Place de la Concorde
The Tuilleries Garden abuts the spacious and busy Place de la Concorde remarked for its obelisk offered by Egypt to Charles X in 1829. It comes from the ruins of the Temple of Luxor. Carved from rose granite some 33 centuries ago, it is covered in hieroglyphics. At 23 meters high, one imagines how difficult it must have been to set it upright and fix it into position thirty-three hundred years ago. The daytime traffic in this square is important since it is an intersection of multiple principle arteries. It is therefore not advised to cross the square, especially to the obelisk, on foot. In fact, for some, the square is a much more attractive site at night.
On the 21st of January, 1793, the guillotine was erected here, and Louis XVI was no more. With him died the royal lineage of the Capet family. In a frenzy of activity 1343 heads were lopped off later in May of that year, including that of Marie-Antoinnette. The square ran red with the stench of blood. Also guillotined the same day were notables such as Mme du Barry, Danton and Robespierre. The inanity of the "Terror" is exemplified by the execution of Robespierre, himself one of the early instigators of the rebellion against the monarchy. One woman, a Madam Roland, is renowned for having cryied out just before her turn, "Liberty! What crimes they commit in your name! " The United States embassy is located just off the square in the northwest corner and the Hôtel Crillon off the northeast corner. This latter is world renowned to tourists and businessmen alike. It served also as the headquarters of the occupying German army during World War II.
That impressive looking building to the south of the square, and across the Seine, is the Chambre des Deputés, France's legislature. France has a bicameral legislature and this "chamber" is roughly equivalent to a parliament in that the representatives are elected. The other chamber is the Senate, where tenure is for life and members are appointed - both very much like the original rules of the Roman senate.