The Palais Royal Cannon



Historic bronze cannon (1786) in Palais Royal Garden, Paris. 

The Palais Cannon, a unique attraction within the Palais Royal Garden, is a small bronze cannon perched on a stone pedestal. Crafted by engineer and watchmaker Rousseau in 1786, it once marked Parisian time by firing at noon using a magnifying glass to catch the sun's rays. Although it fell silent when France adopted Greenwich Time in 1914, a replica installed in 2002 ensures its quirky historical legacy lives on.