Napoleon's triumphal monument over Paris
The Arc de Triomphe commands Paris. Massive. Triumphant (of course). Napoleon’s monument to victory.
The warmongering general commissioned the triumphal arch in 1806, after his victory at Austerlitz, to honour his Grande Armée. He wanted Rome's grandeur transported to Paris.
The result stands 50 metres tall and 45 metres wide (that’s 164 by 148 feet), dominating the Place Charles de Gaulle, from which 12 avenues radiate outward like spokes on a bike wheel.
The arch honours all who fought for France. Names of victories and generals cover the interior walls. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier rests beneath, its flame rekindled daily at 6:30pm, a tradition ongoing since 1923 – remembering all those who have died unnamed.
Climb the 284 steps to the viewing platform. The panorama is extraordinary – the Champs-Élysées stretching to the Louvre, Montmartre rising north, the Eiffel Tower south. You’ll see Paris unfolding before your eyes in every direction.
View Île-de-France
