Cannons are usually used for defense, aren't they? Well, the one installed in the heart of the Palais-Royal garden was once used as a clock! In the 18th century, the Paris meridian was used as a worldwide reference, indicating a time that could be used as a basis, before the French switched to Greenwich time in 1911. A small cannon in this superb Parisian garden was used by passers-by to set their watches and clocks, as early as 1786!
Designed by Sieur Rousseau, a neighboring watchmaker at 95 Galerie de Beaujolais, this bronze cannon thunderedevery day at exactly noon on sunny days! Thanks to a magnifying glass that ignited the wick as soon as the sun was in the right place, anyone could find out exactly what time it was from a distance of almost a kilometer! In those days, people referred to sundials or meridians to find out what time it was. Since a theft in 1998, the magnifying glass has disappeared and the mechanism has to be triggered manually by a pyrotechnician!
A handy little clock, which today only runs a few days a year: for the anniversary of the Liberation of Paris, on August 25, during the Journées du Patrimoine, on the third weekend of September and on July 14, for the Fête Nationale. This year, the dates of October 4 and December 4, 2024 are also indicated, so don't miss the chance to attend this centenary ritual free of charge at"noon sharp"(that's where the expression comes from!)!
Dates and Opening Time
From August 25, 2024 to December 4, 2024
Location
Palais Royal Garden
2 place Colette
75001 Paris 1
