Welcome to Place des Victoires, one of Paris's oldest royal squares, and the site of one of history's most expensive attempts at flattery.
The man behind this square was Marshal de La Feuillade, a courtier so devoted to Louis XIV that he paid for everything himself. The architect Jules Hardouin Mansart, the same genius behind Versailles, designed the surrounding buildings. La Feuillade died financially ruined. The king, meanwhile, was reportedly mortified by the over-the-top statue of himself in the center, flanked by golden figures representing conquered nations. Historians suggest the sheer pomposity of it all managed to irritate several neighboring kingdoms and may have nudged Europe a little closer to war. A gift with consequences, you might say.
But who was Louis XIV? He ruled France for 72 years, longer than almost any monarch in European history. He built Versailles, centralized all power in himself, and declared "l'état c'est moi", meaning the state is me. Charming, ruthless, and obsessed with his own image.
The Revolution eventually tore down the original statue. The equestrian statue standing here today dates from 1822. Around you now, luxury boutiques have replaced royal ceremonies. Kenzo and Zadig et Voltaire sell clothes where courtiers once bowed.
History has a funny way of recycling real estate.
Sources. Story: https://www.eutouring.com/place_des_victoires_in_paris.html https://aviewoncities.com/paris/place-des-victoires https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/359774 Photos: Rilba, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
