The July Column

The July Column is a striking monument on the Place de la Bastille in Paris's 11th arrondissement, commemorating the July Revolution of 1830. The Bastille once stood on this spot, and its demolition began during the French Revolution. After various earlier building projects, including an elephant fountain that was never completed, the column was commissioned by a royal decree in 1831. It honors the victims of the three glorious days that led to the downfall of Charles X. The 170-foot (52-meter) bronze column bears the gilded names of the 504 Parisians who fell. At the top stands a gold-leaf figure, the Spirit of Liberty, holding a torch and a broken chain. Beneath the column are vaults open to the public, where the remains of those killed in the fighting of 1830 and in later revolutions are interred. You can experience the historic significance of the site at the foot of the monument, which today also commemorates the February Revolution of 1848.