Squares

Place Maréchal-Foch

Nantes

Place Maréchal-Foch is a square in downtown Nantes, France, located near the Malakoff-Saint-Donatien district on its eastern side. It lies between Cours Saint-Pierre to the south and Cours Saint-André to the north, and connects the streets of L'Évêché, Chauvin, Tournefort, Sully, Maréchal-Joffre, Gambetta, and Henri-IV. The square bears the name of Ferdinand Foch, Marshal of France. Historically, it was called place d’Armes until the First Empire, then place Louis-XVI under the Restoration, before being named place Maréchal-Foch by municipal council deliberation. In Nantes, the name place Maréchal-Foch remains the most common local usage, especially among native Nantais of certain age groups. The square also contains several notable elements, including the Louis-XVI column, erected in 1790 as the column of Liberty and later topped by a statue of the sovereign, and historic buildings such as hôtel Montaudouin, hôtel d’Aux, and hôtel de Charette.

Map showing the location of Place Maréchal-Foch in Nantes
Location of Place Maréchal-Foch in Nantes

Nearby Objects

Design of Place Marechal-Foch

Place Marechal-Foch in Nantes, France, was designed by Intro as an architectural ensemble. The provided fact identifies the place as a planned urban composition rather than a single isolated object, and attributes its design to Intro. No further details are given here about its construction, form, or later use.

Location and access

Place Marachal-Foch is located in the downtown district, near the Malakoff-Saint-Donatien district on its east side. It lies between Cours Saint-Pierre to the south and Cours Saint-Andre to the north. The square connects the streets of L'Eveche, Chauvin, Tournefort, Sully, Marachal-Joffre, Gambetta, and Henri-IV.

Name Origin

Place Marechal-Foch bears the name of Ferdinand Foch, Marshal of France. The naming gives the place a direct link to a military figure of national importance, and the title preserves that association in the urban landscape.

Historical Names of Place Maréchal-Foch

The square known today as place Marachal-Foch has carried several names over time. It was called place d'Armes until the First Empire, then became place Louis-XVI under the Restoration. It was later named place Marachal-Foch by municipal council deliberation. In local usage, Nantais of native origin, especially certain age groups, commonly still use the name place Marachal-Foch, and they tend to use it more spontaneously than place Foch.

Historic Buildings and Monuments at Place Marachal-Foch

Place Marachal-Foch brings together several notable buildings and memorial elements that reflect different periods of Nantes history. Among its most prominent features is the Louis XVI column, erected in 1790 as the column of Liberty and later topped by a statue of the sovereign after the Restoration. The statue, installed in 1823 during the mandate of Mayor Louis-Hyacinthe Levesque, was created by the sculptor Dominique Molknecht. It is described as one of the few Louis XVI statues still present in public space in France.

The area also includes hotel Montaudouin, designed by the Nantes architect Mathurin Crucy, and hotel d'Aux, built in 1770 by Jean-Baptiste Ceineray. Hotel d'Aux has a particularly layered history: Napoleon and Josephine stayed there in 1808, it later served as army headquarters during the Third Republic, and it was used as Feldkommandantur headquarters during World War II. Another nearby building, hotel de Charette or de Bruc, was erected in 1824 and served as local SD services headquarters during World War II; local residents identified it as Gestapo headquarters from 1942 to 1944.

The site also contains Saint-Pierre gate, near the cathedral, preserved as a relic of the medieval city wall. In addition to these historic landmarks, Place Marachal-Foch has housed the northern terminus of Nantes busway line 4, at Foch-Cathedrale station, linking the square with areas to the south, including Ile de Nantes and the commune of Vertou.