General Information

The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris and the former location of the infamous Bastille prison, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. Due to its historical importance, nowadays it is used for political demonstrations. However, concerts and public events are held there as well. In its centre stands the July Column.

The July Column: Highlights

The July Column commemorates the Trois Glorieuses, the ‘three glorious’ days in July 1830 that saw the fall of Charles X of France and the commencement of the ‘July Monarchy’ of Louis-Philippe. It was inaugurated in 1840 and stands upon the foundation laid in 1792 for the monument meant to honour the fall of the Bastille.

The July Column: Explained

In 1792 a foundation rock was laid on Place de la Bastille with the intention of commemorating the fall of the Bastille. The project was detained, however. During the Empire the Elephant of the Bastille – a fountain with an elephant in its centre – was partially erected there, but it too was given up due to lack of proper funds. However, its low base has been retained to support the socle of the column.
The July Column was designed by Jean-Antoine Alavoine. It is 47 metres high and weighs 74 tonnes. It contains an interior spiral staircase, and rests on a base of white marble ornamented with bronze bas-reliefs. The column is engraved in gold with the names of Parisians who died during the Revolution. In its foundation the July Columns holds a columbarium, which was arranged to receive the remains of 615 victims of the July Revolution. A further 200 victims of the Revolution of 1848 were later interred in the space; the throne of Charles X was symbolically burned on the square, February 1848. The column was also the scene of the last desperate stand of the Communards in 1871.