The Place de la Comédie (French pronunciation: [plas də la kɔmedi]) is square in Montpellier, Hérault in Southern France. It is at the southeast point of the city centre, at 43°36′31.19″N 3°52′47.63″E / 43.6086639°N 3.8798972°E, where the fortifications of the city were formerly located.
History
editThe square is first mentioned in 1755 and is named after a theatre that burned down in 1785 and 1855.[citation needed]
The Place became the focal point of the city when, in the mid-19th century the railway station Gare de Montpellier Saint-Roch was built some 200 metres (660 ft) south of it. At that time, a smaller train going to the nearby beach at Palavas-les-Flots also had its point of origin on the Place.
Location
editAt the centre of the square is a fountain, the Three Graces, built by sculptor Étienne d'Antoine in 1790.[citation needed] The original piece was placed in the Musée Fabre in 1989, but moved again during the refurbishment of the museum to the Opéra Comédie, which is at the square.[citation needed]
At its northeastern corner, the square continues into the Esplanade de Charles de Gaulle, a small park connecting the Place to the Corum, a large concrete and granite complex built by Claude Vasconi. At its southeastern corner it is linked to the Lycée Joffre, formerly the Citadel of Montpellier.
