Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris, (France). It stands in the centre of the Place de l'Etoile, at the western extremity of the Champs-Elysees. It forms part of L'Axe historique, a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route leading out of Paris. The monument stands over 50 metres (165 feet) in height.

It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon Bonaparte and completed in 1836, in the reign of King Louis-Philippe. The design is by Jean Chalgrin[?] (1739-1811), in the style of ancient Roman architecture. The four statues at the base of the Arc are titled The Triumph of 1810, Resistance, Peace and La Marseillaise. Around the top of the Arc are engraved the names of major Revolutionary and Napoleonic military victories. The inside walls of the monument list the names of 558 French generals. The names of those who died in battle are underlined.

The Place de L'Etoile was extensively redesigned by Baron Haussmann.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War, has the first eternal flame ever used. It burns in memory of the dead who were never identified, is revisited every November 11 on the anniversary of the armistice signed between France and Germany in 1918. It lies beneath the Arc.

The Tour de France race culminates here every year.

Pedestrian access to the Arc de Triomphe is via an underpass. Metro Charles-de-Gaulle--Étoile.

External links

• http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Monuments-Paris/Arc-CDG.shtml