Arc de Triomphe

This article is about the monument in Paris. For other uses, see Arch of Triumph.

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris that stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly the Place de l'Étoile, at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The arch honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars, and today also includes the tomb of the unknown soldier.

The Arc is the linchpin of the historic axis (L'Axe historique) — a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of Paris. The monument was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806, and its iconographic program pitted heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail and set the tone for public monuments, with triumphant nationalistic messages, until World War I.

The monument stands over 51 meters (165 ft) in height and is 45 meters wide. It is the second largest triumphal arch in existence. Its design was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus; The Arc de Triomphe is so colossal that three weeks after the Paris victory parade in 1919, marking the end of hostilities in World War I, Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it, and was caught in a newsreel.

History

The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It was commissioned in 1806 after the victory at Austerlitz by Emperor Napoleon I 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 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 Huyon. During the Restoration, construction was halted and would not be completed until the reign of King Louis-Philippe, in 1833–36. When the architects on site were Goust then Huyot, under the direction of Héricart de Thury.

There was a pre-Napoleonic (1758) proposal by Charles Ribart for an elephant-shaped building on the location of the current arch.

The sculpture representing Peace is now interpreted as commemorating the Peace of 1815 — not the original intention.

Cast of the head of a figure from François Rude's sculpture "La Marseillaise".

The Astylar 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: Cortot, Rude, Étex, Pradier and Lemaire. The main sculptures are not integral friezes but are treated as independent trophies applied to the vast ashlar 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 (Jean-Pierre Cortot), Resistance and Peace (both by Antoine Étex) and the most renowned of them all, Departure of the Volunteers of '92 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 seven-star rank of Marshal of France.

In the attic above the richly sculptured frieze of soldiers are 30 shields engraved with the names of major Revolutionary and Napoleonic military victories. The inside walls of the monument list the names of 558 French generals. The names of those who died in battle are underlined. Also inscribed, on the shorter sides of the four supporting columns, are the names of the major battles of the Napoleonic wars. The battles which took place in the period between the departure of Napoleon from Elba and his final defeat at Waterloo are not included.

The Place de l'Étoile was extensively redesigned by Baron Haussmann, who increased the number of avenues radiating from this star to twelve. In the 1860s he ran a circular road (rue de Tilsitt-Presbourg) round the outside of the houses fronting the Étoile, a planning feature intended to free the Place itself from the crush of carriages that might be expected where so many stylish tenants lived so closely together. Haussmann imposed a uniform design on the house fronts with small gardens at the back giving on to this circular road. Haussmann's memoirs publicly noted that the official façade design, from Hittorff in his own office, was so poor that he had to mask the fronts with trees. But the uniformity complements the Arc's monumental presence. The traffic problem was not resolved, however.

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.

Famous victory marches past the Arc included the Germans in 1871, the French in 1918, the Germans in 1940 [1], and the French and Allies in 1944 [2] and 1945. Charles de Gaulle survived an attack upon him at the Arc during a parade.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Beneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War. Interred here on Armistice Day 1920, it has the first eternal flame lit in Western Europe since the Vestal Virgins' fire was extinguished in the year 391. It burns in memory of the dead who were never identified, now in both World Wars. France took the example of the United Kingdom's tomb of The Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. A ceremony is held there every November 11 on the anniversary of the armistice signed between France and Germany in 1918. It was originally decided in November 12, 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. The coffin was put in the chapel on the first floor of the Arc on November 10, 1920, and put in its final resting place on January 28, 1921. The slab on top carries the inscription ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914–1918 ("Here lies a French soldier who died for his fatherland 1914–1918").

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy of the United States paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, accompanied by French President Charles de Gaulle. After the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, 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. President de Gaulle went to Washington to attend the state funeral, and he was able to witness Jacqueline Kennedy lighting the eternal flame that was inspired by her visit to France.

By the early 1960s the monument had grown very blackened from coal soot and during 1965–1966 the Arc de Triomphe was thoroughly cleaned through sandblasting. By 2007 some darkening was again apparent.

Access

Pedestrian access to the Arc de Triomphe is via an underpass. The Arch has one lift, to the level underneath the exterior observation level. Visitors can either climb 284 steps to reach the top of the Arch or take the lift and walk up 46 steps. From the top there is an excellent view of all of Paris, of the twelve major avenues leading to the Arc and of the exceptionally busy roundabout in which the Arc lies.

___	Located near the Métro station: Charles de Gaulle – Étoile.

Miscellaneous

• On June 30, 1998, the flame was extinguished when a drunken fan of the Mexican national football team urinated on the flame. He was subsequently charged with public intoxication.
• The Arc de Triomphe is a landmark during the Tour de France. Riders realise that they are nearing the finish of the race when it first comes into view. The race itself finishes nearby on the Champs-Élysées.
• A top-class flat race at Longchamp Racecourse is named Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
• A smaller, highly detailed replica of the Arc was constructed at the Paris Las Vegas resort.

In Popular Culture

• In Armageddon, the arch is destroyed when a huge meteor slams into Paris.
• In Forget Paris, Debra Winger's character takes a picture of the Arc with Billy Crystal's character on the top.
• In French Kiss, Meg Ryan's character is seen making a phonecall with the Arc in the background.
• In Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, the babies inside the giant Reptar invention move fast under the arch.
• In Team America: World Police, the Arch is destroyed by Joe when he fires a missile at one of the terrorists escaping with the WMD. The missile misses the terrorist and hits the Eiffel Tower which falls and destroys the Arch.
• In the Godzilla film Destroy All Monsters it is destroyed by Gorosaurus.
• The Arc appears in the videogames: Onimusha 3, Midnight Club II, Gran Turismo 4, Midtown Madness 3 and in a Project Gotham Racing 2 download pack.
• Arc de Triomphe was a pit-stop in the Amazing Race.
• The Arc is also featured in Red Alert 2.
• It is a pickuppable item in We Love Katamari.

Gallery

Paris seen from the Arc de Triomphe with the Eiffel Tower to the right

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  Arc de Triomphe
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  Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Élysées
• Under the coffered vault : heroic bas-reliefs above the tablets of names
  Under the coffered vault : heroic bas-reliefs above the tablets of names
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  Arc de Triomphe
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  Arc de Triomphe in the evening
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  One of the columns listing battles of the Napoleonic Wars
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  Street traffic in the Place de l'Étoile as seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe
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  Arc de Triomphe from Avenue de la Grande Armée

External links

• Inscriptions on the Arc de Triomphe
• The Names of 660 persons inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe