Place Mazas Square in Paris
Named after a colonel by Napoleon Bonaparte, this street which is sometimes referred to as a square in Paris is very little known, yet located by the River Seine you can discover two different memorial plaques.
About Place Mazas
The Place Mazas is more of an actual street in the city than a square, although it is sometimes referred to as one of the squares in Paris, and it was officially named the Place du Colonel-Mazas by formal decree on 14th February 1806 by Napoleon Bonaparte, but was later shortened to Place Mazas that we know it as today.
But it was because of the proximity to the Pont d’Austerlitz bridge, that it was named after Colonel Francois Jacques Mazas who died during the Battle of Austerlitz on 2nd December 1805, and in fact, you will also find his name mentioned on the famous monument in Paris called the Arc de Triomphe that Napoleon also commissioned.
Yet the decree also mentioned the formation of a semi-circular area like a room, but this was never constructed, but by another decree on 19th May 1913, part of the area became utilised for the Institut Medico Legal de Paris, which translates to the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Paris.
However, at the Place Mazas you can get to see a large plaque, which is positioned on a low stone wall, and this is in memory of the First French Army that liberated France from the Mediterranean.
In addition to this, there is also another plaque, which is found on the railings at the Place Mazas and is in memory of Marco Lazard, who was 19 years of age when he died on 19th August 1944 while serving in the French Forces of the Interior.
And this particular plaque is positioned at the Place Mazas where Marco died on the first day of the National Insurgency during the Liberation of Paris.
Visiting Place Mazas
You will find the Place Mazas located between the Boulevard Diderot and the Boulevard de la Bastille close to the River Seine in the 12th Arrondissement of Paris and it is situated by the Quai de la Rapee, which in fact is also the name of the nearest Metro station on line 5.
And located in the Quartier des Quinze-Vingts area of the city, as we have mentioned before, this street come square is within easy walking distance of the Pont d’Austerlitz bridge and the Jardin des Plantes on the opposite bank.
