The square is the 2nd largest city square in the EU (according to wiki) and is dominated by a large column on top of which sits a statute representing the Spirit of Liberty (I will post photographs tomorrow).
The monument was erected between 1894 and 1902 in memory of the Girondists who fell victim of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. These sculptures (below) sit around the base of the column in two large basins.