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| Place du Trocadéro view from the Eiffel Tower, by DG Hudson |
Trocadéro = an emporium or place of trade
Place du Trocadéro, Paris
The Trocadéro, site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village.
For the 1878 World's Fair, the old Palais du Trocadéro was built. This was a site for meetings of international trade organizations during the fair. In the old palace garden, two large animal statues, a rhinoceros and an elephant, were removed and stored during the demolition of the old Trocadero palace. They were re-located to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986. In my Q post for the A to Z Challenge, you can see the rhinoceros near the MO sign.
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The Trocadero and beyond
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| The Trocadero with La Defense on Horizon, by DG Hudson |
For the Exposition Internationale of 1937, the old Palais du Trocadéro was demolished and replaced by the Palais de Chaillot which now tops the hill. Like the old palace, the Palais de Chaillot features two wings shaped to form a wide arc. These wings were built on the foundations of the former building. The wings in the new building are independent with no central element to connect them. Instead, a wide esplanade leaves an open view from the place du Trocadéro to the Eiffel Tower.
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| The Eiffel Tower seen from the Trocadero Plaza, by DG Hudson |
Jardins du Trocadéro (Gardens of the Trocadero)
With sloping fairways that run along the river, the garden terraces feature a number of sculptures, some dating from the 1930s, including the gilded bronze fountain sculpture shown below.
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| Fountains, Bull and Deer, at the Trocadero, Paris, Fr. by DG Hudson |
The main feature, called the Fountain of Warsaw, is a long basin, or water mirror, with twelve fountain-creating columns of water 12 meters high; twenty four smaller fountains four meters high; and ten arches of water. In 2011, the fountain's waterworks were completely renovated. This water sculpture contains the only exposition fountains which still exist today, and still function as they once did.
At the lower end of the water fountain is the Carrousel de Trocadéro, a beautiful two storied creation, with the Eiffel Tower in the background. See link below.
There's a lot of history connected with this location in Paris. If you want to know more, I've included reference links below.
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DG's Theme: Paris, Etc. (Art, Film, Places, and People)
What do you think of the design of the Trocadero? Did you know what the name meant, or that a battle of the same name took place in Spain? OR Do you like carousels? Any favourites? Please share in the comments.
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References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trocad%C3%A9ro Trocadéro
http://paris1900.lartnouveau.com/diaporama_flash/lieux/trocadero.html
The old Palais du Trocadéro, vintage photos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardins_du_Trocad%C3%A9ro
Gardens of the Trocadero
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM8FFM_Carousel_at_Trocadero_Paris_France
Carousel at Trocadero
