One of the finest monuments in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe stands in the heart of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known by the name ‘Place de l'Étoile’. It lies at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. The Arc de Triomphe, Paris was erected to honor those who fought for France, especially, during the Napoleonic Wars. Today the arch also houses the tomb of an unknown soldier.
The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is the main monument of the historic axis (L'Axe historique), which is a series of monuments and grand streets on a route extending from Louvre Palace’s courtyard to the outskirts of Paris.
Designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, Arc de Triomphe, Paris marked the beginning of the erection of public monuments, with triumphant nationalistic messages, till World War I. The arch was commissioned in 1806, after Napoleon I’s victory at Austerlitz. It took 2 years to lay the foundations of the arch, and in 1810, when Napoleon and his bride Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria entered Paris from the west, he had a wooden model of the completed arch constructed.
Rising to a height of over 51 meters, Arc de Triomphe, Paris is 45 meters wide, and is the second largest triumphal arch that exists. The design of the arch was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus.
The sculpture symbolizing Peace in Arc de Triomphe, Paris is now interpreted as celebrating the Peace of 1815. The sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe represents major academic sculptors of France like Cortot, Rude, Étex, Pradier and Lemaire. The major sculptures are held as independent trophies applied to the vast ashlar masonry masses.
There are four sculptural groups at the base of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, including the Triumph of 1810 (Jean-Pierre Cortot), Resistance and Peace (both by Antoine Étex) and the most famous one - Departure of the Volunteers of '92 popularly called La Marseillaise (François Rude).
The attic above the intricately sculptured frieze of soldiers contains 30 shields bearing names of major Revolutionary and Napoleonic military victories. The interior walls of the arch enlist the names of 558 French generals. The shorter sides of the four supporting columns bear inscriptions of the names of the major battles of the Napoleonic wars, excluding those battles waged between Napolean’s departure from Elba and his ultimate defeat at Waterloo.
Flightshotelstours.com gives detailed information on Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France and on other places of Sightseeing in Paris, France.
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