Fontaine du Palmier, Paris, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The Fontaine du Palmier is a Napoleonic monument in the middle of Place du Châtelet in Paris, built to celebrate military victories. Its tall column, shaped like a palm trunk and crowned by a figure of Victory, is covered in symbols that reward a slow look. It is one of the oldest and most recognisable fountains in the city centre.

The story behind it

The fountain was built between 1806 and 1808 under Napoleon I. It is often called the fountain of victory, and its name and design look back to the Egyptian campaign, since the palm was an ancient emblem of triumph. Laurels, another classic sign of victory, appear on the monument, and the figure on top is an allegory of Victory herself.

Around the base, four women holding hands stand for the virtues of Prudence, Justice, Strength and Temperance. The sphinxes were added in the nineteenth century, long after the original fountain, as a further nod to Egypt. Together the statues turn the fountain into a short lesson in imperial imagery.

What to look for

• Look at the shaft of the column, which is carved to suggest a palm trunk, and follow it up to the gilded figure of Victory at the top.
• Find the four female figures around the base and try to match each one to Prudence, Justice, Strength or Temperance.
• Spot the sphinxes, a later addition that points back to Napoleon's Egyptian campaign.
• Notice the laurel motifs, which repeat the theme of victory, and the imperial emblems that tie the monument to Napoleon's reign.

Tips for your visit

• The fountain stands in the open on a public square, so you can see it at any time and it costs nothing to look.
• Ten to fifteen minutes is enough to walk around it and read the symbols, longer if you pause at the square.
• Morning light and early evening make the gilding on the top easier to appreciate and the square less hurried.
• You are close to the Seine, the Île de la Cité and the Tour Saint-Jacques, so it fits easily into a longer walk through central Paris.

See it on a quest

The fountain is one stop on Mystical Paris: A History of Magic, a self-guided walk through the city with a theme of magic and mystery. You reach the fountain on foot as part of a longer route, the app tells you about the place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. There is no guide and no fixed start time, and one ticket covers the whole group.