On 27, 28 and 29 July 1830, Paris rose in revolt and overthrew the monarchy of Charles X, events which were witnessed by Berlioz himself just after the completion of his cantata Sardanapale , written for the Prix de Rome of 1830 (cf. Memoirs chapter XXIX). Later that year the government decided to build on the Place de la Bastille a commemorative bronze column in honour of the victims of the "Trois Glorieuses" - the three glorious days of the revolution. Work started in 1833 and was completed in 1840. The inauguration of the column was accompanied by the solemn transfer of the bodies of the victims, and Berlioz was commissioned to write the music for the occasion. This was his Symphonie Funèbre et Triomphale , which was performed in the open air under the direction of Berlioz himself, leading the procession of musicians which ended at the Place de la Bastille.

    On the column are inscribed the names of those who fought during the revolution. The gilded statue at the top of the column represents a winged personification of Liberty.

Colonne de Juillet - Place de la Bastille

You can't change the world
But you can change the facts
And when you change the facts
You change points of view
If you change points of view
You may change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world
~~Depeche Mode

This beautiful column is an attractive adornment of the Place de la Bastille. It was designed by Alavoine (ah-la-vu·on') and Duc (dook), and was erected in 1831-40, in honor of the heroes who fell in the Revolution of July, 1830. The column is a graceful and imposing one 154 feet in height, and is adorned with many allegorical medallions and other significant decorations. The Place de la Pastille has been the scene of turbulent disorder and strenuous conflict a number of times in the history of Paris. The downfall of 1789 was the most violent of these; but the place was the scene of bitter activity in 1830, and it played a part in the Revolution of 1848, and in the disturbed time of 1871, when it was one of the last strongholds of the forces of the Commune

Here in this historic place the stones now forming the Pont de la Concorde were laid one upon another to construct the castle called "The Bastille St. Antoine" (bas-teel' san on-twon'). The orginal structure was an old fortified city gateway erected in 1369-83 by Kings Charles V. and VI. The fortress was turned into a state prison, and as such became intolerably odious during the-years of French history preceding the Revolution. In July, I789, the populace, disturbed by the rumor that royal regiments were marching on the city, gathered arms, and in a hysterical insurrection swept down upon the Bastille and assaulted it desperately. On the I4th of July Governor Delaunay, who had only a small garrison to hold out with against the mob, surrendered, and both he and his soldiers were massacred. If you would know what this terrible scene was like and would feel the grip and thrill of it, turn to Carlyle's "French Revolution" and read the chapter on the fall of the Bastille. The old fortress was razed to the ground, and many and awful records were found within its grim walls. There is nothing now to define the location of the Bastille except a line of white stones running along the ground between the Rue St. Antoine and the Boulevard Henry IV. On one of the houses there is an inscription, together with a plan of the Bastille.

The Bastille has a lot of importance to the French history. By crossing the Seine and following the Boulevard de la Bastille, you will find the site of the Bastille Saint-Antoine, which was a major part of the defences ordered by Charles V, built from 1370. Louis XIV had the ramparts demolished but kept the Bastille as a luxury prison for people of quality.
P romoted to the rank of a symbol of the arbitrariness of the old monarchy, the Bastille was stormed by the Parisians on 14th July 1789, and later razed. To remember the July Revolution of 1830, which replaced the autocratic Charles X with the "Citizen King" Louis-Philippe, a column surmounted by the "Spirit of Liberty" on Place de la Bastille was erected.
N ow the Place (square) is surrounded by Carlos Ott's opera, Paris-Arsenal harbour and the Saint-Martin canal.

Paris is divided into 20 different neighbourhoods called arrondissements . Arrondissements are named according to their number. For example, you might live in the 5th arrondissement, which would be written as 5ème in French. The suburbs are called the banlieue . They are generally more peaceful than the city, and those to the west of Paris (Neuilly, Boulogne, Saint Cloud, Levallois) are the most desirable. Each neighbourhood in Paris has its own special character which we'll try to describe below.