A work by Hardouin-Mansart, this architectural gem was designed as the setting for a monumental statue of Louis XIV. Destroyed during the Revolution, the statue has given way to the Austerlitz column. This famous square is fronted by the Ritz Hotel, the Ministry of Justice, the house in which Chopin died, another where Dr Mesmer carried out his experiments, and a number of famous jewellery stores, such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron.