The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of

Place Charles de Gaulle Place Charles de Gaulle (), historically known as the Place de l'Étoile (), is a large road junction in Paris, France, the meeting point of twelve straight avenues (hence its historic name, which translates as "Square of the Star") including t ...

, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' or "star" of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues. The location of the arc and the plaza is shared between three

arrondissements An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements'', ...

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

(south and west),

17th 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

(north), and

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

(east). The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the

French Revolutionary The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are consider ...

and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. The central cohesive element of the '' Axe historique'' (historic axis, a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route running from the courtyard of the Louvre to the

Grande Arche de la Défense La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

), the Arc de Triomphe was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806; its iconographic programme pits heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments with triumphant patriotic messages. Inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy, the Arc de Triomphe has an overall height of , the width of and depth of , while its large vault is high and wide. The smaller transverse vaults are high and wide. Three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919 (marking the end of hostilities in World War I), Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane under the arch's primary vault, with the event captured on newsreel. Paris's Arc de Triomphe was the tallest triumphal arch until the completion of the

Monumento a la Revolución The Monument to the Revolution ( es, Monumento a la Revolución, links=no) is a landmark and monument commemorating the Mexican Revolution. It is located in the Plaza de la República, near to the heart of the major thoroughfares Paseo de la Re ...

in Mexico City in 1938, which is high. The Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, completed in 1982, is modeled on the Arc de Triomphe and is slightly taller at . The Grande Arche in La Défense near Paris is 110 metres high. Although it is not named an Arc de Triomphe, it has been designed on the same model and from the perspective of the Arc de Triomphe. It qualifies as the world's tallest arch.

History

Construction and late 19th century

Paris - Orthophotographie - 2018 - Place Charles-de-Gaulle 02

The Arc de Triomphe is located on the right bank of the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

at the centre of a dodecagonal configuration of twelve radiating avenues. It was commissioned in 1806, after the victory at

Austerlitz Austerlitz may refer to: History * Battle of Austerlitz, an 1805 victory by the French Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte Places * Austerlitz, German name for Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, which gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz an ...

Emperor Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

at the peak of his fortunes. Laying the foundations alone took two years and, in 1810, when Napoleon entered Paris from the west with his new bride, Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, he had a wooden mock-up of the completed arch constructed. The architect, Jean Chalgrin, died in 1811 and the work was taken over by Jean-Nicolas Huyot. During the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, construction was halted, and it would not be completed until the reign of King Louis-Philippe, between 1833 and 1836, by the architects Goust, then Huyot, under the direction of Héricart de Thury. The final cost was reported at about 10,000,000 francs (equivalent to an estimated €65 million or $75 million in 2020). On 15 December 1840, brought back to France from

Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...

, Napoleon's remains passed under it on their way to the Emperor's final resting place at

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

. Before burial in the Panthéon, the body of

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

was displayed under the Arc on the night of 22 May 1885.

20th century

The sword carried by the ''Republic'' in the ''Marseillaise'' relief broke off on the day, it is said, that the Battle of Verdun began in 1916. The relief was immediately hidden by tarpaulins to conceal the accident and avoid any undesired ominous interpretations. On 7 August 1919, Charles Godefroy successfully flew his biplane under the Arc.

Jean Navarre Jean Marie Dominique Navarre (8 August 1895 – 10 July 1919) was a French aviator during World War I. As one of the pioneer flying aces, he was credited with List of World War I aces credited with 11–14 victories, twelve confirmed aerial victo ...

was the pilot who was tasked to make the flight, but he died on 10 July 1919 when he crashed near Villacoublay while training for the flight. Following its construction, the Arc de Triomphe became the rallying point of French troops parading after successful military campaigns and for the annual Bastille Day military parade. Famous victory marches around or under the Arc have included the Germans in 1871, the French in 1919, the Germans in 1940, and the French and Allies in 1944 and 1945. A United States postage stamp of 1945 shows the ''Arc de Triomphe'' in the background as victorious American troops march down the Champs-Élysées and U.S. airplanes fly overhead on 29 August 1944. After the interment of the Unknown Soldier, however, all military parades (including the aforementioned post-1919) have avoided marching through the actual arch. The route taken is up to the arch and then around its side, out of respect for the tomb and its symbolism. Both Hitler in 1940 and de Gaulle in 1944 observed this custom. Avenue des Champs-Élysées 01

By the early 1960s, the monument had grown very blackened from coal soot and automobile exhaust, and during 1965–1966 it was cleaned through bleaching. In the prolongation of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, a new arch, the

, was built in 1982, completing the line of monuments that forms Paris's ''Axe historique''. After the ''Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel'' and the ''Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile'', the ''Grande Arche'' is the third arch built on the same perspective. In 1995, the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria placed a bomb near the Arc de Triomphe which wounded 17 people as part of a campaign of bombings.

21st century

In late 2018, the Arc de Triomphe suffered acts of vandalism as part of the

Yellow vests protests The Yellow Vests Protests or Yellow Jackets Protests or Yellow Vests Revolution (french: Mouvement des gilets jaunes, ) are a series of populist, grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018. At first the protestors advo ...

. The vandals sprayed the monument with graffiti and ransacked its small museum.

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped

In September 2021, the arc was wrapped in a silvery blue fabric and red rope, a posthumous project planned by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude since the early 1960s. File:Arc de Triomphe 1811.jpg, The wooden Arc de Triomphe built on the occasion of the entry into Paris of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and

Marie Louise Marie Louise or Marie-Louise may refer to: People *Marie Louise of Orléans (1662–1689), daughter of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, queen consort of Charles II of Spain *Marie Louise of Hesse-Kassel (1688–1765), daughter of Charles I, Landgrave ...

in 1810 File:Funérailles de Victor Hugo, 31 mai 1885.jpg, State funeral of

, 31 May 1885 File:Godefroy flight.jpg, Charles Godefroy flying through the Arc de Triomphe in 1919 File:Collier's 1921 Vol 4 Frontispiece -- Paris.jpg, A colourized aerial photograph of the southern side, published in 1921 File:Avenue des Champs-Élysées in 1939.jpg, Arc de Triomphe in 1939 File:Crowds of French patriots line the Champs Elysees-edit2.jpg, Free French forces on parade after the

liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...

on 26 August 1944 File:Arc Triomphe.jpg, Night view of the Arc de Triomphe, 2007 File:Arc de Triomphe, Paris 3 October 2010.jpg, The Arc de Triomphe saw from the Eiffel Tower, 2008 File:Secretary Kerry, French Foreign Minister Fabius, Ambassador Hartley Pause After 70th Anniversary VE Day Wreath-Laying Ceremony in Paris (17421255431).jpg, Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs, with John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, under the Arc de Triomphe in 2015 File:Bastille Day Parade 170714-D-PB383-005 (35087624434).jpg, Bastille Day military parade, 2017

Design

Monument

Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile - Projet Chalgrin - 02

The

astylar Astylar (from Gr. ''ἀ-'', privative, and ''στῦλος'', a column) is an architectural term given to a class of design in which neither columns nor pilasters are used for decorative purposes; thus the Riccardi and Strozzi palaces in Florence a ...

design is by Jean Chalgrin (1739–1811), in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture. Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the ''Arc de Triomphe'':

Jean-Pierre Cortot Jean-Pierre Cortot (20 August 1787 – 12 August 1843) was a French neoclassical sculptor. Life Cortot was born and died in Paris. He was educated at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris, and won the Prix de Rome in 1809, residing in the Vi ...

; François Rude;

Antoine Étex Antoine Étex (March 20, 1808 ParisJuly 14, 1888 Chaville) was a French sculptor, painter and architect. Biography He first exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1833, his work including a reproduction in marble of his ''Death of Hyacinthus'', and th ...

;

James Pradier James Pradier (born Jean-Jacques Pradier, ; 23 May 1790 – 4 June 1852) was a Genevan-born French sculpture, sculptor best known for his work in the neoclassicism, neoclassical style. Life and work Born in Geneva (then Republic of Geneva), Prad ...

and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire. The main sculptures are not integral friezes but are treated as independent trophies applied to the vast

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

masonry masses, not unlike the gilt-bronze appliqués on Empire furniture. The four sculptural groups at the base of the Arc are ''The Triumph of 1810'' (Cortot), ''Resistance'' and ''Peace'' (both by Antoine Étex), and the most renowned of them all, ''Departure of the Volunteers of 1792'' commonly called '' La Marseillaise'' (François Rude). The face of the allegorical representation of France calling forth her people on this last was used as the belt buckle for the honorary rank of Marshal of France. Since the fall of Napoleon (1815), the sculpture representing ''Peace'' is interpreted as commemorating the Peace of 1815. In the attic above the richly sculptured frieze of soldiers are 30 shields engraved with the names of major French victories in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. The inside walls of the monument list the names of 660 people, among which are 558 French generals of the First French Empire; The names of those generals killed in battle are underlined. Also inscribed, on the shorter sides of the four supporting columns, are the names of the major French victories in the Napoleonic Wars. The battles that took place in the period between the departure of Napoleon from Elba to his final defeat at Waterloo are not included. For four years from 1882 to 1886, a monumental sculpture by Alexandre Falguière topped the arch. Titled ''Le triomphe de la Révolution'' ("The Triumph of the Revolution"), it depicted a chariot drawn by horses preparing "to crush Anarchy and Despotism". Inside the monument, a permanent exhibition, conceived by artist Maurice Benayoun and architect Christophe Girault, opened in February 2007.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Beneath the Arc is the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

from World War I. Interred on Armistice Day 1920, an eternal flame burns in memory of the dead who were never identified (now in both world wars). A ceremony is held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier every 11 November on the anniversary of the Armistice of 11 November 1918 signed by the Entente Powers and Germany in 1918. It was originally decided on 12 November 1919 to bury the unknown soldier's remains in the Panthéon, but a public letter-writing campaign led to the decision to bury him beneath the Arc de Triomphe. The coffin was put in the chapel on the first floor of the Arc on 10 November 1920, and put in its final resting place on 28 January 1921. The slab on top bears the inscription ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914–1918 ("Here lies a French soldier who died for the fatherland 1914–1918"). In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady

Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...

paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, accompanied by President

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

. After the 1963

assassination of President Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle wi ...

, Mrs. Kennedy remembered the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe and requested that an eternal flame be placed next to her husband's grave at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Details

* The four main sculptural groups on each of the Arc's pillars are: ** ''Le Départ de 1792'' (or '' La Marseillaise''), by François Rude. The sculptural group celebrates the cause of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

during the 10 August uprising. Above the volunteers is the winged personification of Liberty. This group served as a recruitment tool in the early months of World War I and encouraged the French to invest in war loans in 1915–1916. ** ''Le Triomphe de 1810'', by

celebrates the Treaty of Schönbrunn. This group features

, crowned by the goddess of Victory. ** ''La Résistance de 1814'', by

commemorates the French Resistance to the Allied Armies during the War of the Sixth Coalition. ** ''La Paix de 1815'', by

commemorates the Treaty of Paris, concluded in that year. File:Paris July 2011-16a.jpg, ''Le Départ de 1792''
('' La Marseillaise'') File:Paris July 2011-17a.jpg, ''Le Triomphe de 1810'' File:Paris July 2011-15a.jpg, ''La Résistance de 1814'' File:Antoine Étex, Der Friede von 1815, Halbrelief, Arc de Triomphe, Paris.jpg, ''La Paix de 1815'' * Six reliefs sculpted on the façades of the Arch, representing important moments of the French Revolution and of the Napoleonic era include: ** ''Les funérailles du général Marceau'' ( General Marceau's burial), by

Henri Lemaire Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire (9 January 1798, Valenciennes - 2 August 1880, Paris) was a French sculptor, working in a neoclassical academic style. Life and career He was a pupil of Pierre Cartellier, and won the Prix de Rome for sculpture ...

(Southern façade, right). ** ''La bataille d'Aboukir'' (The Battle of Aboukir), by Bernard Seurre (Southern façade, left). ** ''La bataille de Jemappes'' (The

Battle of Jemappes The Battle of Jemappes (6 November 1792) took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Austrian Netherlands (now Belgium), near Mons during the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. One of the first major off ...

), by Carlo Marochetti (Eastern façade). ** ''Le passage du pont d'Arcole'' (The

Battle of Arcole The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) was fought between French and Austrian forces southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle saw a bold maneuver b ...

), by Jean-Jacques Feuchère (Northern façade, right). ** ''La prise d'Alexandrie'' (The Fall of Alexandria), by

John-Étienne Chaponnière Jean-Élie Chaponnière (11 July 1801 – 19 June 1835), also known as John-Étienne ChaponnièreJohn-Étienne Cha ...

(Northern façade, left). ** ''La bataille d'Austerlitz'' (The Battle of Austerlitz), by Théodore Gechter (Western façade). File:Paris Arc de Triomphe Mort de Marceau 2.jpg, ''Les funérailles du général Marceau'',
20 September 1796 File:Paris Arc de Triomphe Bataille d'Aboukir.jpg, ''La bataille d'Aboukir'',
25 July 1799 File:Bas-Relief Jemmapes.jpg, ''La bataille de Jemmappes'',
6 November 1792 File:Paris Arc de Triomphe passage du pont d'Arcole.jpg, ''Le passage du

pont d'Arcole The Pont d'Arcole is a bridge in Paris over the River Seine. It is served by the Metro station Hôtel de Ville. History The need for a bridge communicating between place de Grève (now Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville) and the île de la Cité ha ...

'',
15 November 1796 File:Paris Arc de Triomphe prise d'Alexandrie.jpg, ''La prise d'Alexandrie'',
3 July 1798 File:Bas-Relief Austerlitz.jpg, ''La bataille d'Austerlitz'',
2 December 1805 * The names of 158 battles fought by the

and the First French Empire are engraved on the monument. Among them, 30 battles are engraved on the attic: Batailles gravées sur atique ADT

* 96 battles are engraved on the inner façades, under the great arches: Batailles gravées sous grandes arcades

* The names of 660 military leaders who served during the

and the First French Empire are engraved on the inner façades of the small arches. Underlined names signify those who died on the battlefield: File:Paris Arc de Triomphe inscriptions 2.jpg, Northern pillar File:Paris Arc de Triomphe inscriptions 3.jpg, Eastern pillar File:Paris Arc de Triomphe inscriptions 7.jpg, Southern pillar File:Paris Arc de Triomphe inscriptions 6.jpg, Western pillar * The great arcades are decorated with allegorical figures representing characters in Roman mythology (by

): File:Paris Arc de Triomphe 06.jpg, File:Paris Arc de Triomphe 07B.jpg, File:Figure allégorique 2 grande arche.jpg, File:Figure allégorique 1 grande arche.jpg, * The ceiling with 21 sculpted

roses A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

: File:Paris Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile Bogen 3.jpg * Interior of the Arc de Triomphe: File:Paris (75), arc de Triomphe, soldat d'un monument aux morts à l'intérieur 5.jpg, First World War monument File:DecorSculpteMB.jpg, Permanent exhibition about the design of the Arch * There are several plaques at the foot of the monument: File:De Gaulle speech plaque in Arc de Triomphe.jpg, De Gaulle speech plaque File:Proclamation of Republic plaque in Arc de Triomphe.jpg, Proclamation of the

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

plaque

Access

The ''Arc de Triomphe'' is accessible by the RER and Métro, with exit at the Charles de Gaulle–Étoile station. Because of heavy traffic on the roundabout of which the Arc is the centre, it is recommended that pedestrians use one of two underpasses located at the ''Champs Élysées'' and the ''Avenue de la Grande Armée''. A lift will take visitors almost to the top – to the attic, where a small museum contains large models of the Arc and tells its story from the time of its construction. Another 40 steps remain to climb to reach the top, the ''terrasse'', from where one can enjoy a panoramic view of Paris. The location of the arc, as well as the Place de l'Étoile, is shared between three