Colonne Vendôme

The Colonne Vendôme is a monumental column standing in the center of Place Vendôme in Paris’s 1st arrondissement, commissioned by Napoleon I and completed in the early 19th century. It was erected as a military victory monument and is one of the square’s defining landmarks.

The column is topped by a statue and wrapped with a helical bas-relief band executed in bronze. It rises to roughly 44 metres and the bronze used for the reliefs was cast from captured artillery. The column occupies the center of the paved circular plaza and is readably visible from the surrounding arcades and streets.

Napoleon I ordered the column in 1806 and construction finished around 1810; its design was inspired by Roman victory columns. Over the 19th and 20th centuries the statue at the summit and some surface elements were replaced or restored following political changes and damage.

Geographically it sits in central Paris on Place Vendôme, a short walk west from the Tuileries and north of the Louvre, within the dense urban fabric of the 1st arrondissement.

• Best viewing: Situated in the center of Place Vendôme, the column is easiest to photograph from the east side where sunlight highlights the bronze relief in the morning.
• Scale and material: The column is made from bronze cast from captured cannons and rises to about 44 metres, so bring a wide-angle lens for close-up shots in the crowded square.