Description of the attraction
The military school, Ecole Militar, is located in buildings overlooking the Champ de Mars. The operating Military Academy of France is located here, excursions are not allowed here. But it makes sense to look around the complex: its buildings are magnificent.
The impetus for the creation of the Military School in France was the results of the War of the Austrian Succession. The victory in it was not easy for the country. The brilliant commander, Count Moritz of Saxony, saw the reason in the poor preparedness of the French troops. He advised Louis XV to establish a royal military school.
The king commissioned the project to the architect Ange Jacques Gabriel. To finance construction in France, a special tax on card games was introduced. But due to a lack of funds, the original project was drastically cut back. The imposing quadrangular dome of the central neoclassical building and its lush decor have been preserved. The central entrance is framed by Corinthian columns, the coat of arms of Louis XV is placed on the pediment. From the side of the Main Courtyard and from the east, the building is decorated with Lepot's clockwork - they are almost two and a half hundred years old.
The eastern facade of the building overlooked a large meadow. A military parade ground, called the Field of Mars, was set up here. It was assumed that here the cadets would learn vaulting and fencing.
In 1756, the school accepted the first 200 cadets from poor noble families. In 1785, the junior lieutenant of artillery Napoleon Bonaparte became a graduate of the School. However, on the eve of the revolution, the school was closed, its building became a warehouse and barracks.
Meanwhile, important events were taking place on the Champ de Mars. It was here that on July 14, 1790, Parisians, including King Louis XVI, swore allegiance to the Constitution. It was here that a year later the crowd demanded the abdication of the king, and the troops fired at the people.
In 1878, the Higher Military School was reopened in the complex near the Field of Mars. Since then, the educational institution has been graduating military officers. From 1951 to 1966, the NATO Defense College operated here, but with the withdrawal of France from the military organization of the alliance, the college moved to Rome. Now the Paris Military Academy is one of the most prestigious military educational institutions in France.
