The statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Paris
Situated within the grounds of the Petit Palais, you will find a bronze statue of Sir Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister that led Britain during World War II and this depicts him on his victory march down the Champs Elysees in Paris.
About the Winston Churchill statue
You will find numerous different statues and busts of famous people as you are wandering through the streets of Paris, and one of these impressive bronze statues is dedicated to Sir Winston Churchill who was the UK Prime Minister during World War II.
This particular bronze statue of Winston Churchill was sculpted by Jean Cardot in 1988 and was modelled on a photo that had been taken as he was walking down the Avenue des Champs Elysees on the victory march with the French World War II leader, General Charles de Gaulle.
The statue itself was paid for by donations from the French public and in particular the Parisiens, and incredibly it weighs in at well over two tons and stands at over 3 metres high.
You will also find that this bronze statue in Paris stands on a large oblong base with an inscription, which includes his famous words We Shall Never Surrender, which were spoken by the UK Prime Minister back on 4th June 1940.
The statue of Winston Churchill was inaugurated by the French President Jacques Chirac in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II on the 80th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. It was actually quite apt that the UK Queen Elizabeth II was there, as Churchill was her first UK Prime Minister of her reign, and she even gave her speech in French.
In fact, the sculptor Jean Cardot has also been commissioned to produce other monuments in Paris dedicated to famous people including one of General Charles de Gaulle and another of Thomas Jefferson.
Unfortunately though, not all people have been in favour of this particular monument in Paris dedicated to the former UK War hero, due to some of the decisions he made during World War II, such as scuttling the French fleet rather than it being captured and falling into the hands of the Nazis.
To this end, the statue has been vandalised and desecrated on a few different occasions, yet we were lucky enough to take photos of the statue of Winston Churchill in good condition after it had been cleaned by the city of Paris yet again.
Visiting the statue of Winston Churchill in Paris
You will find the bronze statue of Winston Churchill located on the right bank of the River Seine on the Avenue Winston Churchill in the grounds of the Petit Palais, which is opposite the Grand Palais, that were both built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition.
Situated in the 8th Arrondissement close to the Champs Elysees avenue, you will find that the nearest Metro station is called the Champs Elysees - Clemenceau stop serving lines 1 and 13.
However, on the opposite bank of the River Seine by going over the Pont Alexandre III bridge to Les Invalides, you will find that the nearest Metro station is called the Invalides stop serving lines 8 and 13, yet this is also an RER train station for the RER C Line.
Alternatively, the bus lines 28, 42, 72, 73, 83 and 93 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N01, N02, N11 and N24 will also get you within walking distance of this monument and the tourist attractions close by.
