The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris (France) where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the prison remains.
The square straddles 3 arrondissements of Paris, namely the 4th, 11th and 12th. The square and its surrounding areas are normally called simply Bastille. The July Column (Colonne de Juillet) which commemorates the events of the July Revolution (1830) stands at the center of the square.
Other notable features include the Bastille subway station and a section of the Canal Saint Martin. Prior to 1984, the former Bastille railway station stood where the opera house now stands.
The square is home to concerts and similar events. The north-eastern area of Bastille is busy at night with its many cafés, bars, night clubs, and concert halls. As a consequence of its historical significance, the square is often the site or point of departure of political demonstrations, including the massive anti-CPE demonstration of 28 March 2006.
The current Place de la Bastille is located on the former fort’s site.
In addition to the July Column, it is also home to the Opéra Bastille and the Grand Palais Immersif digital art center.
Lanes adjacent to Place de la Bastille
Clockwise starting facing the column angel:
- rue Saint-Antoine, extending into rue de Rivoli which passes by the Hôtel de Ville and the Châtelet and leads to Place de la Concorde;
- rue de la Bastille;
- Boulevard Beaumarchais (leading to Place de la République);
- boulevard Richard-Lenoir extended by boulevard Jules-Ferry, then quai de Valmy, continuing the Saint-Martin canal which leads to Stalingrad;
- rue de la Roquette, passing through Place Léon-Blum (where the town hall of the 11th arrondissement is located) and leading to the Père-Lachaise cemetery;
- rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, leading to Place de la Nation;
- rue de Charenton, leading to Porte de Charenton via the town hall of the 12th arrondissement;
- the White Horse Passage;
- rue de Lyon, leading to Gare de Lyon;
- Boulevard de la Bastille and Boulevard Bourdon, both running along the Port de l’Arsenal to the Seine;
- Boulevard Henri-IV.
Place de la Bastille is served by 3 Paris metro lines (M) (1) (5) (8).
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