Two Nations,
One Friendship
Discover the bonds between France & America
through Paris’s most iconic monuments
A Bond Forged
in Revolution
France and America share a friendship that stretches back to the founding of the United States — a bond sealed in sacrifice, diplomacy, and shared ideals of liberty.
Paris holds the memory of this alliance in bronze and stone — in statues of the heroes who crossed an ocean to fight for freedom.
Explore eight monuments in Paris that celebrate this extraordinary friendship.
General
Lafayette
Lafayette crossed the Atlantic at just 19 years old to fight alongside Washington. He became one of the most celebrated heroes of American independence.
The magnificent bronze equestrian statue of Lafayette — sword raised high, gaze proud and determined — stands between the Pont de l’Alma and Pont des Invalides. Completed in 1908 by sculptor Paul Wayland Bartlett.
Bartlett took so long to finish the statue that he carved a tiny turtle at its base — a quiet confession of his legendary slowness.
Benjamin
Franklin
Franklin came to France with a mission: to persuade Louis XVI to support the American Patriots against the British. He succeeded — and changed the course of history.
The Benjamin Franklin statue stands on Rue Benjamin Franklin near Place du Trocadéro. Created by John J. Boyle in 1906 and gifted to France by John H. Harpes, the marble base depicts scenes from Franklin’s extraordinary life.
“The genius who freed America and poured torrents of light upon Europe” — inscription on the base of the Franklin statue in Paris.
General
Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste-Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau, began his military career at seventeen. In 1780, King Louis XVI dispatched him to lead French forces to aid the American Revolution.
This bronze statue, unveiled in 1933, honors his decisive role in the Siege of Yorktown — the battle that ended the Revolutionary War. Replicas stand in Washington D.C. and Newport, Rhode Island.
The cannon and cannonball at his feet represent his military power. The original statue in Vendôme was damaged in WWII and later replaced by a copy donated by Americans.
Statue of
Liberty
Paris's Statue of Liberty is a perfect replica of New York’s famous icon, gifted to America by France on July 4th, 1884.
Crafted by Bartholdi for the Exposition Universelle of 1900, the statue stands as a symbol of the enduring bond between France and America.
Paris’s Statue of Liberty and the original in New York City face each other across the Atlantic — two sentinels of liberty watching over both nations.
Visit at least three monuments in person or online to
become part of the Two Nations, One Friendship story.