If in Bordeaux you're looking for a square whose atmosphere and architecture reflect the Bordeaux you've probably already heard about, this is where you'll land, at Place de la Bourse: LA FONTAINE AUX 3 GRÂCES.
A magnificent square whose architecture is representative of French classical 18th-century architecture. Originally, intendant Boucher had a modern sense of Bordeaux's future and wanted to "open up" Bordeaux, give it a "royal" face welcoming to the foreigner arriving from the Garonne's right bank.
Yes, you may suspect it now (or you knew) but this square's first name was Place Royale, and the 3 Graces weren't always there; originally, an equestrian statue of King Louis XV sat there. It would then briefly be called Place Impériale under Napoleon I and finally became Place de la Bourse around 1869.
Back to that Fontaine aux 3 Grâces. In 1743, under Napoleon I, a magnificent equestrian statue of King Louis XV stood there; during the Revolution, this statue was pulled down and melted for cannons, then briefly replaced by a Liberty tree. Under the Restoration in 1828, a modest fountain in the shape of a pink marble column topped with a white capital and a globe would occupy that spot; in 1869, it was replaced by the Fontaine aux 3 Grâces you know.
This fountain was designed by Louis Visconti and sculpted by Charles Gumery. Cast by the Thèbaut Frères foundry, it's a pride for the Bordelais.
A magnificent square where you get the sense that everyone crosses paths and meets, it's an unmissable square, full of life mirrored cleverly in the water mirror... Extending the dream a little further.
