Arch de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (originally named Place de l'Étoile), at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. It should not be confused with a smaller arch, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which stands west of the Louvre. The Arc de Triomphe (in English: "Triumphal Arch") honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.

The Arc de Triomphe is the linchpin of the historic axis (Axe historique) – a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre, to the Grande Arche de la Défense. The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and its iconographic program pitted heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments, with triumphant patriotic messages.

Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org

Facts about Arc de Triomphe:

• The construction of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was ordered in 1806 by Napoleon, the French Emperor.
• Napoleon wanted to honor the Grande Armee, the name of the French army at that time.
• The Grande Armee had conquered most of Europe and was then considered invicible. After his Austerlitz victory in 1805, Napoleon said to his soldiers : "You will return home through archs of triumph".
• The construction had been stopped between 1814 (abdication of Napoleon) and 1826.
• The Arc de Triomphe costed 9.3 millions French francs, a gigantic amount of money at that time.
• The names of 128 battles of the first French Republic and Napoleon's Empire are written on the white walls under the vault together with the names of the generals who took part in them.
• The construction of Arc de Triomphe was completed in 1836, long after Napoleon's death in 1821.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zJogiqfKRU&hd=1

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe

http://www.arcdetriompheparis.com

Posted in: France