July Column

Welcome to the Place duh la Bas-teey. I am pleased to guide you through one of the most historically charged and politically significant public squares in all of Europe. …

As we walk closer to the center of the square, let us cast our academic gaze downward. Integrated into the modern asphalt and cobblestones, you will notice distinct lines of differently colored paving stones. …

Before the elegant July Column was conceived, this exact spot was intended to host a wildly different monument. Following the revolution, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte envisioned a colossal, heroic structure for the square: a…

Approaching the massive marble pedestal that supports the bronze column, we are confronted with the somber, commemorative function of this monument. While the column soars into the sky, its most sacred elements are located below…

Tilt your head back and trace the imposing verticality of the bronze column. Designed by the architects Pierre Francois Leonard Fontaine and Jean Antoine Alavoine, this structure stands an impressive fifty meters tall. …

As we focus our attention on the cylindrical surface of the bronze column, we encounter the most moving and intimate aspect of the monument. Inscribed deeply into the metal, in stark, gilded lettering, are the names of five…

Finally, we raise our eyes to the very top of the fifty-meter column to behold the crowning sculptural triumph: the Génie de la Liberté, or the Spirit of Liberty. Sculpted by Augustin Dumont, this dynamic, gilded bronze statue is…

We conclude our tour standing back to absorb the complete panorama of the Place duh la Bas-teey. The July Column stands as a brilliant architectural nexus, tying together centuries of tumultuous history. …