About The Bastille
The Bastille was a fourteenth century fortress turned prison in Paris which would become central in igniting the French Revolution.
The Bastille history
France’s heavy involvement in the American War of Independence, coupled with decades’ worth of tax evasion and corruption from the church and the elite, meant that by the late 1780s the country was facing an economic crisis.
This was felt most keenly in cities that were growing in tandem with the Industrial Revolution, and starving Parisians in particular had been restless for months. France’s medieval system of government only exacerbated tensions.
On 14 July 1789, a large group descended on the Bastille demanding that its prisoners – by now only seven were held there – be released. Their main aim was to have access to weapons and gunpowder that were held in the Bastille.
After some negotiations, the crowd became restless and stormed the prison, an incident known as the “Storming of the Bastille”. Whilst the storming of the Bastille had been preceded by general turmoil in Paris, this chaotic event is widely considered to have been the catalyst of the French Revolution. It was followed by the abolition of feudalism and the signing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a central document of the revolution.
The Bastille was later torn down by the revolutionary government. It was located in what is now known as Place de la Bastille, as shown on the map.
The Bastille today
Place de la Bastille is now a busy junction with a plaque about the prison. It is centred on a tall statue called Colonne de Juillet – the July Column – which commemorates the events leading up to the revolution.
Some remains of the Bastille building can now be seen at Square Henri Galli, a small park nearby.
Getting to The Bastille
Place de la Bastille is located right in the centre of Paris. The closest stations to Place de la Bastille are: Bastille – Rue Saint-Antoine (71 meters away, 2 min walk), Bastille (120 meters away, 2 min walk) and Bastille – Henri IV (125 meters away, 2 min walk). Bus routes 29, 69, 86, 87 and 91 all will take you to the site.
As it is a busy junction, parking near the site is limited
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