Place des Quatre-Dauphins, Public square in Quartier Mazarin, Aix-en-Provence, France.
The square centers on a baroque fountain with a pyramidal stone structure surrounded by four dolphin sculptures. Tall chestnut trees frame this small green space, which sits at the crossroads of two main streets.
The area developed in the mid-1600s as part of the city's expansion, designed according to Italian Renaissance principles. An architect and a sculptor collaborated to create this square and its distinctive fountain.
The name comes from the four dolphins that decorate the central fountain, forming the heart of the square. You can see here how the baroque style shaped the area when the city expanded in the 1600s.
You can easily reach this square by walking from nearby main streets, and it offers a pleasant spot to take a break. The trees provide good shade, which is helpful during warm weather.
Until 1860 a hackberry tree with a trunk 4.80 metres around stood on the square; it was cited by naturalists Jean-Baptiste Lamarck and Augustin Pyrame de Candolle. It was felled that year, and four horse chestnuts now frame the fountain.
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