Arc de Triomphe

In 1805, an army led by Napoleon achieved victory in the "Battle of Three Emperors" at Austerlitz. The Emperor was eager to immortalize the triumph of his soldiers and ordered the construction of the Arc de Triomphe in the center of Paris.

Architects prepared several designs for the monument. The attention of the Emperor was drawn to the project by Jean-François Chalgrin, the court architect of Napoleon I, who chose the famous single-span Arch of Titus in Rome as the prototype for the Parisian monument. This arch, which appeared during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian in 81 AD, served as a prototype for many Triumphal Arches built in modern times. By Napoleon's will, Chalgrin designed the French arch to be three times the size of the ancient Arch of Titus. The following year, work began on the construction of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Five years later, the elderly creator of the monument died. This happened when the arch was only 5 meters short of its final height.

The construction of the Arc de Triomphe stretched over three decades due to a series of French military defeats. In 1806-1807, a foundation was laid under the massive monument. In 1810, the bride of the Emperor, Marie Louise of Austria, arrived in the capital of France. In honor of her visit, the wooden scaffolding of the building monument was decorated with coarse canvas, on which the completed arch was depicted. Thus, Napoleon was able to see his dream in the form of a large-scale model. The completion of the construction work was undertaken by the architect Abel Blouet. In 1836, when the Arc de Triomphe was finally built, the Emperor who had conceived it was no longer alive.

It wasn't until King Louis-Philippe's era, between 1833 and 1836, that architects Goust and then Huyot, guided by Héricart de Thury, finished the monument. The final cost was reported at about 10,000,000 francs, comparable to approximately €65 million or $75 million in 2020.

On August 7, 1919, just three weeks following the Paris victory parade (which celebrated World War I's end), Charles Godefroy daringly piloted his Nieuport biplane beneath the main vault of the arch. This was captured on a newsreel.

In 1921, the remains of the Unknown Soldier, who gave his life during the recent war, were transferred under the Parisian monument. Two years later, the Eternal Flame was installed here as a symbol of memory for all French citizens who did not return from the battlefields of World War I. The tombstone reads: "Ici repose un soldat français mort pour la Patrie, 1914–1918" ("Here lies a French soldier who gave his life for the Fatherland, 1914–1918").

The Arc de Triomphe quickly became a focal point for victorious French military parades post campaigns, and notably for the annual Bastille Day procession. However, following the Unknown Soldier's interment, military parades have circumvented passing through the arch itself, choosing to approach and then sidestep it, honoring the tomb's significance. This tradition was adhered to by both Hitler in 1940 and de Gaulle in 1944.

By the 1960s, the monument had become darkened from coal soot and car emissions. A thorough cleaning was undertaken between 1965-1966.

In a 1995 act of terror, the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria detonated a bomb near the arch, injuring 17 people amidst a series of bombings.

Following France's victory in the 1998 FIFA World Cup over Brazil, images of triumphant players, with special emphasis on Zinedine Zidane's double goals, alongside congratulatory messages were beamed onto the arch.

During the Yellow vests protests in late 2018, the Arc de Triomphe was subjected to acts of vandalism. The monument was defaced with graffiti, and its small museum was looted.

Jean Chalgrin (1739-1811) designed the Arc de Triomphe in the Neoclassical style of ancient Roman architecture.

The solemnity of the Arc de Triomphe is defined not only by its large size but also by its meticulously executed decor – ornaments, bas-reliefs, and sculptures. Facing the city center (the Champs-Elysées), there are two sculptural compositions. On the right is a dynamic work by the French master François Rude, dedicated to the volunteers' stand against the Prussian army that entered Lorraine in 1792, called "La Marseillaise". On the left side, the arch is decorated with a sculptural group by Jean-Pierre Cortot, named "The Triumph of 1815". In the central part of this composition, the sculptor depicted the figure of Napoleon himself.

From the side of La Défense (Avenue de la Grande-Armée), there are two sculptures by the renowned French artist Antoine Etex. On the left is "The Peace of 1815", capturing the events of the Congress of Vienna. On the right is a composition dedicated to the French resistance in 1814.

Above the four sculptures, and on the sides of the Arc de Triomphe, there are 6 bas-reliefs depicting scenes of victories won by the French. From the side of Wagram Avenue is a depiction of the Battle of Austerlitz (1805), where figures of Russian soldiers are visible. This bas-relief was created by Jean-François Théodore Gechter. On the opposite side is a work by Carlo Marochetti, immortalizing the battle near the town of Jemappes in Belgium, which occurred between the French and Austrians in 1792.

From the city center side, there is a bas-relief by Bernard Gabriel Seurre or Seurre the Elder, depicting the Ottoman commander Said Mustafa Pasha being presented to Emperor Napoleon. These events occurred after the French victory at the Battle of Aboukir in Egypt (1799). Nearby is a bas-relief depicting the funeral of French General Marceau, which took place in 1796.

On the side of the monument facing the modern La Défense district, there are bas-reliefs commemorating two famous battles: the Battle of Arcole in Italy (1796) and the battle for the Egyptian Qanoub, which occurred two years later.

Moreover, the pillars of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris are inscribed with the names of 128 battles won by the French army, as well as the names of 660 military leaders. The surnames of those who fell in battle are crossed out. The monument is surrounded by massive granite tombs, which are connected by heavy iron chains. They mark the hundred days of Napoleon's rule.

Inside this Parisian landmark, there is a museum named after the arch, where one can learn about the history of its construction and the events that took place near the Arc de Triomphe. At the top of the monument, there is an observation deck, which is very popular among tourists. The attention drawn by this vantage point on the Chaillot hill is not accidental. From here, there are excellent views of the central part of the city and its suburbs. Having reached the top of the famous arch, one can understand why the path leading through it is called "Triumphant".

There are five triumphal arches in Paris, but tourists are interested in three of them. The reason is that three arches are located on one axis: the Carrousel Arch at the Carrousel Square, the most famous arch at the Place Charles de Gaulle, and the Grande Arche de la Défense. The Carrousel Arch was built in the early 19th century and symbolizes the French victory at Austerlitz. The Grande Arche de la Défense was opened in 1989 – the event was timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Historians recount that in 1916, when France and Germany were fighting for Verdun, the sword of the "La Marseillaise" sculpture fell off. To prevent the population from interpreting the broken sword as a bad omen for France, the sculpture was covered with tarpaulin.

In 2021, the arch was wrapped in silver fabric. This required 25,000 square meters of material costing about 14 million euros. This action realized the idea of the artist Christo Yavashev, who developed the project "The Wrapped Arc de Triomphe" in the 1960s. The artist wanted to initiate a new perspective on the well-known object. The project was approved in 2017, but Yavashev did not live to see the result – he passed away a year before the event.