Trocadéro
This point of interest is available as audio on the tour: Visit Paris, On the Champs Elysées
You’ve reached the Trocadéro Esplanade. Above you is the impressive Chaillot Palace, built on the hill of the same name. Few people know the history of Trocadéro. The original palace, built for the 1878 Paris Exposition, was an architectural feat. Back then, World’s Fairs were like modern-day Olympics or World Cups – all about putting on a big show for the guests and building lots of new stuff. The thing is, in 1878, things weren’t looking great for France! They had just lost Alsace and Lorraine, and the capital was still recovering from the Paris Commune. It was thus vital for the leaders to show that France was still a major economic power. And so, they built this spectacular Moorish-Byzantine palace here, inspired by the Giralda in Seville and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. But times change, and by the 1937 World’s Fair, the old palace was considered outdated. To save money, they decided to use the existing site, covering up the old structure to transform it into a more modern palace. The huge rotunda at the center of the building was demolished, opening up the view to the Eiffel Tower. The two big wings embracing the Champ de Mars remained intact, and they built a theater under the esplanade. Today, Trocadéro is a cultural hub, housing several museums, including the French Monuments Museum, one of the oldest museums dedicated to architectural heritage. The upper terrace, known as the Human Rights Square, is adorned with gilded statues and offers breathtaking views of the Eiffel Tower, with the fountains and gardens in the foreground.
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