Photo TidbitsObelisk and Palace-Bourbon

By Jim and Emmy Humberd

When I first glanced at this photo I thought it was The Church of St. Mary Magdalen, then I realized it is the Palace Bourbon, the home of the National Assembly, one house of the French Legislature. But, while taking the picture, if I had just turned completely around, I would have been looking at the Madeleine. Napoleon had the architect design the facade of the Palace to nearly match the facade of the Magdalen. Approximately, almost that is. The Palace facade has 12 pillars, the Magdalen's facade has only 8. The Palace is on the south, the church on the north side of the Place de la Concorde.

The fountain and the Obelisk are in the middle of the Place de la Concorde. The pink granite Obelisk (75 feet high, and covered with hieroglyphics), was brought here from Luxor, Egypt in 1836, and the fountain is similar to those in St. Peter's Square in Rome. Just beyond the Obelisk, this side of the Palace but unseen in this photo, is the Pont de la Concorde, a bridge that crosses the Seine River. Looking left (east) from the Obelisk one would see the Jardin des Tuileries and the Louvre, looking to the right (west) is the Champs Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

Books by Jim and Emmy Humberd:
Invitation to France
Invitation to Germany
Invitation to Italy

Related Links:
Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde
Place de la Concorde; Obélisque de Luxor

Hotels in Paris