A hectic central crossroads, the place du Châtelet lies between the Pont au Change, which crosses to the Ile de la Cité, and the boulevard de Sébastopol. Once the site of an imposing fortress, Châtelet is known today for its vast underground metro station, where all lines and all street performers seem to meet. Two important theaters flank the square and in its center the sphinx-endowed fountain, erected in 1808, commemorates yet another Napoleonic victory, the Egyptian campaign.
