Bastille

Welcome, esteemed colleagues and scholars of history, to the Plass duh la Bah-stee. We stand upon ground that is arguably the most politically charged in all of Western Europe. …

Let us begin our specific analysis by looking down at the ground beneath our feet, specifically on the western edge of the square where it meets the Rue Saint-Antoine. If you observe the pavement carefully, you will notice a…

We now direct our attention to the undeniable focal point of the square, the towering bronze obelisk known as the Coh-lon duh Jwee-yay, or the July Column. A common misconception, even among Parisians, is that this monument…

Turning our gaze to the eastern side of the square, we are confronted by a massive intrusion of late twentieth-century modernism: the Oh-pay-rah Bah-stee. Inaugurated in 1989 to coincide precisely with the bicentennial of the…

Let us walk slightly to the southern edge of the square and look down over the railing into the deep basin below. This is the Poor duh L'Ar-suh-nal, a modern marina filled with pleasure boats and houseboats, sitting far below the…

Looking eastward, radiating away from the square, is the Roo doo Foe-boorg San-Ahn-twahn. To truly understand why the Bastille fell, one must understand the neighborhood that lay in its shadow. …

Finally, we must critically observe the Plass duh la Bah-stee as it functions today: as a massive, frantic node of modern transportation. It is one of the busiest intersections in the city, where multiple major boulevards…

As we conclude our rigorous investigation of the Plass duh la Bah-stee, let us retreat slightly to the edges of the square to synthesize our observations. We have undertaken the difficult task of analyzing a space defined largely…