Arc de triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe stands in the centre of Place Charles-de-Gaulle, the former Place de l'Étoile, at the upper end of the Champs-Élysées avenue, in Paris. Twelve avenues radiate around it. Several bear the names of Napoleonic victories or Empire generals.

Napoleon decided its construction after his victory at Austerlitz, by a decree of 18 February 1806. The architect Jean-François Chalgrin was inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome, but much larger: the monument is about fifty metres high. Work was interrupted after the fall of the Empire, then resumed under Louis-Philippe; the arch was inaugurated on 29 July 1836.

Its façades are decorated with sculpted groups, including the famous Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, by François Rude, known as La Marseillaise. Under the vault lies since 1921 the Unknown Soldier of the First World War, and a flame is rekindled there every evening. A staircase of 284 steps leads to the terrace, which offers a view over Paris.

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