Column of the Grande Armée

About

The column of the Grande Armée or Napoleon column is a commemorative column raised in Wimille (Pas-de-Calais), near Boulogne-sur-Mer, between 1804 and 1841. The work of architect Éloi Labarre, 54 metres high, is surmounted by a statue of Napoleon Bonaparte turning his back to the sea (some believe that the statue would turn its back on his enemy, England, while others would simply be oriented towards the entrance to the site[ref. necessary]).