Brunoy obelisk

About

Brunoy's obelisk, also known as Brunoy's pyramid, is an obelisk marking Brunoy's entrance to the RN6 and the door to the forest of Senart. Built in 1779 by Soufflot (aided by architects Richard Mique and Michel-Barthélemy Hazon), replacing the old cross of Malesherbes, it was the hunting appointment of King Louis XVI. Originally planned by the Count of Provence to truly be a pyramid, it was Louis XVI who decided to review the project downwards for lack of means and to make it a simple obelisk.

At the Belle Époque, this place surrounded by guinguettes was very popular with Parisians. 15 million visitors travelled through the leisure park of Gervaise located right next to the pyramid, and among them many celebrities, such as the King of Morocco or Maurice Chevalier. An accident site, this obelisk was moved a few meters to free the roadway during the 1960s.

It was surrounded by two sculptures by Maurice Prost until 2003, when they were moved. These two sculptures were then positioned in the gardens of the Robert Dubois-Corneau Museum. The obelisk was listed as a historic monument in 1934.