Place Ducale is the central and historic main square of Charleville, the northern part of Charleville-Mézières. The square is a copy of the Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris. The only big difference is that the square in Paris was designed by Louis Métezeau and that of Charleville by Clément Métezeau, so brothers.
The square is a feast for the eyes with 28 monumental buildings, built in the same Baroque style. In the center of the square there is a fountain and a classic merry-go-round. The Place Ducale became the beating heart of the city and still is. The symmetrical lines, the chessboard pattern, the arcades and the facades in red and yellow stone now regularly form the backdrop to events for which the city is known.
The square was founded by its ambitious founder, the Italian prince Charles de Gonzague, who had a completely new city built in the 17th century. The square is 126 by 90 meters and the current buildings on the edge of the square all date from the 17th century.