Monument aux Girondins, Bordeaux, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Monument aux Girondins is a large memorial column with fountains and bronze sculptures on Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux, France. It honours the Girondins, the revolutionary deputies linked to the Gironde region who were victims of the Terror, and it stands in one of the largest city squares in Europe.

The story behind it

The square sits on the site of the Château Trompette, a fortress begun in 1453, when Bordeaux returned to the French crown after roughly three centuries of close ties with England. Those ties began with the 1152 marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet, the future Henry II of England. The English link helped the wine trade grow, and Bordeaux wine became known in England as claret. The fortress was later cleared away and the wide esplanade took its place. Its name, Quinconces, comes from the staggered rows in which the trees are planted.

The monument itself dates from the turn of the 20th century and recalls the Girondins, a political faction of the French Revolution. Many of its leading figures were arrested and guillotined in 1793 during the Terror. At the top of the tall column a figure of Liberty breaks her chains, while the large pedestal below carries two basins and bronze statues.

What to look for

• The figure of Liberty at the top of the column, shown breaking her chains, is the clearest symbol of the monument's message.
• The two large basins at the base are crowded with bronze statues, so walk all the way around to see them from each side.
• The trees are planted in staggered rows, the arrangement that gave the square its name, and the pattern is easiest to see when you look along the rows.
• The statues of Montaigne and Montesquieu stand at the edge of the square, and the open side faces the Garonne and its quays.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 20 to 30 minutes to walk around the monument and across the square. You see it from outside, and the square is an open public space.
• Late afternoon and evening light suits the bronze and the stone, and the open space is pleasant when the day cools.
• The Garonne quays and the Grand Théâtre are an easy walk away, so the monument fits well at the start or end of a stroll through the centre.
• The square can host events and fairs at certain times of year, so check what is on before you plan a long stay.

See it on a quest

Two Questo quests pass this square. Bordeaux’s Port of the Moon: Secrets to Unravel takes you here on foot as one stop of a longer route through the city's riverside heritage. The app tells you about each place as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Whispers of Wine: Exploring Bordeaux's Grand Crus suits anyone curious about the wine story that runs through the city's history. You reach the monument as part of a walk through the area, hear about each stop as you get there and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like, with no guide and no group to join.