General De Gaulle Square

You now find yourself on the General De Gaulle Square, which marks the border between the old town of Ajaccio and the new districts. Back in the day, it was called “Place d’armes”, which translates to “Weapons Square”, as a reference to a time where soldiers used to train. It is now known as Diamond Square. Popular belief is that, Napoleon’s passion for battle sparked after seeing soldiers train on this square. It is said, he would organize mock wars among the town’s children, with a mini-napoleonic twist and in the manner of the ”War of the Buttons” novel, if you are familiar with the book by author Louis Pergaud. The square was renamed in honor of General De Gaulle in 1943. As a matter of fact, Ajaccio was the first ever French town to be liberated during World War II. The general came to salute the courage of the Corsicans, and delivered his famous speech on this very square. The most impressive monument here remains that of the statue of Napoleon. He is surrounded by his brothers, to recall the roles they played during the Empire. It was built in 1862 thanks to a public subscription. Its shape quickly earned it the nickname “the inkwell”. You can observe Napoleon, represented as a triumphant Roman Emperor, around his 4 brothers : Joseph, Lucien, Louis and Jérome. They are also dressed following the roman dress code, and wearing the symbols of their political functions. The architect commissioned for this work was Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. 6 other sculptors in total created the bronzes. This grandiose monument was originally oriented towards the sea, but following a new urban design plan in 1969, it was turned 180° to face the city . During the work, certain elements of the sculptur had to be removed, such as the winged Victories and the semi-circular benches. You will find them on the bigger Austerlitz square, because it would be foolish to think that the native town of the most famous French Emperor only built one statue in honor of his glory.