columns of hieroglyph are engraved on each face. They relate the reigns of Ramses II and III. It was carried out around 1550 B.C.

The transport from Luxor to Paris requires a journey of more than 2 years. That I believe is a pure showcase of man's determination or perhaps a King's gesture of friendship ? The task is quite huge that a special boat had to be built to allow it to sail on the Nile, on the Mediterranean Sea, around the French Atlantic coast, and on the Seine River with such a heavy load.

After the obelisk landed in France , it was gloriously erected at the Concorde Square on 22 October 1836 and the day marks the begining of a new icon in Paris, though foreign but blends with the Parisian mood beautifully.

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I can't remember the name of the Place where one can find this obelisk, but it is pretty cool. It has engraved at the base in gold, detailed description of the technique they used to transport it and re-erect it in Paris from its original Egyptian home.

the place de la concorde is located in the heart of paris. this square was originally laid out by louis XV. during the french revolution the guilotine was set up in this square. in the 19th century an egyptian obelisk from luxor was placed on the site of the guilotine. the gold tip of the obelisk is a repair made after it was dropped and broken when it was being brought to the square. the person in charge of its transport from egypt comitted suicide shortly there after.

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The place de la Concorde is located between the Champs Elysees and the Jardin des Tuileries. The square of about eight hectare has besides the Egyptian obelisk also two fountains and eight statues, representing the French cities.

Standing with your back to the Seine you see two manor houses, the Hotel de la Marine and Hotel de Crillon. From here you can also look into the Rue Royale and see the Eglise de la Madeleine, which looks like a Greek temple.

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It was once known as Place de la Revolution, where a guillotine chopped off heads like a Japanese teppanyaki chef slicing radishes. Then the head chopper became obsolete and an obelisk was shipped from Egypt and presented to whoever occupied the King of France's throne by the time it completed the journey from Luxor to Paris.
The obelisk was finally erected upright at the renamed Place de la Concorde in 1836 and then capped off after French President Jacques Chirac supported the idea to put a 1.5 million franc shiny gold leaf covered mini pyramid on top in 1998, just like it used to have before the Iranians beheaded it in the 6th century before Christ (back when they were known as "Persians"). There are no current presidential plans to replace any of the heads that were chopped off between 1793 and 1795, including that of Marie Antoinette.

The obelisk is worth a close-up view as the Egyptian hieroglyphs remain clearly visible. (See photo 2) It is awesome to be standing next to a monument that is over 3000 years old. So what did the Egyptians get in return from France for this extraordinary gift? A big clock, which can still be seen on the clock tower in the Mohammed Ali Mosque in Cairo. Nice trade, n'est pas? Way to go, Louie! (King Louis Philippe of France)

Wait, there's more to see in the Place de la Concorde! Remember that old film, "An American In Paris"? Those fountains are here, just north of the obelisk! Go ahead and dance around them and then ask the prettiest French woman you can find on the street to take your picture for you. The fountain's sculptures are very photogenic, and by now you probably have a digital camera anyway so snap a few shots and enjoy yourself.

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Many of us rush around the fringes of Place de la Concorde underneath on the metro, on top on the bus, or skirt the edges on foot. It takes some doing to get yourself into the Place itself [3 crosswalks the way I went], but once there it is a surprisingly quiet oasis as Paris bustles around you.
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Its current name hides its history as Place de la Revolution during the period of French history when heads rolled here ... Now you see the famous obelisk, given as a gift to Louis Phillipe as well as the fantastic fountains representing Neptune and his realm.
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It was originally built under Louis XV, and had a statue of him at the center, which was replaced after the Revolution by the obelisk from Luxor. Among those who lost their heads here between 1793-95 were Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Danton, & Robespierre.
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The base of the obelisk shows how is was constructed.

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Originally the square was devoted to Lui the Fifteenth whose equestrian statue towered in the center of the square. This monument was destroyed during Revolution. At its place a guillotine was set up under which knife heads of Lui the Sixteenth have got, Maria Antoinette and Robespier. The square accepted a final view in 1840 when the Egyptian obelisk from Luxor was set up in its center, presented to king of France by Egyptian pasha. It has 23 m in height and is decorated by hieroglyphs which mark famous acts of pharaon Ramzes the Second. Eight statues - symbols of the mainest cities of France - tower on corners of the square. On both sides from an obelisk the fountains are built on the sample of the Square of St Peter in Rome.

Place de la Concorde is bordered to the north by l'Hotel Crillon and l'Hotel de la Marine framing rue Royale.

Made in the early Louis XVI style, the two mansions are characterized by colonnades inspired by those of Louvre.

Hotel Crillon is currently housing the French Automobile Club and a hotel, while Hotel de la Marine is housing the Navy headquarters.