Place Vendome description and photos - France: Paris (Topic)

Place Vendome description and photos - France: Paris. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Place Vendome.

Photo and description

From above, the Place Vendome looks like a casket - it has an unusual octagonal shape. The reason for this was the economy.

In 1680, King Louis XIV bought the palace of the Duke of Vendome and the nearby Capuchin monastery. The Royal Superintendent of Buildings has been ordered to create an area worthy of the Sun King on this site. The superintendent invited the famous architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

According to the plan of the monarch, the square was to be framed by luxurious mansions, the Academy, the mint, and the library. In the center is the equestrian statue of the king. Louis demanded that the area be as unique and majestic as himself.

The facades of buildings in the style of classicism were built quickly. However, the parallel construction of Versailles and the constant wars depleted the treasury - work stopped. For a while, the square with the equestrian statue of the king was surrounded only by facades!

For houses to grow here, it was necessary to find buyers. There were no volunteers. The situation was saved by the Scotsman John Lowe, the inventor of paper money. Houses on the square were the first objects in the world to be paid for not with metal coins, but with paper. It has become fashionable to build here.

The architect Mansar also thought about the economy. He changed the plan of the square, cutting corners and thus increasing the building area. It was Mansart who thought of arranging additional housing under the very roof. He boldly highlighted the attic windows with exquisite stucco moldings, and the world received the later famous attic.

During the French Revolution, a huge guillotine was installed instead of the equestrian statue of the Sun King. In 1810, the Vendome Column was erected on the square by Napoleon's decree. This imitation of the Roman Trajan's Column is made of the metal of 1250 cannons captured by the French army from the Russians and Austrians.

The famous Ritz hotel is located on the Place Vendome, where Proust, Hemingway and Coco Chanel stayed. It was from the Ritz Hotel that Princess Diana set off on her last trip to the D'Alma Tunnel.

An interesting feature of the square for tourists is a huge number of luxury jewelry stores.

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Topic: Place Vendome description and photos - France: Paris.