July Column, Victory column in Place de la Bastille, France
The July Column stands in the centre of Place de la Bastille, built of twenty-one cast bronze drums weighing over 74 tonnes and rising 47 metres. Its white marble base carries bronze bas-reliefs, including a lion and corner roosters by Antoine-Louis Barye. Above the Corinthian capital, a 4.9-metre gallery supports a gilded globe bearing Augustin Dumont's Génie de la Liberté, star-crowned and holding a torch and broken chains.
The column was erected to commemorate the July Days of 1830, when citizens rose against King Charles X and forced his abdication. This three-day event marked a turning point in French political history.
The monument displays the names of 615 citizens who died during the July Revolution, engraved in gold on its surface. These inscriptions serve as a tribute to those who fought for freedom and change.
The column stands in the middle of Place de la Bastille, a busy traffic junction, so it is best reached on foot from the Bastille metro station. The monument itself cannot be entered: its 240-step interior staircase is closed to the public. The surrounding square is open at all hours.
The column stands above a columbarium holding the remains of 615 victims of the July 1830 revolution; 200 more from 1848 were later placed there. In February 1848 Parisians dragged Louis-Philippe's throne from the Tuileries and burned it at the foot of the column.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,637 contributors worldwide.
