| A short walk east of place de la Madeleine lies place Vendôme, one of the city's most impressive set pieces, built by Versailles architect Hardouin-Mansart during the final years of Louis XIV's reign. It's a pleasingly symmetrical, eight-sided place, enclosed by a harmonious ensemble of elegant mansions, graced with Corinthian pilasters, mascarons and steeply pitched roofs. Once the grand residences of tax collectors and financiers, they now house such luxury establishments as the Ritz hotel, Cartier, Bulgari and other top-flight jewellers, lending the square a decidedly exclusive air. The Ministry of Justice is also sited here, on the west side; its façade still has the marble plaque showing a standard metre put here in 1795 in order to familiarize Parisians with the new unit of measure. No. 12, on the opposite side, now occupied by Chaumet jewellers, is where Chopin died, in 1849. Somewhat out of proportion with the rest of the square, the centrepiece is a towering triumphal column, modelled on Trajan's column in Rome, and surmounted by a statue of Napoleon dressed as Caesar. It was raised in 1806 to celebrate the Battle of Austerlitz – bronze reliefs of scenes of the battle, cast from 1200 recycled Austro-Russian cannons, spiral their way up the column. The column that stands here today is actually a replica of the original, brought crashing down during the Commune in 1871. A healthy bank balance comes in handy if you intend to do more than window-shop in the streets around here, especially ancient rue St-Honoré and its faubourg extension west, a preserve of top fashion designers and art galleries. East of place Vendôme, on rues St-Roch and Ste-Anne in particular, the Japanese community has established a mini enclave, with a number of shops and restaurants (see "Listings" for recommendations).
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