Place du Châtelet, Public square in central Paris, France
Place du Châtelet is a public square in central Paris that straddles the 1st and 4th arrondissements, anchored by the Fontaine du Palmier fountain with its tall column and sculptural figures. The space is bounded by surrounding buildings and serves as a meeting point between different neighborhoods.
The square occupies the site of the Grand Châtelet, a fortress guarding the northern end of the Pont au Change that held the offices of the prévôt de Paris and several prisons under the Ancien Régime. It was demolished from 1802 to 1810 under Napoleon I, and the open space was then laid out. In 1808 the Fontaine du Palmier was placed at its centre, and in 1854 the square was enlarged during Haussmann's transformations, when the fountain was moved 12 metres west.
The square's name comes from the Grand Châtelet, the fortress that guarded the Pont au Change until its demolition in 1802. Two theatres face each other across the square, the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre de la Ville, both built by Gabriel Davioud between 1860 and 1862 under Baron Haussmann. Four brasseries occupy the corners, including Le Zimmer at the north-west angle.
The square is well-connected by public transport with a major transit hub directly below, allowing easy access from across the city. Visitors can arrive comfortably and navigate to surrounding neighborhoods on foot.
The column's gilded Victory by Louis-Simon Boizot holds a laurel wreath in each raised hand. Gilt bronze bands on the shaft name Napoleon's victories from Lodi in 1796 to Danzig in 1807. The sphinxes at the base, carved by Henri Alfred Jacquemart to Gabriel Davioud's 1858 design, recall the Egyptian campaign.
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