Maréchal Foch square

You arrive in front of Maréchal Foch square, named in honour of the commander-in-chief of Allied forces at the end of the First World War. General Ferdinand Foch was elevated to the rank of Marshal of France, the highest military honour of the country, just before the end of the war. Some Nantais still call it the Louis XVI square because of the king’s statue sitting atop its column right in front of you. It is said that the statue was not removed during the Revolution, unlike many others, precisely because of its inaccessible height. In reality, this rumour is unfounded, as the statue was not installed until much later, in 1823. Whatever the case, it is one of the few representations of Louis XVI still visible in France. Number 1 in the square, the Charette Hotel on your left, was used as the headquarters of Nazi intelligence and law enforcement services during World War II. The people of Nantes used to refer to it as the Gestapo headquarters, even though the latter was only present from 1942 to 1944. You can see a commemorative plaque on its façade, at the corner of Gambetta Street, in tribute to those tortured by the Gestapo. Now cross the square towards the cathedral.