Death in the Garden

I had never noticed this plaque in the Jardin du Luxembourg before a few days ago. It commemorates the execution of Parisians who rose up against the government in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian war. Following weeks of siege by the Prussian army and the collapse of Napoleon III's regime, the city decided to go its own way -- essentially to secede from France -- and not join the new national government that was forming at Versailles. The plaque reads, "The Senate in homage to the insurgents of the Paris Commune shot against this wall on May 25, 1871." (The French Senate owns and operates the Jardin du Luxembourg.)

The reason why this piqued my interest initially is that there is a much more infamous wall where the so-called Communards (those who supported secession) were executed in Pere-Lachaise cemetery. It's called the "Mur des Federes" and was the site of commemorative ceremonies for years (it may still be) for people on the political left. But an execution site in a cemetery doesn't seem so shocking. An execution site in one of the most beautiful parks in Paris, was a jarring juxtaposition. And you can see it depicted in the plaque.