The Bastille and its neighborhood
Today, it is one of the most famous revolutionary sites in the world. However, in 1789, the Bastille was still a State prison located in the center of a working-class neighborhood. On April 28th, more than three hundred laborers were massacred not far from here for having revolted against low salaries. On July 14th, insurgents – who were looking for gunpowder in order to defend themselves – attacked the large prison, hated by the people. The “storming of the Bastille” is the symbol of the Revolution. The location of the soon demolished fortress became a gathering site and in June 1794, a guillotine was even briefly set up here. A commemorative site of the French Revolution, the Bastille remained a privileged site for revolutions during the 19th century: barricades were set up here in 1830, 1848 and 1871. The Colonne de Juillet (July Column), which rises from its center, bears witness to this heritage: it serves as a mausoleum for the victims who fell during the Three Glorious Days (July 27-29, 1830). Even today, most demonstrations and social movements end up converging on the Place de la Bastille.
Chronology
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April 27-28, 1789
Riots at the Réveillon factory -
July 14, 1789
The storming of the Bastille -
October 5, 1789
The Women’s March begins in the Saint-Antoine neighborhood -
July 18, 1790
A dance is organized on the Bastille’s ruins -
May 21, 1791
The demolishing of the Bastille is completed -
August 10, 1793
A fountain representing Regeneration is placed on the former site of the Bastille during the Festival of Reunion -
June 9-12, 1794
The guillotine is moved to the Place de la Bastille -
April 20 – May 1, 1795
Beginning of the Germinal and Prairial uprisings in the Saint-Antoine neighborhood -
July 14, 1880
July 14th is decreed a national holiday. Students place a plaque commemorating the storming of the Bastille
