Once the site of the historic French prison and fortress Bastille Saint-Antoine, this public square now called Place de la Bastille is an important symbol of liberty and the French Revolution. Bastille was erected as a fort starting 1370 ordered by Charles V to protect Paris from English invasion. Further additions were demanded by Charles VI with the structure to eventually have eight 100-foot tall towers, dungeons and a moat that was more than 80 feet wide. Bastille became a prison in the 17th century and was stormed on July 14, 1789 during the French Revolution and subsequently demolished. It was turned into a public square in 1792 and the prominent 154-foot tall July Column monument debuted in 1840. July 14 is celebrated every year in France as Bastille Day.
See All Things to do in Bastille »