Description
The Champ de Mars is the long lawn in the 7th arrondissement of Paris that runs from the foot of the Eiffel Tower to the École Militaire: the classic spot for a picnic with the tower as a backdrop.
From the lawns the view takes in the whole Eiffel Tower at one end and the French-classical front of the École Militaire, begun in 1765, at the other. The park takes its name from the Campus Martius of ancient Rome, dedicated to the god Mars, because the cadets drilled and marched here.
Much of French history passed over this grass. In 1783 the first hydrogen balloon rose from here, in 1790 the first Fête de la Fédération, the ancestor of Bastille Day, filled it, and in 1791 a protest here ended in a massacre.
Five World's Fairs were held here, and the tower itself was built for the one of 1889. During the 2024 Olympics, beach volleyball was played in a temporary stadium at the tower's feet.
From the lawns the view takes in the whole Eiffel Tower at one end and the French-classical front of the École Militaire, begun in 1765, at the other. The park takes its name from the Campus Martius of ancient Rome, dedicated to the god Mars, because the cadets drilled and marched here.
Much of French history passed over this grass. In 1783 the first hydrogen balloon rose from here, in 1790 the first Fête de la Fédération, the ancestor of Bastille Day, filled it, and in 1791 a protest here ended in a massacre.
Five World's Fairs were held here, and the tower itself was built for the one of 1889. During the 2024 Olympics, beach volleyball was played in a temporary stadium at the tower's feet.