12 Place Vendôme

Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the Place Vendôme was built between 1687 and 1720, the name was given as it's on the site of the mansion Alexandre, Duke of Vendome, the son of Henri IV. As a royally equestrian statue of Louis XIV was dominated the center of this square in 1699, it was called Louis-le-Grand simultaneously. Then, like those other symbols of the royal domination, this statue was destroyed during the Revolution in 1792, and was replaced by an bronze column, called Austerlitz column erected by Napoleon in 1810.

At the beginning of the century, Place Vendome was the center of all the graceful and exorbitant fashions where the money lavishly flourished. Nowadays, the square and its surrounding arcade buildings replaced by the world famous jewelers: Van Cleff and Arpels, Boucheron, Chaumet, Mauboussin, Cartier, Channel… At the numbers 15-17 is the Hotel Ritz. Number 16 was the home of Dr Mesmer who was the founder of the theory of Mesmerism. The famous Poland piano composer Chopin died on October 17 in 1849 at the number 12. Taking the location of the former Chancery of the Kingdom, number 11 and 13 are occupied now by the Ministry of justice.