General Information

Being a focal point of 12 streets, the square of Place de la Nation seen from the sky looks like a sun, crowned with rays. During the times of the French Revolution, within 15 days 1300 people were guillotined there. In the centre of the square there is a monument with a bronze sculpture erected to mark the centenary of the French Revolution.

Additional Information

The square connects the 11th and the 12th arrondissement and was originally built to commemorate the solemn arrival of Louis XVI (hence the original name – ‘place du Trône’). During the Revolution a guillotine was built in the southern half of the square, near the pavilion of law. The central monument – ‘The Triumph of the Republic’ was created by Aimé-Jules Dalou at first in plaster in 1889 and then in bronze in 1899. It represents a personification of the Republic, and looks towards the Place de la Bastille. The figure stands on a globe in a chariot pulled by lions and is surrounded by other symbolic figures.