Place de la Nation

On the eastern side of Paris, this large circular square is centred on a bronze sculptural group titled the Triumph of the Republic, showing Marianne riding a chariot drawn by lions. Laid out where an old customs barrier once stood, flanked by a pair of monumental columns, it became a focus of republican festivals. Numerous avenues radiate from the roundabout, and its gardens offer respite from the traffic. During the Revolution the site witnessed mass executions, giving it a grim earlier history.