Place des Victoires – Victories Square, Paris

The Place des Victoires, in Paris

The Place des Victoires is an elegant circular royal square of Paris, adorned with an equestrian statue of Louis XIV. The Paris audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this harmonious square, created to glorify the Sun King, near the Palais-Royal.

The royal square of the Sun King

The Place des Victoires is one of the fine royal squares of Paris, remarkable by its circular form, rare and elegant. It was laid out at the end of the seventeenth century, under the reign of Louis XIV, by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and designed especially to celebrate the military victories of the Sun King, hence its name. In its centre stands an equestrian statue of King Louis XIV, which dominates the square. All around, the façades of the buildings, originally of a great architectural unity, draw a perfect and harmonious circle, typical of the royal urbanism of the era. Located near the Palais-Royal and the Banque de France, the square is today an elegant place, lined with luxury boutiques and fine residences. A witness of the splendour of the Grand Siècle and of classical urban art, the Place des Victoires is a refined stop of Paris.

What to see

You admire the elegant circular royal square of the end of the seventeenth century, designed by Hardouin-Mansart to celebrate the victories of Louis XIV, adorned in its centre with the equestrian statue of the king, surrounded by harmonious façades drawing a perfect circle, near the Palais-Royal. The Place des Victoires is a refined stop of Paris. It is a must-see stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Place des Victoires lies in the heart of Paris, near the Palais-Royal, reachable on foot and by public transport, including the metro. It is a freely accessible public space; the surrounding boutiques have their own hours. You discover it during a walk in the district.

Why is the Place des Victoires of Paris called this?

It was designed at the end of the seventeenth century by the architect Hardouin-Mansart to celebrate the military victories of King Louis XIV, the Sun King, whose equestrian statue stands in the centre of this elegant circular square.