The Fontaine du Palmier (1806-1808) or Fontaine de la Victoire is a monumental fountain located in the

Place du Châtelet The Place du Châtelet () is a public square in Paris, on the right bank of the river Seine, on the borderline between the 1st and 4th arrondissements. It lies at the north end of the Pont au Change, a bridge that connects the Île de la Cit� ...

, between the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

and the

Théâtre de la Ville (; "City Theatre") is one of the two theatres built in the 19th century by Baron Haussmann at Place du Châtelet, Paris, the other being the Théâtre du Châtelet. It is located at 2, place du Châtelet in the 4th arrondissement. Included a ...

, in the First Arrondissement of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It was designed to provide fresh drinking water to the population of the neighborhood and to commemorate the victories of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. It is the largest fountain built during Napoleon's reign still in existence. The closest métro station is Châtelet Metro-M

Design

The Fountain du Palmier was one of a series of fifteen fountains commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to his minister of the Interior, Emmanuel Cretet. It was designed by the engineer François-Jean Bralle, who was in charge of the Paris fountains and water supply during the First Empire. It was finished in 1808. The column, modeled after a Roman triumphal column, takes its name from the sculpted palm leaves at the top, commemorating Napoleon's

Egyptian Campaign The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...

. The bands of bronze on the column pay tribute to Napoleon's victories at the siege of Danzig (1807), the

Battle of Ulm The Battle of Ulm on 16–19 October 1805 was a series of skirmishes, at the end of the Ulm Campaign, which allowed Napoleon I to trap an entire Austrian army under the command of Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich with minimal losses and to f ...

(1805), the

Battle of Marengo The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General ...

(1800), the

Battle of the Pyramids The Battle of the Pyramids (), also known as the Battle of Embabeh (), was a major engagement fought on 21 July 1798, during the French invasion of Egypt. The battle took place near the village of Imbaba, across the Nile River from Cairo, but ...

(1798), and the

Battle of Lodi The Battle of Lodi was fought on 10 May 1796 between French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian rear guard led by Karl Philipp Sebottendorf at Lodi, Lombardy. The rear guard was defeated, but the main body of Johann Peter Beau ...

(1796). At the top of the column is a statue of Victory made of gilded bronze, carrying the laurels of victory. People sometimes mistake the statue of the woman representing victory for a bird. The statue is the work of the sculptor

Louis-Simon Boizot Louis-Simon Boizot (1743–1809) was a French sculptor whose models for biscuit figures for Sèvres porcelain are better-known than his large-scale sculptures. Biography Boizot was the son of Antoine Boizot, a designer at the Gobelins manu ...

. The present statue is a copy; the original is in the courtyard of the Carnavalet Museum of the history of Paris. Around the base of the column are four statues representing Vigilance, Justice, Strength and Prudence, also made by Boizot. The lower basin of the fountain, designed by architect

Gabriel Davioud Jean-Antoine-Gabriel Davioud (; 30 October 1824 – 6 April 1881) was a French architect. He worked closely with Baron Haussmann on the transformation of Paris under Napoleon III during the Second Empire. Davioud is remembered for his contributio ...

, was added to the fountain in 1858 during the reign of Emperor

Louis Napoleon Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

when the Place du Châtelet was expanded and the fountain moved to its center during the renovations of

Baron Haussmann Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

. At that time the base was also decorated with statues of Egyptian

sphinxes A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, the haunches of a ...

spouting streams of water, sculpted by

Henri Alfred Jacquemart Henri Alfred Marie Jacquemart (; 24 February 1824 in Paris – 4 January 1896, in Paris), often known as Alfred Jacquemart, was a noted French sculptor and animalier. He usually signed his works: ''A. Jacquemart''. Jacquemart studied under painte ...

Gallery

File:Fontaine du Palmier 240907 01.jpg, Figures of Vigilance, Justice, Strength and Prudence File:Fontaine du Palmier 240907 03.jpg, Statue of Victory atop the Fountain File:Fontaine du Palmier 240907 02.jpg, Imperial eagle on the Fontaine du Palmier File:Fontaine du Palmier Sphinx 240907 04.jpg, Sphinx at base of the Fontaine du Palmier File:Sphinx de la fontaine du Palmier, place du Châtelet, Paris.jpg, Other sphinx at the base of the Fountain

Bibliography

* Marie-Hélène Levadé et Hugues Marcouyeau, ''Les fontaines de Paris : l'eau pour le plaisir'' - Paris, 2008. * *''Paris et ses fontaines, de la Renaissance à nos jours'', texts assembled by Dominque Massounie, Pauline-Prevost-Marcilhacy and Daniel Rabreau, Délegation a l'action artistique de la Ville de Paris. from the Collection Paris et son Patrimoine, directed by Beatrice de Andia. Paris, 1995.

Design

Gallery

Bibliography

References

See also