ARC
DE TRIOMPHE de l’ETOILE - PARIS
Monument to Victory, Patriotism and Folly
The
Arc de Triomphe in Paris is surely the most famous and recognizable
monument of its kind in Europe, but the triumphal arch to celebrate military
victories goes back to the Romans, a society built on military conquest
and empire. Many a major city has a triumph arch, the city of Orange
in Provence has a well preserved Roman arch near the ruins of the amphitheater
(see Roman
Amphitheater Orange), while the arch in Ypres,
Belgium is more monument to the dead of WWI that to victory, where trumpets
still
sound every night. Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the Arc de Triomphe of
Paris to be built in 1809 to commemorate his victory against the Austrians
at Austerlitz (see Napoleon's
Tomb ),
and the triumph of his empire. But in England a building with no real
function other than decoration is called a "folly"
and perhaps
so, the great arch can be ascribed to napoleon. The monument is decorated
with frieze sculptures of
four of his glorious victories,
but
before
it could be completed to celebrate glory, came his abdication from Fontainebleau
(see Palace
Fontainebleau) in 1814 and defeat at Waterloo (see Waterloo
Museums) in 1815.
The
Arc de Triomphe of Paris stands in the center of the Place Charles
De Gaulle (the Place d L’Etoile renamed for the general and president
in 1970) at the end of the Champs Elysee where 12 radiating avenues meet,
circled by a never ending stream of traffic. The arch was designed by
Jean François Thérèse Chalgrin, who died in 1811
and the task taken over by Jean-Nicolas Huyot. It was completed in 1833,
but not inaugurated until 1836 after the Bourbon restoration by France’s
last king, Louis-Philippe. The arch is as a symbol of French patriotism,
honoring those who fought and died in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic
Wars. Underneath the arch is France’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
with the eternal flame burning. The tomb was added in 1920 with a ceremony
held every Armistice Day on November 11, one year after the 1919 end
of the war was celebrated by Charles Godefroy flyng his Nieuport biplane
through the archway as part of the Victory Parade. The arch became most
familiar from newsreels of World War II with both the Germans in 1940
and the Allies in 1945 featuring it as backdrop to each of their versions
of conquest and victory.
It
is possible to climb to the top of the Arch de Triomphe for a view
of Paris, down the long avenues to the Obelisk of the Place de la Concorde
in one direction, the Louvre and Tulileries Gardens in another (see The
Louvre), and the newer and larger Grand Arch at la Defense, celebrating
WWII, in yet another. You can’t have enough victory arches. Inside
the monument is a small museum of the history of the arch, its design
and construction. Admission to the museum includes access to the roof.
The view from the top of arch is equal to the second level of the Eifel
Tower (see Eifel Tower) and less crowded.
Visiting the Arc de Triomphe
The arch museum exhibition and roof access are open from 10 am to 11 pm daily from April to October and 10 am to 10:30 pm, October to March. Admission is €9 for adults over 25, €6 18-25 and free for under 18. A pass for all the monuments managed by the French monuments commission (see Notre Dame Bell Towers) can be had for €16 for adults and €13 for 18-25. The arch itself is reached by underground passage from the Etoile intersection and metro station. If you don’t need to go inside the Arc de Triomphe can be visited at anytime day or night, even after a night of wandering the bars and cafes. The glow of eternal flame with the light of the Champs Elysee is quite magical, just don’t tip into traffic. The place has so many fender bender accidents French insurance companies have special policy conditions for driving around it. © Bargain Travel Europe
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