The Place Masséna () is a historic square in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It was named for

André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...

. Its layout was designed by Joseph Vernier in 1843-1844. The Place Masséna is the main square of the city. Before the

Paillon The Paillon ( Nissard Occitan: ''Palhon'') is a coastal river of the Alpes-Maritimes that flows into the Mediterranean Sea in Nice, near the old district. It is long. Its drainage basin is .Italian architecture Italy has a very broad and diverse architectural style, which cannot be simply classified by period or region, due to Italy's division into various small states until 1861. This has created a highly diverse and eclectic range in architectural de ...

. The recent rebuilding of the tramline gave the square back to the pedestrians, restoring its status as a real Mediterranean square. It is lined with palm trees and stone pines, instead of being the rectangular roundabout of sorts it had become over the years. Since its construction, the Place Masséna has always been the spot for great public events. It is used for concerts, and particularly during the summer festivals, the '' Corso carnavalesque'' (carnival parade) in February, the military procession of 14 July (

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...

) or other traditional celebrations and banquets. The Place Masséna is a two-minute walk from the

Promenade des Anglais The ''Promenade des Anglais'' (; Niçard: ''Camin dei Anglés''; meaning "Walkway of the English") is a promenade along the Mediterranean coast of Nice, France. It extends from the airport on the west to the ("United States Quay") on the eas ...

, old town, town centre, and Albert I Garden (''Jardin Albert Ier''). It is also a large crossroads between several of the main streets of the city: ''avenue Jean Médecin'', ''avenue Félix Faure'', ''boulevard Jean Jaurès'', ''avenue de Verdun'' and ''rue Gioffredo''. The Seven statues of 7 kneeling man on high poles are meant to represent the 7 continents. In 2007, Catalan artist Jaume Plensa created the contemporary art installation, comprising the seven statues along the tram lines, representing the seven continents known as conversation in Nice.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Place Massena 1843 establishments in France Buildings and structures in Nice Squares in France