The Bastille was formerly the site of the Bastille St-Antoine. Erected in 1371-83 by Kings Charles V and VI, the stronghold was later used as a state prison, chiefly for the confinement of
political prisoners. Voltaire and the Marquis de Sade were among its most famous
prisoners.
The remains of the foundations of the Bastille, the Liberty Tower, discovered in 1899 and transported to its current location in Paris
near the Square Galli.
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacoix. Recently, this image has been used in the Broadway musical
Les Miserables.
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The taking of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, was the spark that ignited the events of the
French Revolution that toppled King Louis XVI, leading to the birth of a democracy in France. The storming of the Bastille was proof that power no longer resided in the King, but in the people, in accordance with the theories developed by the philosophers of the
eighteenth century.
Just as the signing of the Declaration of Independence is celebrated in the USA on July 4, Bastille Day is celebrated throughout France on July 14 as its national
holiday.
Traditional Parisian events include a military parade down the Champs Elysées in the morning led by the head
of state, a spectacular evening fireworks
display, and all night dancing in the
street.
BMW in France for the 2001 French Grand-Prix with the French colors in the
background.
Click for a larger image
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