About This Location
ook for the small commemorative plaque near the axis of Place des Invalides, right in front of Hôtel des Invalides. It marks the Rond-point du Bleuet-de-France - named here on 27 August 1998 - and it is easy to walk past without noticing. This simple plaque points to a powerful French symbol. The “Bleuet de France” is the cornflower - worn to remember the fallen and to support those left with the cost of war. The tradition began during World War I, in 1916, inside Les Invalides itself. Two women working with wounded soldiers, Suzanne Lenhardt and Charlotte Malleterre, started workshops where injured men made small cornflowers from tissue paper as both therapy and fundraising. The choice of a cornflower was not random. The bright blue echoed the newer “horizon blue” French uniforms, and the word “bleuets” became a nickname for very young recruits arriving at the front - still “fresh” compared to the mud-stained veterans. Standing here, that story feels close, because it was born in the same military complex surrounding you. Even today, Bleuet de France is tied to national remembrance. Around the main commemorations on 8 May and 11 November, volunteers traditionally sell the small blue flowers to raise funds - supporting veterans, war widows, wards of the nation, wounded service members, and victims of terrorism. This plaque is a quiet reminder that remembrance in France is also meant to be practical help.