Place des Vosges
Designed and built in a perfect square over 400 years ago,
the arcades frame the inner courtyard/park.
The inauguration of this open air square in 1612
was witness to the celebration of royals in a double wedding:
King Louis XIII to Anne of Austria and of his sister Elizabeth to Philip IV of Spain.
The brick and stone design is typically seventeenth century French
and has been attributed to Louis or Clement Métezauh
or Jacques Androuet de Cerceau.
It is amazing that these buildings survived turbulent times relatively intact.
However, the bronze statue of Louis XIII was melted down by the Revolutionaries
and replaced two centuries later.
Place des Vosges
75004, Paris
I made a bee-line here first thing on my first trip to Paris and was thrilled that the entrance fee to Victor Hugo’s former apartment is free.
ReplyDeleteI tried to imagine horse drawn carriages as viewed from his window.
To quote another site: “Hugo had the unusual preference to write standing up, and you can see how high his writing desk was compared to a nearby chair.” Hmm. I think I have seen the concept of late as well.
For this and other reasons Place des Vosges remains a special place to me.
What a nice and interesting posting.
ReplyDeleteHappy new week to you!
Beautiful use of black and white photography...
ReplyDeleteHappy October,
Tessa~
"Here there be musing" blog
I love this in black and white (and the great linkage from TG!)
ReplyDeleteStunning, and quite dramatic in black and white.
ReplyDeleteNice black and white shot.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful image of one of my favorite places in Paris!
ReplyDeleteV
Bonjour chère Génie,
ReplyDeleteUne belle prise de vue...
Je suis très admirative de ce que nos architectes pouvaient créer. Le temps a soigné ces merveilles.
Gros bisous ♡
Thanks for the links, Tall Gary. I bet that you read the unabridged Les Miserables, too. It was life-changing and I wish I had the stamina to read it in French. Come again!
ReplyDeleteV, sometimes the color wins out here but most of the time Place des Vosges cries for black and white.
Thanks to all for your comments and for stopping by.
Bises,
Genie
A wonderful photo to a place near and dear to my heart. The black and white is terribly effective in this shot.
ReplyDeleteYour photography is impressive. Have you done this professionally? Had training? Taken any courses? Innate talent?
ReplyDeleteYes. You are correct in your assumption. I did read Les Miserables in an unabridged version. The fact that the version I read, that I found around the house, was published around the turn of the century (19th to 20th) made me think it was a copy (in two volumes) of my grandparent’s (born in the 1870s). As you say, it was “life changing.”
Oh I love this picture! It's immediately recognisable too if you've ever been there, but you've captured the light and action beautifully.
ReplyDelete