Adventures of the Place de la Concorde Obelisk

The Luxor Obelisk at Place de la Concorde

You can't miss it. The Luxor obelisk rises 75 feet from the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris, taller than anything in the neighborhood.

I have passed this gold-tipped monolith a thousand times, on its little island in the middle of frenzied Paris traffic.

I noted it as one of those odd Paris monuments—a bit discordant with its surroundings, but somehow fitting in—like the Louvre Pyramid; the too colorful, externally piped Pompidou Center; and the mother of them all, the Eiffel Tower.

Though I formed fleeting impressions of the obelisk, I never really stopped or studied. Just how did a 250-ton piece of granite make its way to Paris using the tools available in the early 19th century?

The story unfolds like an epic adventure film. Read on ...

Story by Meredith Mullins with permission of OIC Moments.