Trocadero Esplanade, a balcony on the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower stands opposite, on the other bank of the Seine, some 250 m away. The Pont d'Iéna separates them.

The colossal Palais de Chaillot, emblem of the 1930s, and its two wings delimit the Esplanade du Trocadero. Below, the gently sloping terraces and gardens, lined with Caucasian walnut trees and hundred-year-old hazelnut trees, are strewn with golden bronzes. Walkers, skaters and skateboarders zigzag along the water jets of the 20 cannons of the great basin, under the gaze of Apollo and Hercules who face each other.

Origin of the name "Esplanade du Trocadéro"

The Esplanade du Trocadero was created at the same time as the Palais de Chaillot, in the mid-1930s, for the 1937 Universal Exhibition. The name "Parvis des droits de l'homme" was added later, in 1985, at the initiative of François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic.

History and the Esplanade du Trocadero

In 1940, during his visit to Paris, Adolf Hitler crossed the esplanade, giving rise to a famous photo seen by the whole world (See attached gallery).

The name "Parvis des droits de l'homme" (Human Rights Square) was added in 1985 to recall that it was in the Palais de Chaillot, under the Trocadero square, that the 5th session of the United Nations General Assembly was held on December 10, 1948. During this session, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. At the entrance of the square, a slab sealed in 1985 proclaims that "men are born and remain free and equal in rights" (Article 1 of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789).

On October 17, 1987, at the initiative of Father Joseph Wresinski, a second slab was sealed at the other end of the square. It reads:
"On October 17, 1987, defenders of human and civil rights from all countries gathered on this square. They paid tribute to the victims of hunger, ignorance and violence. They affirmed their conviction that poverty is not fatal. They proclaimed their solidarity with those who struggle throughout the world to destroy it. Wherever people are condemned to live in misery, human rights are violated. It is a sacred duty to unite to ensure that they are respected. - Father Joseph Wresinski.

The creation of the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, celebrated every October 17, is related to the inauguration of this slab. The United Nations General Assembly recognized it as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

In popular culture, the Parvis du Trocadero is often present

• In the film Les Yeux sans visage (released in 1960) by Georges Franju, it is on this square that one of the young girls walks, before meeting Edna Grüberg in a café located on the Place du Trocadéro.
• In the film L'Homme de Rio (released in 1964) by Philippe de Broca, a scene is shot on the esplanade.
• In the film The Chinese in Paris (released in 1974) by Jean Yanne, a party supposedly "to liberate the forces of joy" in a France occupied by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) takes place on this square.
• In the film The Professional (released in 1981) by Georges Lautner, the characters cross the esplanade by car.
• In the film Les Misérables (released in 2019) by Ladj Ly, Issa and his friends visit the esplanade before the soccer final.

The 8 statues of the Esplanade du Trocadero

They were installed at the time of the construction of the Palais de Chaillot, in the mid-1930s.

On the left, facing the Eiffel Tower, La Jeunesse by Alexandre Descatoire (1874-1949), Flore
by Marcel Gimond (1894-1961), Le matin by Pryas (1895-1985), La Campagne by Paul Cornet (1892-1977).

On the right, looking at the Eiffel Tower, Fruits by Félix Desruelles, (1865-1943), Spring by Paul Niclausse, (1879-1958), Gardens by Robert Couturier (1905-2008), Birds by Louis Brasseur (1878-1960).

In 1964, the artist Christo wrapped a transparent veil around the statue of Spring by Paul Niclausse.