The Place du Châtelet () is a public square in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, on the right bank of the river

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributa ...

, on the borderline between the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and 4th

arrondissements An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...

. It lies at the north end of the Pont au Change, a bridge that connects the Île de la Cité, near the Palais de Justice and the

Conciergerie The Conciergerie () ( en, Lodge) is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, below the Palais de Justice. It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also ...

, to the right bank. The closest métro station is Châtelet Metro-M

Features

The name "Châtelet" refers to the stronghold, the Grand Châtelet, that guarded the northern end of the Pont au Change, containing the offices of the ''prévôt de Paris'' and a number of prisons, until it was demolished from 1802 to 1810.Jacques Hillairet, ''Dictionnaire historique des rues de Paris'', 8th ed. (Éditions de Minuit, 1985), Vol. 1, pp. 331-34. At the square's center is the

Fontaine du Palmier The Fontaine du Palmier (1806-1808) or Fontaine de la Victoire is a monumental fountain located in the Place du Châtelet, between the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre de la Ville, in the First Arrondissement of Paris. It was designed ...

, designed in 1806 by architect and engineer

François-Jean Bralle François-Jean Bralle (11 January 1750 – 12 June 1832) was a French architect and engineer, best known as for the construction of fountains in Paris during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Bralle was commissioned to build fifteen new fountains in ...

(1750-1832) to celebrate French victories in battle. It has a circular basin, in diameter, from which a column rises in the form of a palm tree's trunk tall. The palm trunk is surmounted by a gilded figure of the goddess,

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitutes ...

, holding a laurel wreath in each upraised hand; the goddess figure stands on a base ornamented with bas-relief eagles. The gilded finial is by sculptor Louis-Simon Boizot. Four allegorical figures also by Boizot ring the base of the fountain:

Prudence Prudence ( la, prudentia, contracted from meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity") is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. It is classically considered to be a virtue, and in particular one of the four Cardinal virtue ...

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, and Strength. From top to bottom, bands of bronze gilt pay tribute to the victories achieved in the following battles: The Siege of Danzig (1807), the

Battle of Ulm The Battle of Ulm on 16–19 October 1805 was a series of skirmishes, at the end of the Ulm Campaign, which allowed Napoleon I to trap an entire Austrian army under the command of Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich with minimal losses and to f ...

(1805), the Battle of Marengo (1800), the Battle of the Pyramids (1798), and the Battle of Lodi (1796). Its sphinxes were designed in 1858 by Gabriel Davioud and sculpted by Henri Alfred Jacquemart (1824-1896); they commemorate

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

's victory in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

. Two identical-looking theatres stand facing the square, the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

and the Théâtre de la Ville, both designed by architect Gabriel Davioud and completed between 1860 and 1862 as part of Baron Haussmann's grand reconfiguration of Paris.

Gallery

File:Le Grand Châtelet vu depuis la rue Saint-Denis, 1800.jpg, The Grand Châtelet from rue Saint-Denis (1800) File:Tour Saint-Jacques 2008.jpg, The Victory Column with the Saint-Jacques Tower File:Théâtre de la Ville, façade.JPG, Théâtre de la Ville File:Salle du Theatre du Chatelet.jpg, Interior of the Théâtre du Châtelet

References

Sources

* ''The History of Paris from the Earliest Period to the Present Day'', London : printed for Geo. B. Whittaker, Ave-Maria Lane, 1825, vol. 3, page 122.

Features

Gallery

References

Sources

See also