
Arc of Triumph
Categories : Discover Paris, published on : 2/3/25
The Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated in 1836, and erected at the request of Napoleon I to perpetuate the memory of the victories of the French armies.
The first stone was laid on August 15, 1806, for the emperor's birthday. This stone is protected by a bronze plaque.
During the First World War an unknown soldier was buried under the Arc de Triomphe, and two years later the flame of remembrance was lit for the first time.
Among the numerous reliefs present on the facades, four high reliefs are represented: The departure of the volunteers, The Triumph, The Resistance and The Peace.
We also find the names of great battles engraved on the inside of the pillars under the large arcades.
On several occasions the monument will be represented on postage stamps and in 1944 the French government made the Arc de Triomphe a symbol of the French Republic.
Nowadays, the monument is an ideal location for certain victorious events such as during the 1998 Football World Cup, but also an artistic place as in 2021 with Cristo's posthumous work “The Arc de Triomphe wrapped”
Buy your tickets: https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/
Reach the Arc de Triomphe from the Hôtel De Castiglione:
Take metro 1 at Concorde station to Charles De Gaulle Etoile station – Arc de Triomphe exit