General De Gaulle Square

The Place du Général de Gaulle, in Ajaccio

The Place du Général de Gaulle, commonly called Place du Diamant, is the immense esplanade that separates the old town from the new districts of Ajaccio, open onto the sea. The Ajaccio audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this great space dominated by the monumental bronze group to the glory of Napoleon surrounded by his four brothers.

From the Place d'Armes to the Place du Diamant

Here you are on the immense Place du Général de Gaulle, that separates the old town from the new districts of Ajaccio. It was formerly called Place d'Armes, at the time when the military used it for their training, but it is today commonly called Place du Diamant, in memory of the bastion of the Diamant that was formerly at this spot. Popular legend has it that it was by seeing the soldiers manoeuvring on this square that the passion for battles was born in the young Napoleon. The square bears the name of General de Gaulle since 1943, because Ajaccio was the first town of metropolitan France liberated during the Second World War. The general came here to salute the courage of the Corsicans and it is here that he delivered a famous speech. But the most impressive monument of the square remains the imposing bronze ensemble to the glory of Napoleon the first, represented on horseback in the costume of a Roman emperor and surrounded by his four brothers, Joseph, Lucien, Louis and Jérôme. Facing the sea, this monument forms one of the great symbols of the imperial town. Vast and open, embellished with a kiosk, the square is a place of passage and gathering in the heart of Ajaccio. An imperial esplanade and a heart of the town, the Place du Général de Gaulle is a fine stop of the discovery of Ajaccio.

What to see

You admire the immense esplanade open onto the sea, that separates the old town from the new districts, and especially the imposing bronze monument to the glory of Napoleon the first, represented on horseback in the costume of a Roman emperor and surrounded by his four brothers; former Place d'Armes become Place du Diamant, it bears since 1943 the name of General de Gaulle, in memory of the liberation of Ajaccio. The Place du Général de Gaulle is a heart of Ajaccio. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place du Général de Gaulle lies in the heart of Ajaccio, facing the sea, on the edge of the old town, reachable on foot. It is a freely accessible public square, embellished with a kiosk and the monument to Napoleon. You discover it during a walk on the seafront.

Why is the Place du Général de Gaulle in Ajaccio also called Place du Diamant?

In memory of the bastion of the Diamant that was formerly at this spot; former Place d'Armes, it bears the name of General de Gaulle since 1943, in memory of the liberation of Ajaccio, and it is dominated by the imposing bronze monument to the glory of Napoleon the first surrounded by his four brothers.

Where is the Place du Général de Gaulle in Ajaccio?

In the heart of Ajaccio, facing the sea, on the edge of the old town, in Corsica.