Concorde Bridge and stones from the Bastille

The Pont de la Concorde connecting the Place de la Concorde to the National Assembly may not look as fancy as other bridges in Paris, but it is charged with symbolism!

Originally commissioned by King Louis XV, the construction of this bridge had been postponed until Louis XVI picked up the plan in 1787 just two years before the eruption of the French Revolution.

After the storming of the Bastille, revolutionaries undertook the demolition of that massive fortress and as nothing goes to waste, stones from the Bastille were used to complete the construction of the bridge.

How ironic these stones lead from the spot where Louis XVI was executed to the National Assembly!