Place des Victoires

Place des Victoires was born from a courtier's desperate attempt to win favor with King Louis XIV. The marshal, François de la Feuillade, spent his own fortune to demolish existing mansions and commission this square as a grand tribute to the king's military success in the Treaties of Nijmegen. He was so eager to please his monarch that he bankrupted himself in the process, pouring seven million livres into the project. The square you see is a milestone in urban design as the first circular plaza in Paris, intended to serve as a perfectly harmonious stage for the Sun King's glory. When the square was first unveiled in sixteen eighty-six, the surrounding buildings were not even finished yet. The builders were so behind schedule that they had to paint fake facades on canvas to hide the construction and maintain the illusion of completion for the grand opening.