Elephant of the Bastille

About

The Elephant of the Bastille was a monument in Paris which exists between 1813 and 1846. Originally conceived in 1808 by Napoleon I, the colossal statue was intended to be created out of bronze and placed in the Place de la Bastille, but only a plastic full-scale model was built. At 24 m (78 ft) in height, the model itself became a recognisable construction and was immortalized by Victor Hugo in his novel Les Misérables (1862) in which it is used as a shelter by the street urchin Gavroche. It was built at the site of the Bastille and, indeed part of the original construction remains, the elephant itself was replaced a few years later by the July Column (1835–40) built on the same spot.

Design: When the Bastille fell in July 1789, there was some debate as to what should replace it, or indeed if it should continue as a monument to the past. Pierre-François Palloy secured the contract to demolish the building, with the dimension stones being used for the construction of the Bridge de la Concorde and other parts sold by Palloy as souvenirs. Most of the building was removed over the remaining months by up to 1,000 workers. In 1792 the...