Place de la Concorde, Paris

Place de la Concorde is a public square in Paris, opening out as a broad, formal urban space. Its name expresses the idea of concord, and the place carries the official name Place de la Concorde. The square was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, while Frederick Kiesler is identified as its artist.

Its history is written into earlier names: it began as Place Louis XV and later became Place Louis XVI. During the revolutionary period from 1792 to 1795, it was called Place de la Révolution. The expanse covers 7.6 ha and is the largest square in Paris; it occupies the 8th arrondissement at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.

Take in the scale of the paved space and its measured geometry as you move along its edge. This is also a protected historic monument, giving the square a status that matches its civic importance. What you see is not merely an open area between major avenues, but a place whose name, design, and successive titles preserve changing ideas about public life.