Place de la Concorde

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The place de la Concorde is one of the largest open vehicular and pedestrian plazas in the world. Traffic swirls continuously around a central pedestrian area marked by two large fountains (one of which is seen here) and an ancient Egyptian obelisk, a 3300-year-old artifact from Luxor, donated by the Viceroy of Egypt to France in 1829.

It‘s difficult to get an overall view of this very large plaza. In this photo, you are looking at the fountain at the southern end of the place, the Fontaine des Mers, which has recently been completely restored; a similarly restored fountain, the Fontaine des Fleuves, adorns the northern end. The Obelisk is not visible in this image but is off to the right. The large building at the right in the background is the Hôtel Crillon and the headquarters of the French Navy; the building with a rounded roof to the left of it is the American Embassy. Further off to the right and outside the frame is the rue Royale, which leads to the Madeleine and features Maxim‘s restaurant. Just left of center, but behind the bus, is the bottom of the avenue des Champs-Élysées. Further off to the left, and not visible here, is the Seine River and, several kilometres away, the Eiffel Tower. Way off to the right, and again not visible here, are the rue de Rivoli and the Tuileries Gardens.

This photo was taken around noon, and you are looking roughly north.

Photographed on July 31, 2000.