Berlioz’s Birthplace – La Côte Saint-André
Place Hector Berlioz
In 1890 a statue of Berlioz, made by the artist Lenoir, was erected in the Esplanade, which was later renamed Place Hector Berlioz. The event took place on 28 September 1890 in the presence of many national, departmental and local dignitaries. The Berlioz family was represented by Commandant Chapot and his two sons. See also the text (in English translation) of report on the inauguration of Berlioz’s statue which appeared in the Grenoble-Revue of 15 October 1890, written by the journalist Louis Bassette.
In Berlioz’s time the Esplanade, situated at the south-east corner of the town, was, according to David Cairns, one of the main centres of social activity, "where the men played boules and the band of the National Guard practised, and the women and children walked among the lime trees on fine Sunday afternoons" (Berlioz vol. I p. 25).
Lenoir’s statue of Berlioz at La Côte is a fine copy of the original erected in honour of the composer in Paris, illustrated on the engraving below. That statue was unveiled in a ceremony held on 17 October 1886 in a square called at the time Square Vintimille. See our Berlioz in Paris page (Square Berlioz) for further details.
Unless otherwise specified, all the photographs reproduced on this page were taken by Michel Austin
in April 1998; other pictures have been scanned from postcards and books in our
own collection. © Monir Tayeb and Michel Austin.
All rights of reproduction reserved.
Berlioz monument
Statue of Berlioz
This photo has been taken by Mr Peter Curbishley; we are most grateful to him for sending us a copy.
Berlioz’s statue in 1927
Berlioz’s statue in Paris in 1886
This engraving is scanned from: Hector Berlioz: Sa Vie et ses
Œuvres, by Adolphe Jullien, 1888, Paris: La Librairie de l’Art (in our
collection).
Place Hector Berlioz
© 1998-2008 Michel Austin and Monir Tayeb for all the pictures and information on this page.
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