Arc de Triomphe

Location: Place du Général de Gaulle, 75008 Paris.
Phone: 01-55-37-73-77.
Admission: Standard - 6.10€ , Special rates - 3.81€.
Hours: Daily 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.; winter (Oct. 1 - March 31),daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed on public holidays.
Métro & RER: Charles de Gaulle - Etoile. Bus: #73.
The Arch is most easily — and safely — reached via a convenient pedestrian tunnel from the north side of the Champs Elysées. Brave (or foolhardy) souls may be amazed at the reaction of motorists, if you try to cross the vortex of traffic hurtling around the circle. (We do not recommend this for the faint-of-heart!)


There are triumphal arches to be found all over Europe — in Rome, in Madrid, in London or Berlin, and there are more than a handful in Paris itself — but there are none that compare with this one. It's the biggest, the grandest, the most splendidly situated, the most beautiful. It's the focus of French celebration on July 14th. It's the site of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It dominates the scene as you stroll or drive the length of the Champs-Elysées, surely the most famous avenue in the world. To absorb its grandeur, stand beneath it.

To delight in its spectacular site, climb to the top to take in the view of the twelve magnificent avenues that radiate from the Place de l'Etoile. To know the glory, the splendor and the arrogance of Napoleon, as well as the vast scale of his ambition, study the sculpted friezes on the outside panels and the lists of his victories and generals inscribed on the inner walls. To realize the significance of the Arch for France, be there at 6:30pm to witness the moving daily ceremony of the rekindling of the flame in honor of the Unknown Soldier. Above all, to see the Arc de Triomphe and survive, take the underground tunnel from the Champs-Elysées. Whatever you do, don't try crossing the road in the midst of the craziest traffic you can ever hope to see. (Métro Charles de Gaulle-Etoile)

Inside the Arch there is a small museum documenting its history and construction. From the roof of the Arch there are spectacular views of Paris. Looking eastwards, down the Champs Elysées, toward the Louvre, there is the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens, and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. In the opposite direction - westwards - in the distance is its larger and newer cousin, La Grande Arche de la Défense.


History
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile {ahrk duh tree-ohmf' duh lay-twahl'}, the world's largest triumphal arch, forms the backdrop for an impressive urban ensemble in Paris. The monument surmounts the hill of Chaillot at the center of a star-shaped configuration of 12 radiating avenues. It is the climax of a vista seen the length of the Champs Elysées from the smaller Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in the Tuileries gardens, and from the Obélisque de Luxor in the place de la Concorde.

In 1806, Napoleon I conceived of a triumphal arch patterned after those of ancient Rome and dedicated to the glory of his imperial armies. The structure was designed by Jean François Thérèse Chalgrin (1739-1811) and completed in 1836 during the reign of Louis Philippe. Its deceptively simple design and immense size, 49.5 m (162 ft) in height, mark it unmistakably as a product of late 18th-century romantic neoclassicism. The arch also serves as a reminder that Chalgrin was a pupil of Etienne Louis Boullée, the father of visionary architecture. The most famous of its sculptural reliefs is La Marseillaise (1833-36) of François Rude. Specific historic associations notwithstanding, the arch has become an emblem of French patriotism.

Since 1920, the tomb of France's Unknown Soldier has been sheltered underneath the arch. Its eternal flame commemorates the dead of the two world wars, and is rekindled every evening at 6:30. Here, on every Armistice Day (November 11), the President of the Republic lays a ceremonial wreath. On July 14, the French National Day (also known as Bastille Day), a military parade starts at the arch and proceeds down the Champs Elysées. For important occasions of state, and on national holidays, a huge French tricolor is unfurled and hung from the vaulted ceiling inside of the Arch. The last leg of the Tour de France bicycle race also culminates here on the third or fourth Sunday in July.

The Arc de Triomphe was finished in 1836. It magnificently crowns the hill from where the Champs Elysées, the Avenue Foch, the Avenue de la Grande Armée and nine other avenues radiate.

The Arc de Triomphe keeps the memory of all the dead killed in World War I (1914/1918) with the grave of the unknown soldier and a permanently burning flame of remembrance. At national days, a flag is stretched through the arch.

Physical Description
At the bases of the Arc's pillars are four huge relief sculptures, commemorating The Triumph of 1810 (by Cortot); Resistance, and Peace (both by Etex); and The Departure of the Volunteers, more commonly known as La Marseillaise (by François Rude). On the day the Battle of Verdun started (1916), the sword carried by the figure representing the Republic broke off from La Marseillaise. The relief was immediately hidden to conceal the accident, so that it would not be interpreted as a bad omen.

Engraved around the top of the Arch are the names of major victories won during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. The names of less important victories, as well as those of 558 generals, can be found on the inside walls. (Generals whose names are underlined died in action.)

Admission
Inside the Arch, a small museum documents its history and construction. The price of admission includes access to the top of the Arch. From the roof, one is treated to spectacular views of Paris. Looking eastwards, down the Champs Elysées, toward the Louvre, there is the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens, and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. In the opposite direction - westwards - in the distance is its larger and newer cousin, La Grande Arche de la Défense.