Paris King Henri IV Equestrian Statue



Located on the Ile de la Cite, you will be able to discover that the Paris King Henri IV equestrian statue is actually a replica of the original dating from the 1600s, however, this particular statue was still put in place in 1818 and is one of the many Paris monuments that you can discover today.

About the Paris King Henri IV Equestrian Statue



The original sculpture was commissioned by Marie de Medici way back in the 1600s, which means if you have any interest on its background, you may want to find out about the history of the Paris King Henri IV equestrian statue that is quite fascinating in itself.
Equestrian Statue of King Henri IV
However, the bronze Paris King Henri IV equestrian statue that you can still see today, which is classified as an historical Paris monument, is actually a replica of the original, and this was only put in place in 1818 during the Restoration, after the French Revolution.

But we are getting ahead of ourselves here



In fact, the original statue called the Statue Equestre d'Henri IV in French, was melted down in 1792 during the French Revolution, although the four Captives, as they are known, are the sculptures which were spared and can now be seen within the Musee du Louvre Museum.

But after the restoration of the Bourbon Monarchy, it was decided that several particular Paris monuments would be replicated or restored to their former glory, and the Paris King Henri IV equestrian statue was one of these, and the very first one to be reconstructed.
So, this particular bronze statue was commissioned to Francois-Frederic Lemot who made an exact copy of the original statue depicting King Henri IV riding in his armour on his trusted horse and this was put back in place on the intersection of the Pont Neuf Bridge on the Ile de la Cite in 1818.

Now this bronze equestrian Paris statue sits on top of a large marble base or pedestal, and on two sides there are bas reliefs.  The first depicts King Henri IV arriving in Paris, and the second depicts him providing food to the citizens of Paris, which is why he was often referred to as the Good King Henry, and it was one of his feelings that no person in his kingdom should go without.

However, on the opposite sides are also two inscriptions.  On one of the inscriptions at the very top it reads Henri The Great, which is what he was often referred to as, plus at the bottom of the inscription there are Roman numerals stating 1818, which is when this replica bronze statue was put back in place.

Visiting the Paris King Henri IV Equestrian Statue



This is of course one of the many different equestrian statues in Paris that you can visit, yet the Paris King Henri IV equestrian statue is located on the very historical Ile de la Cite island where the famous and oldest Paris bridge meets, which is called the Pont Neuf.  In fact it was King Henri IV himself that named this the New Bridge, which is what it translates to in English, as it was the very first one constructed without houses.
Statue of King Henri IV on Pont Neuf
Statue of King Henri IV on horse
And located towards the western tip of the island it is between the Place Dauphine, which was named after his son the future King Louis XIII and the Square du Vert Galant, which is aptly named after King Henri IV with his many mistresses.

You will find the Paris King Henri IV equestrian statue in the 1st Arrondissement on the Ile de la Cite, and you would reach this via walking over the Pont Neuf Bridge or one of the other bridges that connect to the Ile de la Cite such as the Pont au Change or the Pont de l’Archeveche at the opposite end of the island.

Transport to the Paris King Henri IV Equestrian Statue



When it come to reaching this monument via Paris public transport, the nearest Metro stations are Pont Neuf stop serving line 7 or the Cite stop via line 4, yet if you are travelling on the RER trains, you would need the Saint-Michel - Notre Dame stop, which serves the RER B and RER C lines that can be accessed via the bridge over the River Seine called the Pont Saint Michel.

However, you can also reach this particular monument and Paris landmark via Paris bus lines 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 81, 85 and 96 along with the Noctilien Night Bus Service via lines N12, N13, N14, N15, N16, N21, N22 that are all within easy walking distance.

Alternatively, there is the Batobus, which is the water bus that has one of its stops on the bank opposite Notre Dame Cathedral, yet there are also tour buses like Paris Tootbus tours that also have a stop close by.