Paris: Place du Trocadéro, Palais de Chaillot and Fountain of the Trocadéro

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Last Sunday, I had lunch with my mother, the last 2 living brothers of my late father and my brother Benoît.
Benoît told me to be at the "Place du Trocadéro" (Trocadéro square) at 11:05, before going to get my two uncles at 11:20 and 12:00 and going to my mother's retirement home for lunch.

So, instead of being there at 11 AM, I decided to come early and take some photos.

The Place du Trocadéro is in the 16^th arrondissement of Paris, in a neighborhood called Passy.
Passy was an old municipality of the department of Seine, that became part of the city of Paris in 1860.

In the center of the square, is an equestrian statue of the "Maréchal Foch", who was

a French general and Marshal of France, Great Britain and Poland, a military theorist and the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War (Wikipedia)

Equestrian statue of Maréchal Foch

On the other side of the Eiffel tower, in front of the École Militaire, there another equestrian statue of another Marshall of France: "Maréchal Joffre". For some reason, Joffre wear a kepi, but Foch does not. I have no idea why.

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We are here on the Colline de Chaillot. The name Trocadéro refers to

the Battle of Trocadero, in which the fortified Isla del Trocadero, in southern Spain, was captured by French forces led by the Duc d'Angoulême, son of the future king, Charles X, on August 31, 1823. France had intervened on behalf of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, whose rule was contested by a liberal rebellion. (Wikipedia)

Here, from 1878 to 1935 there was the "Palais du Trocadéro" (the Trocadero Palace), that was considered to be an ugly construction by many.

The Trocadero Palace
source: Wikipedia

For the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life) in 1937, the old Trocadero Palace was demolished and in its place was built the "Palais de Chaillot" (the Chaillot palace).

The Palais de Chaillot has two wings on each side of a wide esplanade commonly called the "esplanade du Trocadéro", but actually named the "Parvis des Libertés-et-des-Droits-de-l'Homme" (esplanade of the liberties and the human rights).

The Eiffel Tower and the Esplanade, between the two Wings

Right Wing

On the front and on the back of the two wings, there four quotation of Paul Valéry in golden letters.
Here is the one on the front of the right wing:

Rare things and beautiful things
Here skillfully assembled
Instruct the eye to look
Like never seen before
All things that are in the world

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In the right wing there is the "Musée de l'Homme" (Museum of Man) and the "Musée national de la Marine.
The Musée de la Marine is currently closed until 2020 to be renovated.
I have visited this museum several times when I was younger.

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Between the esplanade and the river Seine is the Fontaine du Trocadéro, actually named "Fontaine de Varsovie" (Warsaw Fountain) with one lawn on each side.

On the lawn, there are several of these plaques:

Lawns and bathing prohibited.
Risks of accidents in the commissioning of the guns.

What? Guns? People may be shot?!?

NO! The guns are water guns:

source

There are two "avenue" on each side of the fountain: Avenue Albert 1^er de Monaco and Avenue Gustave V de Suède.

Of course, there are no houses along these avenues. So, if somebody tells you that they are living in Paris, Avenue Gustave V de Suède, you know they are lying!

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To be continued, with the Gardens of the Trocadéro

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