ARC DE TRIOMPHE in Paris

Arc de Triomphe is a national monument of France in Paris. Monument is situated in Place Charles de Gaulle which was earlier called the Place de I’Etoile and at Champs-Elysees western end. The arc was built by Napoleon Bonaparte to commemorate the victories and honor the soldiers of his grand army which won the war. Jean Chalgrin designed the arc in 1806, with victorious patriotic messages on the arc depicting the Youths of France against the German warriors.

The Arc is 165 feet (51meters) in height and 45 meters in width. It also stands as the second largest Victorious arc existing. It was inspired by the design of Arch of Titus in Rome. Though the arc was designed and its construction began in 1806 soon after the victory of Napoleon over Austerlitz i.e. Austria and work was not complete till 1836, it took 30 long years. After architect Jean Chalgrin died in 1811, work was then taken up by Huyon. Construction was temporarily halted and was not complete until the king Louis Philippe’s reign in 1833 to 1836.

The monument has four pillars at bases of which there are relief sculptures that are very huge, and which commemorate the Peace, The Victory of 1810, Resistance, and The Departure of the Volunteers that is very commonly called by the name La Marseillase. Names of the wars won during the Periods of Napoleon are engraved on the shields that are on top of Arch de Triomphe. This arch is also called as Triumphal arch of Napoleon. The arch also has the names of the generals who led the troops and were responsible for the victory of Napoleon, engraved on the inner walls of the monument. Some names of the generals who died in battlefield, engraved are underlined.

The monumental arch never mentions of the defeated wars of Napoleon like his Waterloo defeat. In 1860s Baron Haussmann redesigned the place de l’Etoile to give a new look to the arch and protect it from the congestions. He designed a new circular road around the monument, and obliged a design to all the houses of the stylish riches that faced the circular road with gardens. Uniformity given by Haussmann around the Arch still complements the presence of the triumphal Arch in the Place Charles de Gaulle. But the traffic problem around the monument has been a major hurdle now, which has not been able to resolve.

There is a tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the monument from the First World War. There is a flame burning always called the Eternal flames that was lit in the Western Europe. The flame burns memorizing the soldiers who died and were never identified in both the gruesome world wars. This eternal flame was visited by John .F. Kennedy President of United States in 1961 and his wife accompanied by Charles de Gaulle, the President of France, and paid their respects. During the world famous Tour De France the arch is a landmark. The riders when they view the Arch come to know that finishing line is very near.

The historical monument had turned black during the 1960s due to coal soot and the arch was cleaned in 1965-1966 thoroughly through the sandblasting. But now again in 2007, monument is apparently turning dark.