Place Vendôme & Colonne Vendôme
PAR-19 • monuments1699 - 1810 (Column)

Place Vendôme & Colonne Vendôme

Octagonal royal plaza of high jewellery crowned by Napoleon's Austerlitz bronze column

48.867500°N, 2.329400°E•city Axis
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Documented Historiographical History

Designed in 1699 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart as a showcase for royal splendor. Today it is the world epicenter of luxury haute joaillerie and home to the Ritz Paris.

Architectural & Symbolic Reading

An octagonal geometric mandala of classical proportion and sovereign authority, harmonizing luxury commerce with imperial martial triumph.

Historical Legends & Mysteries

During the Paris Commune in 1871, painter Gustave Courbet organized the toppling of the Vendôme Column; he was later ordered to personally pay for its re-erection.

Insider Curiosities & Secret Facts
•The 44-meter-tall Vendôme Column was cast from 1,200 Russian and Austrian bronze cannons captured by Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.
•A continuous 280-meter spiraling bas-relief bronze frieze winds around the shaft, illustrating Napoleon's entire 1805 campaign.
•Frédéric Chopin passed away in 1849 in apartment No. 12 on the square, and Coco Chanel lived in suite 302 at the Ritz for over thirty years.
Related Tags:#Place Vendôme#Austerlitz Column#Ritz Paris#Haute Joaillerie#Mansart

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