The Parc du Champ de Mars of Paris !!!

Posted in Europe, France, Paris

I really cannot find an explanation why not told you about this place before, Gladly, found me some pictures in my cd rom vault that made me do this post for you and me, This is a fine spot in my eternal Paris and a must to stop by if only for the views ; this is the parc du Champ de Mars, Therefore, le me tell you a bit about the Parc du Champ de Mars of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Champ de Mars is a vast, open public garden located in the Gros-Caillou quartier or neighborhood of the 7éme district or arrondissement of Paris, Located between the Eiffel Tower ,and the École Militaire . Covering an area of ​​24.3 hectares, the Champ de Mars garden is one of the largest green spaces in Paris.

The Champ de Mars is between Avenue Gustave-Eiffel, which separates the park from the Eiffel Tower , and Avenue de La Motte-Picquet, which borders it , It measures 780 meters in length. In width, it is 220 meters between Allée Thomy-Thierry and Allée Adrienne-Lecouvreur. Its name comes from the Roman Campus Martius (and therefore from the Roman god of war, Mars, echoing the nearby military school). “Campus Martius” originally designated a large open space in a city intended for military maneuvers and parades; this is why a Campus Martius could be found in many garrison towns.

Monuments and statues: bust of Gustave Eiffel by Antoine Bourdelle (1927); two children’s playgrounds with games, one containing a carousel; two small hard-surface sports fields for indoor football or basketball; a bandstand; the Champ de Mars puppet theater.

The Champ de Mars is crossed by several roads, most of which are pedestrianized.  Until the mid-18C, the site of the Champ-de-Mars was part of the plain of Grenelle, also known as the Grenouillère marsh, and was used for market gardening. The construction of the Military School by Gabriel in 1765 led to its transformation into a military parade ground. The Avenues de la Bourdonnais and de Suffren were laid out in 1770 to define its boundaries, and it was larger before the land was subdivided in 1907. To the north, it extended to the left bank of the Seine, opposite the Île des Cygnes (the current location of the northeast pillar of the Eiffel Tower). As a military training ground, the Champ-de-Mars was used for reviews of the King’s Household troops, as well as for exercises by the King’s Musketeers, the French Guards, the Swiss Guards, and the students of the Military School. It could easily accommodate ten thousand soldiers drawn up in battle formation. On August 27, 1783, after four days of inflation near the Place des Victoires, the first hydrogen-filled balloon, built by the physicist Jacques Charles, took off from the Champ-de-Mars before landing in Gonesse. On March 2, 1784, the crowd gathered on the Champ-de-Mars witnessed the ascent of Jean-Pierre Blanchard’s hydrogen balloon. The 27-foot-diameter balloon was equipped with a propeller, a parasol, and two feather-covered oars powered by arm strength. The “flying boat” carried Blanchard across the Seine, before being blown westward and landing in Billancourt.

The Champ-de-Mars witnessed and served as the setting for some of the greatest celebrations of the French revolution. It was renamed “Champ-de-la-Fédération,” then “Champ-de-la-Réunion.” The Festival of the Federation, on July 14, 1790, was a major revolutionary celebration. On June 8, 1794, Jacques-Louis David organized the Festival of the Supreme Being , This festival marked the apotheosis of the revolution. Maximilien de Robespierre presided over this festival, which had begun in the Tuileries Garden. His downfall occurred less than two months later. On December 3, 1804, the day after Napoleon I’s coronation, the Emperor held the “distribution of the eagles” ceremony at the Champ-de-Mars. On June 1, 1815, the additional act to the constitutions of the Empire was proclaimed there. In this ceremony known as the “Champ-de-mai,” Napoleon reviewed his entire Guard and approximately 60,000 men of the Parisian National Guard. On March 27 and May 2, 1831, King Louis-Philippe solemnly distributed the tricolor flags and standards to the line troops and the Parisian National Guard. On May 21, 1848, the Champ-de-Mars hosted the Festival of Concord. This is where the Paris World’s Fairs of 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900, and 1937 were held. During the 1889 World’s Fair, and to celebrate the centenary of the French revolution, Gustave Eiffel erected the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars esplanade. The Champ de Mars also hosted the foil and saber fencing events of the 1900 Summer Olympics.

The Champ de Mars has become a vast public garden, with central grassy pathways. It is the venue for numerous performances and activities, including concerts, exhibitions, and fireworks displays, all free of charge. On July 14, 2007, the Fraternity Concert, inaugurated by the President of the Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, brought together more than 600,000 people. Michel Polnareff, Nelly Furtado, Bob Sinclar, Tokio Hotel, and Laura Pausini performed there. Two years later, on July 14, 2009, 1 million people attended a concert by Johnny Hallyday, followed by a fireworks display created by Groupe F, celebrating the 120th anniversary of the Eiffel Tower. On July 14, 2011, SOS Racisme held a concert in front of an audience of over a million people. Every year, on the evening of July 14, thousands of people come to watch the grand fireworks display at 23h. Starting in March 2024, a temporary stadium, the “Eiffel Tower Stadium,” was built there to host events for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and the 2024 Paralympic Games. It was dismantled in September 2024.

The city of Paris on the parc du Champ de Mars: https://www.paris.fr/lieux/parc-du-champ-de-mars-1807

The Paris tourist office on the parc du Champ de Mars: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/parc-du-champ-de-mars-p936

There you go folks, another dandy in my eternal Paris always something to see and do, never ending like all eternal things in life. And Paris is worth living for it! This is a wonderful park that even my Dad love it to sit on its benches !. Again,hope you enjoy this post on the Parc du Champ de Mars of Paris !!! as I.

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

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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