How many times have you taken on a project, whether it’s personal or professional, where you wonder if you’re on an island all by yourself? You feel that perhaps you’re breaking new ground or nobody understands what you’re going through. Isn’t there someone out there that is facing (or faced) the same obstacles you’re up against?
Well, it’s no different than writing a book, publishing it, and then trying to find the magic elixir for selling your book. Trust me, after I wrote and published the first two walking tour books, I stepped back asked myself, “What now?”
As part of this wonderful journey into the publishing world, I began to explore the many roads in front of me. Read More Are You Alone On An Island?
7 Gibet de Montfaucon (Gibbet/Gallows of Montfaucon)
53, rue de la Grange aux Belles
Métro: Colonel Fabien
Hours: Not applicable—open to the public.
As you step out of the Metro, you should be facing Place du Colonel Fabien. Turn to your left and cross over Ave. Claude Vellefaux (on your left). The next street on your left will be Rue de la Grange aux Belles—turn left. Walk south until you arrive at no. 53 on your right.
You are standing in front of a garage with apartments built on top—exciting, huh? Seven hundred or so years ago, this was a pretty scary site. You never wanted to end up here.
Representation of the Gibet de Mondaucon. Engraving (1863) Author unknown. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. This image shows the rear of the gibbet. It is usually represented with a view from the front.
You’re standing in an area that once was part of the countryside outside the medieval walls of Paris. Standing here, you would have had a pretty good view of the city since you’d be standing on a hill (actually, more like a mound). The hill we now call Montmartre would have been visible to you towards the northwest. Around you would have been the leper colony of St. Lazare, the Convent of the Filles-Dieu (a home for prostitutes), and the original Hôpital Saint-Louis (its modern counterpart is located to the southwest). It seems the king didn’t want any undesirable elements within the walls of the city.
One of the kings’ most undesirable icons stood in front of you. It was the Gibet of Montfaucon. Erected around the late 13th century, the gibbet was used until 1629 and finally dismantled in 1760. The structure was used to hang people and to display the bodies of the executed (both local and imported). There are accounts of the executed being displayed here for more than 3 years before they either exonerated or whatever remained of the body was turned over to the family. The gibbet erected on land once owned by Count Falco (Faucon). Since it was a hill or mound (Mont), the gibbet became known as Montfaucon. Its nickname was “Forks of the great justice.” The best description and image comes from a drawing by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. It was an imposing 3-sided structure: 20 feet high, 46 feet long, and 39 feet wide. There were 45 “compartments” used to either hang or exhibit the victim’s bodies.Read More Gibet de Montfaucon
Mr. Ross brings the streets of Paris to life, making it possible for you to stand on the very spots where the grand and tragic events of the French Revolution took place. If you are looking for more than just the typical tourist experience in Paris, then this book is must reading!
Dan Carpenter | Historian & Author
“Informative and entertaining, Stew Ross’ newest work evokes a difficult and frightening time in the history of the City of Light. The detailed descriptions of sites such as the Vél’ d’hiv’ or Gestapo headquarters reminds us of the choices people made during those years.”
Cynthia Bisson, PhD, Professor of History, Belmont University, French Resistant Expert
