Paris: Arc de Triomphe

• Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly Place de l'Étoile)

The Arc de Triomphe honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, and the Grande Arche of La Défense, on the axis ("Axe historique").

    

Arc de Triomphe. Postcard, c.1920

29 July 1836: the 30-year construction of the Arc de Triomphe was finally completed! The Arc was commissioned by Napoleon to honor those who died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars. Today it is also home to the Tomb of Unknown soldier from WWI and the Eternal Flame, meant to pay tribute to those who have given their lives for France.

Paris Axe Historique