zoom_in Click to enlarge

Vendôme Column

▲ ▼

description Vendôme Column Overview

The Vendôme Column is a 44-meter triumphal column in Place Vendôme, Paris, constructed between 1806 and 1810 by order of Napoleon I. It was designed after Rome's Trajan's Column and features a spiral bas-relief depicting Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz in 1805. The column is covered with 1,200 bronze plates made from melted-down enemy cannons captured during the campaign, and is crowned by a statue of Napoleon.

help Vendôme Column FAQ

What event does the Vendôme Column commemorate?

The Vendôme Column commemorates Napoleon's victory at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805. Its spiral relief celebrates the Grande Armée and Napoleon I.

When was the Vendôme Column built?

Construction began in 1806 and was completed in 1810. Napoleon ordered the monument for Place Vendôme in Paris.

What inspired the design of the Vendôme Column?

The column was designed after Trajan's Column in Rome. Like Trajan's monument, it uses a spiral bas-relief to tell a military story around the shaft.

What material was used for the Vendôme Column's reliefs?

The spiral relief was made from bronze plates associated with captured Austrian cannons. The monument is approximately 44 meters high and is topped by a statue of Napoleon in its restored form.

swap_horiz

Looking for Vendôme Column alternatives? Compare top competitors ranked & scored

arrow_forward