The story
Welcome to the Cours du Maréchal Foch, a vantage point that offers one of the most breathtaking perspectives in all of Bordeaux. As you look out from this elegant street, you are standing on the threshold of the Esplanade des Quinconces. To truly understand this space, you have to appreciate its sheer scale.
Spanning twelve hectares, this is one of the largest city squares in all of Europe. Its name comes from the way the trees are planted—in a staggered, quincunx pattern, like the five dots on the face of a die. But this grand, open space wasn't always a place for public gathering.
For centuries, this ground was occupied by the Château Trompette, a massive fortress built not to protect the city from invaders, but to keep the rebellious citizens of Bordeaux under the watchful eye of the French monarchy. When the fortress was finally demolished in the early nineteenth century, it opened up this massive "lung" for the city, bridging the gap between the historic center and the Garonne River. Your eyes are likely drawn to the towering structure at the western end of the square: the Monument aux Girondins.
This spectacular fountain and column, rising nearly fifty meters into the air, is the emotional heart of the esplanade. It was built at the end of the nineteenth century to honor the Girondins, a group of political deputies during the French Revolution. They were intellectuals and orators who dreamed of a moderate republic, but they fell victim to the Reign of Terror and were sent to the guillotine by their rivals.
Take a moment to look at the bronze fountains at the base of the column. They are a masterpiece of movement and drama. On one side, you see the "Triumph of the Republic," and on the other, the "Triumph of the Concord."
The bronze horses look as if they are leaping directly out of the water, their nostrils flared and muscles straining. There is a fascinating, almost miraculous story attached to these statues. During the Second World War, the Nazi occupation forces dismantled the bronze horses, intending to melt them down for scrap metal to fuel the German war effort.
They were transported all the way to Angers, but through a combination of bureaucratic delays and the efforts of the French Resistance, they were never melted. They were discovered in a warehouse after the liberation and finally returned to their rightful place here in Bordeaux in the 1980s. High atop the white pedestal stands the "Genius of Liberty," a winged figure breaking his chains, looking out over a city that has always cherished its independence.
As you walk further into the square, you might notice the two tall rostral columns near the river, dedicated to commerce and navigation, reminding us that Bordeaux’s soul has always been tied to the sea. Whether it is hosting a traveling circus, an antique fair, or a quiet morning walk under the plane trees, the Quinconces remains the grand stage where the life of Bordeaux unfolds.