Place Vendome

Vendôme Square, originally known as Place des Conquêtes (Square of Conquests), was conceived in 1698 as a tribute to the military triumphs of Louis XIV. However, it was later renamed Louis le Grand Square. The square's central feature was an impressive equestrian statue of the king, created by François Girardon in 1699, which stood for 100 years. It is considered one of the first major modern equestrian statues cast from a single piece. Unfortunately, this statue was destroyed during the French Revolution, although a smaller version is preserved in the Louvre.

In 1680, the palace belonging to the influential and wealthy Duke of Vendôme was purchased by the French king. Louis XIV's court architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, designed the project, and in 1699, a spacious square was laid out on the site of the palace building. Louis XIV spent a lot of money on the reconstruction of Versailles, and significant sums from the treasury went to the constant wars France fought with other European countries. Louis XIV lacked funds to continue the construction of Vendôme Square, so for a long time, only the facades of buildings surrounded the statue of the French monarch, with the space behind them remaining empty.

To continue construction, it was necessary for someone to buy the lands behind the decorative facades, and the proceeds could be used to build new houses. The solution was found by John Law, a Scottish financier, who proposed to reform the monetary system. He established a bank that issued banknotes, acquired lands around the Place Vendôme, and began selling them to anyone for paper money. There was no shortage of buyers, and construction resumed.

By 1720, all the houses around the square were built. They were uniform buildings, decorated with arcades and Corinthian order columns. On their attics, Jules Hardouin-Mansart allocated additional rooms with sloping ceilings. Unlike the prevailing practice, the attic windows were not masked but, on the contrary, adorned the mansards with elegant stucco, which was a novelty.

In its early days, the square could only be accessed through a single street, maintaining a tranquil atmosphere befitting aristocratic surroundings, except for the annual fair that would temporarily animate the place. However, everything changed when Napoléon opened the Rue de la Paix, leading to an influx of 19th-century traffic in Vendôme Square. The true transformation occurred in 1875 with the inauguration of the Palais Garnier on the opposite side of Rue de la Paix. This grand event caused Parisian fashionable life to shift its center towards Rue de la Paix and Vendôme Square.

Today, the Ministry of Justice and the French Chancellery are located in building number 11 on Vendôme Square. This building once belonged to the stockbroker Poisson. The entrepreneur was unscrupulous and engaged in dubious deals, for which he ended up in the Bastille. To gain his freedom, he was forced to sell the mansion he owned to the authorities of Paris.

The neighboring house, number 12, in the 1830s and 1840s, was occupied by the representation of the Russian ambassador, and in 1849, the famous Polish composer and virtuoso pianist Frédéric Chopin lived and died here.

In 1795, a marble meter was hung on house number 13. This was a new measure of length for Parisians, so the Paris authorities wanted to familiarize the city's residents with it.

One of the most luxurious Parisian hotels, 'Ritz,' occupies building number 15 on Vendôme Square. It was named after its founder, Cesar Ritz. The elite hotel has always been distinguished by its magnificent interiors and the highest level of service. Over time, the 'Hotel Ritz' has hosted the world's most famous people — fashion designer Coco Chanel, writers Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Marcel Proust.

Houses number 17 and 19 were owned by the Crozat family — wealthy French bankers. Pierre Crozat's son sold his father's rich collection of paintings to Catherine II, and now these canvases by Titian, Rembrandt, and Rubens adorn the walls of the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg.

After centuries, Vendôme Square still stands out for its luxury and elegance — it is home to the best jewelry stores in Paris, attracting visitors with the shimmer of diamonds, emeralds, and rubies displayed in the windows. It's worth visiting to appreciate the splendor of the French capital, feel a connection to the history of this country, and admire its grandeur.