In the 14th arrondissement, behind the Paris Observatory, stood the statue of François Arago, a French astronomer and physicist famous for mapping the Paris meridian, since 1893. Today, no statue can be seen, following its disappearance during World War II. Born in 1796 in Estagel, Arago, a polytechnic engineer, contributed to the Paris Observatory from the age of 20, expanding measurements of the Paris meridian.
Arago also played a key role in the abolition of slavery in the French colonies. His statue, destroyed during World War II, was melted down by the Germans to make cannons.
In the 1990s, a new statue was considered. Dutch artist Jan Dibbets proposed an original work: 135 bronze medallions inscribed with “Arago,” aligned along the Paris meridian, from the south of the Cité Internationale Universitaire to the north at the Porte de Montmartre.
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