Place de la Concorde, Paris — Guia do visitante e o que fazer por perto

Place de la Concorde is the largest public square in Paris and one of the most historically charged places in France. Sitting at the eastern end of the Champs-Elysees, it connects some of the most important landmarks in the city.

The square was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1755 and originally named Place Louis XV, after the equestrian statue of the king at its centre. During the French Revolution, the statue was torn down and replaced by the guillotine. Between 1793 and 1795, more than 1,300 people were beheaded here, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the revolutionary leaders Danton and Robespierre.

After the Revolution, the square was renamed Place de la Concorde (Square of Harmony) in an effort to move past the bloodshed. The Luxor Obelisk, a 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk from Luxor Temple, was placed at the centre in 1836 as a gift from Egypt. Standing 23 metres tall and weighing 227 tonnes, it is the oldest monument in Paris.

The square is framed by the Tuileries Garden to the east, the Champs-Elysees to the west, and two matching 18th-century buildings to the north, one of which houses the Hotel de Crillon.

If you're on a Questo quest through Paris, Place de la Concorde is a stop where an Egyptian obelisk older than Rome stands on the spot where a revolution changed the world.