Place de la Bastille & Colonne de Juillet
PAR-34 • monuments1789 (Storming) - 1840 (Column)

Place de la Bastille & Colonne de Juillet

Birthplace of the French Revolution crowned by the golden Genius of Liberty

48.853200°N, 2.369800°E•city Axis
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Documented Historiographical History

Site of the medieval Bastille fortress prison stormed by revolutionaries on July 14, 1789, marking the start of the French Revolution. The 50-meter Colonne de Juillet was erected in 1840 to commemorate the 1830 July Revolution.

Architectural & Symbolic Reading

The eternal crossroads of popular liberty, civic rebellion, and revolutionary transformation in Paris.

Historical Legends & Mysteries

Following the fortress demolition in 1789, builder Pierre-François Palloy carved miniature replica models of the Bastille out of its stones and sent one to each French department.

Insider Curiosities & Secret Facts
•The perimeter outline of the vanished Bastille fortress is marked on the roadway in distinctive triple rows of light-colored paving stones.
•The golden statue atop the column, 'Le Génie de la Liberté' (The Genius of Liberty) by Auguste Dumont, holds the torch of civilization and broken chains of slavery.
•The subterranean base of the column contains a crypt housing the remains of over 800 citizens who died during the 1830 and 1848 revolutions.
Related Tags:#Bastille#July 14#Genius of Liberty#Revolution#Opéra Bastille

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