Porte du Point-du-Jour

“A duel at dawn?”. You might be surprised to hear those words here at the Porte du Point-du-Jour. But this place, once a humble gateway in the city’s fortifications, holds a dramatic story. Porte du Point-du-Jour. The name itself hints at this intriguing tale. “Point du Jour” translates to “break of day”. Legend has it, a duel took place here at the first light of dawn. The opponents? Antoine François, the Count of Coigny, and the Prince of Dombes, grandson of the Sun King himself! The reason for their deadly encounter? Lost to history, shrouded in the mists of time. While the duel might be a point of debate among historians, the Porte du Point-du-Jour played a significant role in Parisian history. Imagine the year 1789. The French Revolution is about to erupt. It was from this very gate, the Porte du Point-du-Jour, that representatives of the Commune escorted King Louis XVI to the Hôtel de Ville, after the storming of the Bastille. Fast forward to 1871 – another turbulent time in Paris: The Paris Commune. It was through this gate, the Porte du Point-du-Jour, that Versaillian troops, aided by a city worker, entered Paris, sparking the bloody end to the Commune’s brief reign. Today, the Porte du Point-du-Jour stands as a silent witness to these pivotal moments. It serves as a reminder that even amidst the grandeur of Paris, history unfolds in the most unexpected places.