To close wisteria week, here's a little bit of history. Ferdinand, Viscount de Lesseps, the developer of the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean and Red Seas, whose ancestry can be retraced as far back as the 14th century, was born in Versailles on the 19th of November 1805. He is also known for his work on the Panama Canal. This statue, standing opposite the boulevard de Lesseps, is a smaller copy of the monumental one that was erected by Emmanuel Frémiet at the entrance of the Suez Canal. Anyone interested in Lesseps can read more about him by clicking here.
---------------------------------
Pour terminer la semaine des glycines, voici un peu d'histoire. Ferdinand, vicompte de Lesseps, le constructeur du Canal de Suez reliant la Méditerranée et la Mer Rouge et concepteur du Canal de Panama. Il est né à Versailles le 19 novembre 1805. Cette statue, qui se trouve en face du boulevard de Lesseps, est une copie miniature de la statue monumentale érigée par Emmanuel Frémiet à l'entrée du Canal de Suez. Si vous voulez en savoir plus sur Lesseps, c'est par ici en français, bien que la version anglaise soit plus complète.
Pour terminer la semaine des glycines, voici un peu d'histoire. Ferdinand, vicompte de Lesseps, le constructeur du Canal de Suez reliant la Méditerranée et la Mer Rouge et concepteur du Canal de Panama. Il est né à Versailles le 19 novembre 1805. Cette statue, qui se trouve en face du boulevard de Lesseps, est une copie miniature de la statue monumentale érigée par Emmanuel Frémiet à l'entrée du Canal de Suez. Si vous voulez en savoir plus sur Lesseps, c'est par ici en français, bien que la version anglaise soit plus complète.
Thanks for the birthday wishes! I just commented to Jilly on her Menton blog how much I love wisteria, and here you are havign a whole week of celebration. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteThe Lesseps name was very familiar to me...but I had misplaced why...thanks for the opportunity to recharge my aging brain.
ReplyDeleteAnother grand photo!
Such a regal stance he portrays even today.
ReplyDeleteWonderful looking statue of a great man.
ReplyDeleteFerdinand, nous montre le chemin.
ReplyDeleteReminds that rock band "Franz Ferdinand"!
ReplyDeleteJust kidding :-)
Beautiful spot!
He was a great man!
Léia
I had no idea there was a "Wisteria Week." Now I know.
ReplyDeleteI've just checked his statue in Port Said and it's really big! I wonder why they have removed it from the (also big) pedestal... It looked much better there!
ReplyDeleteWow!! A week of wisteria. It is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the statue. MB
Thanks for another history lesson, always interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour wisteria week is so creative!!! The de Lesseps statue appears to be pointing to wisteria!!!! Learned something about the Suez Canal. Merci!!!
ReplyDeleteOne of our local colleges (Greensboro) just announced they were closing their French Department because of the budget crisis. Some of the world's most brilliant writers and scholars majored in French literature. This was sad news to those of us who love language learning.
Thank you very much for your history records. You pushed my general knowledge.
ReplyDeleteJe parlais de l'odeur des magnolias dans Larchmont mais a Versailles l'odeur des Glycines doit etre ennivrante!!!
ReplyDeleteUne superbe collection que tu nous offres la!
Imagine the effort involved in making those canals come true. No computers to aid in the design, no modern machines to do the digging.
ReplyDeleteI have friends who've just returned from Panama. I can hardly wait to see their photos. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt was a great week about wisteria!