Bastille Day
The "Fête de la Fédération"on 14 July 1790 was a celebration of the unity of the French nation during the French Revolution. The aim of this celebration, one year after the Storming of the Bastille, was to symbolise peace. The event took place on the Champ de Mars, which was located far outside of Paris at the time. The work needed to transform the Champ de Mars into a suitable location for the celebration was not on schedule to be completed in time. On the day recalled as the Journée des brouettes ("The Day of the Wheelbarrow"), thousands of Parisian citizens gathered together to finish the construction needed for the celebration.
Île aux Cygnes
The statue originally faced east, toward the Eiffel Tower, but it was turned west in 1937 for the world's fair hosted in Paris that year. At its base is a commemorative plaque, and the tablet in its left hand bears the inscription "IV Juillet 1776 = XIV Juillet 1789", recognizing the American Independence Day and the French Bastille Day.