Paris1972-Versailles2003

I have written several posts on Bordeaux ,but need to update this older post with new text and links for you and me, This is one of my favorite cities in my belle France and will tell you a bit on the Place des Quinconces of Bordeaux !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I,

The whole huge area around Bordeaux is connected by a beltway road, the “rocade” or the A630 that takes you into the city or out into the other areas and into Spain. My best is to go into the Médoc, the famous area of wines but it has a lot more. From the rocade you  take exit 4 to go into central Bordeaux or exit /sortie in French to no 7 that takes you into the D1/D2 of wine country along the Garonne river, the other exit/sortie no 8 takes you into the beaches and central area of Médoc. Bordeaux is in the Gironde dept 33 of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of my belle France,

The Place des Quinconces is one of the main squares in Bordeaux. It was created in the early 19C on the site of Château Trompette, it is made up of an esplanade descending gently towards the Garonne river framed to the north and south of tree plantations. The imposing monument to the Girondins and two rostral columns decorate the two ends. Its area of 12 hectares, which makes it the largest square in France and one of the largest in Europe.  Half of the square is planted with trees, whose staggered arrangement gives it its name. A staggered arrangement is an arrangement of five units: four arranged in a square, one in the center. By reproducing the pattern, lines offset by half a unit are obtained. The place initially baptized Place Louis XVI then renamed Place Louis-Philippe takes its current name after the Revolution of 1848.

The layout of the square itself was carried out, after the demolition of the castle, in ten years between 1818 and 1828. In 1829, two large rostral columns, in neo-classical style and celebrating Commerce and Navigation, were built in the end of the esplanade on the Garonne side. in 1883 it was decided to build a monument in the center of the hemicycle in memory of the Girondins and celebrating the French Republic. The 43-meter high column and the basins which are located at its foot were not completed until 1902. You can finds there the monumental statues of Montaigne and Montesquieu in white marble which were placed there in 1858.

The Girondins monument consists of a large base framed by two basins, decorated with horses and bronze groups, and surmounted by a column 43 meters high where culminates at 54 meters in height the statue of liberty breaking its irons in green bronze. Among the sculptures: towards the Grand Théâtre (see post) are the triumph of the French Republic; towards the Chartrons: the triumph of Concorde. towards the Garonne river: we find the Tribune with the Gallic rooster, on its right: History and on its left: Eloquence has 2 people seated. Towards Place Tourny are the monument erected in memory of the Girondins,  with the city of Bordeaux seated on the bow of a ship with a cornucopia. On the right of the base, a river allegory: the Dordogne and on the left the Garonne. At the foot of the chariot with horses: Ignorance, Lying and Vice. The quadriga of sea horses is a representation of Happiness! Awesome monument indeed !!

The City of Bordeaux on the Place des Quinconces: : https://www.bordeaux.fr/l961/quinconces-place-des-

The Bordeaux tourist office on the place des Quinconces : https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/esplanade-quinconces-monument-aux-girondins.html

There you go folks, the most popular walks to do in Bordeaux, the square and the Girondins monument has become a symbol for the city and we love it ! Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Place des Quinconces as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!