The Champ-de-Mars and its neighborhood

View of the Champ-de-Mars during the Festival of the Federation on the Memorable Day of July 14, 1790 at the Moment when the National Assembly Arrived, anonymous, after 1790

In 1789, this bucolic landscape marked the edge of Paris. Above all else, the Grenelle plain was dedicated to growing fruits and vegetables. However, from the time the Ecole militaire opened in 1765, this field was also used to practice battle maneuvers, named in reference to Mars, the Roman god of war. On July 14, 1790, one year after the Bastille fell, the largest celebration during the French Revolution took place on this empty field: the Festival of the Federation. Throughout the Revolution, revolutionaries constantly used the Champ-de-Mars as a major open-air stage. On July 21, 1798, art objects pillaged from Italy by the French revolutionary armies were exhibited to the people here. Paris claimed to be the capital of civilization just like Ancient Rome. However, this location was also the site of a tragic event: on July 17, 1791, the authorities, in the name of public order, killed several dozen peaceful demonstrators, who were demanding that the king step down: this is known as the Champ-de-Mars massacre.

Chronology

July 14, 1790
Festival of the Federation
Early July 1789
Several regiments camp on the Champ-de-Mars in order to suppress the Revolution, if necessary
July 17, 1789
Mayor Bailly welcomes Louis XVI at the Conference gate
October 6, 1789
Female insurgents return from Versailles escorting the king and the royal family through the Conference gate
May 1, 1791
Neighborhood inhabitants celebrate the removal of the Paris excise tax at the Conference gate
July 14, 1791
Second Festival of the Federation celebrated at the Champ-de-Maris
July 17, 1791
Protestors demanding the removal of the king are massacred on the Champ-de-Mars
July 14, 1792
Third Festival of the Federation celebrated on the Champ-de-Mars
November 12, 1793
Execution of Bailly, former Mayor of Paris, on the Champ-de-Mars
June 8, 1794
Festival of the Supreme Being
June 1, 1794
Creation of the Ecole de Mars military academy on the Sablons plain
August 31, 1794
Explosion of the Grenelle gunpowder factory