Arc de Triomphe at Place Charles
de Gaulle
The Arc de Triomphe proudly
stands at the center of the Place
Charles de Gaulle, which is also
called the Place de l’Etoile, at the
Champs-Elysees western side. The arc
was made to honor the men who fought
bravely for France during the
Napoleonic Wars. The names of the
generals involved in the war are
engraved at the top of the arc while
underneath lies a tomb of an unknown
World War I soldier.
The monument is almost fifty meters
in height. It is forty-five meters
in width and twenty-two meters in
depth. Influences from the Roman
Arch of Titus are apparent in the
arc’s design.
The arc is the main structure along
Paris’ L’Axe historique, which runs
from the Louvre Palace to the outer
borders of Paris. The Arc de
Triomphe is one of Jean Chalgrin’s
masterpieces. He designed it in
1806, and it became the icon which
influenced the design of the
monuments and structures that
followed.
In 1919, the Paris victory parade
was held to mark the end of the
First World War. During the parade,
Charles Godefroy flew a Nieuport
biplane through the colossal arc.
This event, which was captured on
newreel, became a highly significant
moment in the city’s history. |
