Place Stanislas

Located in my home town of Nancy, in eastern France, Place Stanislas is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dubbed the "most beautiful square of the world", this magnificent 18th century construction is a marvel of proportions, light and grandeur.

The square has it name from the man who had it built, Stanisław Leszczyński, king of poland and last duke of Lorraine. At this era, Lorraine had be given to France, but the inhabitants were still hostiles to the french. To ease up the transition, King Louis XVth annointed his father-in-law, King Stanislas, who had been chased from his land by his people. Stanislas was a duke in title, but didn't have real power (the french governor had), so he mainly occupied his time by being a patreon to arts and architecture.

Among other realisations, he completed the recently renwed city of Nancy by having a square built in its center to the glory of Louis XVth. The square is aligned with the already existing "Place de la Carrière", creating a huge architectural ensemble in the classical style.

The buildings of "Place Stanislas" are the huge town hall, the opera, a city museum and two other buildings hosting a hotel and some restaurants. The last side of the square is completed by two smaller pavillion where you can find other restaurants, cafés and shops, ending on the trimphal arc "Arc Héré" which opens on the other square (Place de la Carrière). The square is especillay famous for its metallic golden grids, especially around the fountains in two of its corners, representing Neptune and Amphitrite. Lastly, at the center of the square, a tall statue represents Stanislas himself (the original square had a statue of Louis XVth).

In 2005, the square was entirely remade (there was a road around it and a parking in the center, with lots of tar, and the buildings were very dirty). They try to get back as much as possible to the original aspect of the pavement, with white cobblestones, and all the buildings were cleaned up. Finally, the square is now pedestrian only, for the joy of all tourists.

I love the lego architecture line, and I love my city, so I couldn't miss the opportunity to try and model it ! Due to the huge scale of it, it quickly became a very big model: with a smaller scale I couldn't have any interesting detail made.

Given the number of parts and the huge repetitions, I don't think I'll try to make it IRL, but you never know !