Champ de Mars

Paris,

France

2 All. Adrienne Lecouvreur, 75007, Paris, France

Located in the seventh arrondissement of Paris, France, the Champ de Mars is a vast public greenspace situated between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast. The park's name is derived from the Campus Martius ("Mars Field") in Rome, which honors the Roman god of war, as the lawns in this area were once used for military training and marching by the French military.

The Champ de Mars can be easily accessed through several Métro stations, including La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle, École Militaire, and Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel, as well as a disused station, also named Champ de Mars, which is located nearby.

History

Originally, the Grenelle plain was a large, flat area reserved for market gardening where citizens would cultivate small plots to grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers for the local market. However, the soil was not very fertile, which led to the construction of the École Militaire in 1765 by Ange-Jacques Gabriel. The grounds for military drills were planned south of the school, but the choice to build an esplanade to the north of the school led to the erection of the noble facade that now encloses the Champ de Mars.

The planners leveled the ground, surrounded it with a large ditch, and planted a long avenue of elms. The esplanade was enclosed by a fine grille-work fence, creating a picturesque environment for the people of Paris. For the sake of symmetry and aesthetics, the Isle of Swans, previously a riverine islet at the northeastern foot of the Eiffel Tower, was attached to the shore.

On 27 August 1783, Jacques Charles and the Robert brothers launched the world's first hydrogen-filled balloon from the Champ-de-Mars. The place witnessed the spectacle and pageantry of some of the best-remembered festivals of the French Revolution, including the first "Federation Day" celebration on 14 July 1790. This event, now known as Bastille Day, was held on the Champ de Mars, exactly one year after the storming of the prison. The massacre on the Champ de Mars took place the following year, on 17 July 1791, and Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first mayor of Paris, was guillotined there on 12 November 1793.

The Champ de Mars was also the site of the Festival of the Supreme Being on 8 June 1794. With a design by the painter Jacques-Louis David, a massive "Altar of the Nation" was built atop an artificial mountain and surmounted by a tree of liberty. The festival is regarded as the most successful of its type in the Revolution. During the Hundred Days, a restored Napoleon held the Champ de Mai ceremony, during which he swore to uphold the Charter of 1815.

The Champ de Mars was the site of several Expositions Universelles, including those in 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900, and 1937. Each of these events was an opportunity for France to showcase its technological and cultural achievements to the world. Today, the Champ de Mars is a popular public park that attracts visitors from all over the world.