Fontaine de la Halle aux Blés, fountain in Paris, France
The Fontaine de la Halle aux Blés is a Renaissance fountain located at the base of the Colonne Médicis in Paris's 1st arrondissement. It features a stone basin with a tap, originally supplied by city pumps, and stands approximately 31 meters tall as part of this historic column's structure.
The fountain was installed in 1757 when the grain market was built, replacing the old Hôtel de Soissons. The column itself dates from 1575, commissioned by Catherine de Medici as an astronomical observatory, making this site a blend of scientific purpose and public water supply across centuries.
The name comes from the grain market that once operated here, making this fountain part of everyday commerce rather than pure decoration. It served as a meeting point where merchants and locals gathered, turning the water source into a social hub of the neighborhood.
The fountain sits near the Bourse de Commerce in a central location that is easy to reach on foot. A metal door engraved with the date 1812 now covers the original water basin, so visitors see only the outer stone structure and cannot access the interior fountain mechanism.
The column was purchased and donated to the city by Louis Petit de Bachaumont to prevent its demolition when the surrounding neighborhood changed. This act of private preservation happened before organized monument protection existed, showing how individual passion saved a piece of Paris history.
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