Arc de Triomphe facts for kids

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Alternative names	Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
General information
Type	Triumphal arch
Architectural style	Neoclassicism
Location	Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly Place de l'Étoile)
Coordinates	48°52′25.6″N 2°17′42.1″E / 48.873778°N 2.295028°E / 48.873778; 2.295028
Construction started	15 August 1806
Inaugurated	29 July 1836
Height	50 m (164 ft)
Dimensions
Other dimensions	Wide: 45 m (148 ft) Deep: 22 m (72 ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Jean Chalgrin Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury

The Arc de Triomphe (which means "Triumphal Arch") is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France. It stands at the western end of the famous Champs-Élysées avenue. This huge arch is in the middle of a large roundabout called Place Charles de Gaulle, which used to be known as Place de l'Étoile. Étoile means "star" in French, and the roundabout looks like a star because twelve avenues spread out from it.

The Arc de Triomphe was built to honor the soldiers who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. You can find the names of many French victories and generals carved into its surfaces. Underneath the arch, there is a special place called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. This tomb honors all the soldiers who died but could not be identified.

Many avenues spread out from the Arc de Triomphe in Place Charles de Gaulle.

The Arc de Triomphe is a key part of Paris's Axe historique (historic axis). This is a straight line of important monuments and grand roads that stretches from the Louvre Palace to the Grande Arche de la Défense. The architect Jean Chalgrin designed the arch in 1806. Its design was inspired by ancient Roman arches, like the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy. The Arc de Triomphe is about 50 meters (164 feet) tall, 45 meters (148 feet) wide, and 22 meters (72 feet) deep. Its main archway is about 29 meters (96 feet) high.

The Arc de Triomphe is on Paris's Axe historique, a long line of monuments from the Louvre to the Grande Arche de la Défense.

For a long time, Paris's Arc de Triomphe was the tallest triumphal arch in the world. Later, other arches were built that were even taller. For example, the Monumento a la Revolución in Mexico City (built in 1938) is 67 meters (220 feet) high. The Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea (completed in 1982), is 60 meters (197 feet) tall. The Grande Arche de la Défense, also near Paris, is 110 meters (361 feet) high.

History of the Arc
Design and Art
- The Monument's Look
- The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Artistic Details
How to Visit
Other Arches Like It
See also
External links

History of the Arc

Building the Famous Arch

Battle of Austerlitz, 2 December 1805, a painting displayed at the Palace of Versailles.

The Arc de Triomphe stands on the right bank of the Seine River. It is at the center of a roundabout with twelve roads, like a star. Emperor Napoleon ordered the arch to be built in 1806, after his great victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. Just laying the foundations took two years! In 1810, when Napoleon came back to Paris with his new wife, a wooden model of the arch was built for them to pass under. The first architect, Jean Chalgrin, passed away in 1811, and Jean-Nicolas Huyot took over the work.

Building stopped for a while during a period called the Bourbon Restoration. The arch was finally finished between 1833 and 1836, during the reign of Louis Philippe I. The total cost was about 10 million francs, which would be a lot of money today.

On December 15, 1840, Napoleon's remains were brought back to France from Saint Helena. They passed under the Arc de Triomphe on their way to his final resting place. Later, in 1885, the body of the famous writer Victor Hugo was also displayed under the arch before his burial.

The Arc de Triomphe being built between toll houses in 1818.
The state funeral of Emperor Napoleon on December 15, 1840.
The Place de l'Étoile and Arc de Triomphe in 1868.
The state funeral of Victor Hugo on May 31, 1885.

Important Moments in the 20th Century

Free French forces marching after Paris was freed on August 26, 1944.

During World War I, a part of the Marseillaise sculpture, a sword, broke off in 1916. People quickly covered it up to avoid any bad omens during the war.

In 1919, a pilot named Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane right through the main arch! This amazing event was even captured on film.

The Arc de Triomphe became a symbol for French troops. They would parade around or under it after winning battles and for the annual Bastille Day military parade. Famous parades included the Germans in 1871 and 1940, and the French and their allies in 1919, 1944, and 1945. However, after the Unknown Soldier was buried there, military parades stopped marching directly through the arch. Instead, they go up to it and then around the side, showing respect for the tomb.

By the early 1960s, the arch had become very dark from pollution. It was cleaned between 1965 and 1966. In 1982, a new arch, the Grande Arche de la Défense, was built further along the Axe historique.

In 1995, there was an incident near the Arc de Triomphe where a bomb hurt 17 people.

In 1998, when the French national football team won the FIFA World Cup for the first time, images of the players and celebratory messages were projected onto the arch. It was a huge party!

Charles Godefroy flying through the Arc de Triomphe in 1919.
Arc de Triomphe, postcard, around 1920.
An aerial photo of the southern side, published in 1921.
Arc de Triomphe in 1939.

The Arch in the 21st Century

In late 2018, the Arc de Triomphe suffered some damage during protests. Graffiti was sprayed on it, and its small museum was ransacked. In September 2021, the arch was completely wrapped in a silvery-blue fabric and red rope. This was a special art project by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, which they had planned for many years.

View of the Arc de Triomphe from the Avenue d'Iéna in 2012.
Laurent Fabius and John Kerry under the Arc de Triomphe in 2015.
Bastille Day military parade in 2017.
The Arc de Triomphe during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Design and Art

The Monument's Look

Jean Chalgrin's drawing of the Arc de Triomphe from 1806.

The design of the Arc de Triomphe was created by Jean Chalgrin. It uses a Neoclassical style, which means it looks like ancient Roman buildings. Many famous French sculptors worked on the arch.

There are four main sculpture groups at the base of the arch:

The Triumph of 1810 by Jean-Pierre Cortot. This sculpture celebrates a peace treaty.
The Resistance of 1814 by Antoine Étex. This shows the French fighting against invading armies.
The Peace of 1815 by Antoine Étex. This celebrates another peace treaty.
The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, often called La Marseillaise, by François Rude. This is the most famous one. It shows France calling its people to defend the country.

On the top part of the arch, called the attic, there are 30 shields. These shields have the names of major French victories from the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars carved into them. Inside the arch, you can find the names of 660 officers, including 558 French generals. The names of those who died in battle are underlined.

Inside the monument, there is a permanent exhibition that opened in 2007. It tells the story of the Arc de Triomphe.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe.

Underneath the Arc de Triomphe is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. This soldier was buried on Armistice Day in 1920. An eternal flame burns here to remember all the soldiers who died in both World Wars and could not be identified.

Every year on November 11, a special ceremony is held at the tomb. This day marks the anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918. It was first planned to bury the Unknown Soldier in another place, but people wanted him to be under the Arc de Triomphe. The coffin was placed in the arch on November 10, 1920, and moved to its final spot on January 28, 1921. The stone on top says: "Here rests a French soldier who died for the Fatherland, 1914–1918."

In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, visited the tomb with President Charles de Gaulle. After President Kennedy passed away in 1963, Mrs. Kennedy remembered the eternal flame at the Arc de Triomphe. She asked for a similar eternal flame to be placed at her husband's grave in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Artistic Details

The four main sculpture groups on the pillars of the Arc are:
- The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792 (or La Marseillaise), by François Rude. This group celebrates the French Republic. It shows a winged figure of Liberty calling people to fight.
- The Triumph of 1810, by Jean-Pierre Cortot. This shows Napoleon being crowned by the goddess of Victory.
- The Resistance of 1814, by Antoine Étex. This remembers the French fighting against other armies.
- The Peace of 1815, by Antoine Étex. This celebrates the peace treaty signed that year.

The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792 (La Marseillaise).
The Triumph of 1810.
The Resistance of 1814.
The Peace of 1815.

Six carved pictures, called reliefs, are on the sides of the arch. They show important moments from the French Revolution and the time of Napoleon. Some of these include:
- The Funeral of General Marceau (Southern side, right).
- The Battle of Aboukir (Southern side, left).
- The Battle of Jemappes (Eastern side).
- The Crossing of the Arcole Bridge (Northern side, right).
- The Battle of Austerlitz (Western side).

The Battle of Jemappes,
November 6, 1792.
The Battle of Austerlitz,
December 2, 1805.

The Funeral of General Marceau,
September 21, 1796.
The Battle of Aboukir,
July 25, 1799.
The Crossing of the Arcole Bridge,
November 15, 1796.
The Capture of Alexandria,
July 3, 1798.

The names of 158 battles fought by France are carved on the monument. 30 battles are on the attic (the top part):

96 battles are carved on the inner walls, under the large arches:

The names of 660 military leaders are carved on the inner walls of the smaller arches. Underlined names mean they died in battle:

Northern pillar.
Eastern pillar.
Southern pillar.
Western pillar.

Figures from Roman mythology decorate the spaces above the great arches:

Figure of Pheme (Northern side, left).
Figure of Victoria (Northern side, right).
Figure of Pheme (Southern side, left).
Figure of Pheme (Southern side, right).

The ceilings inside the arch have beautiful sculpted roses:

Ceilings of the large and small archways.
French flag hanging from the great archway.
Ceiling of the great archway.
Ceilings of the large and small archways.

Inside the Arc de Triomphe:

Stairs leading to the rooftop terrace.
Permanent exhibition in the room below the terrace.
A First World War monument.
Another view of the permanent exhibition.

There are also several plaques at the bottom of the monument, remembering important events:

Plaque remembering the start of the Republic on September 4, 1870.
Plaque remembering the return of Alsace and Lorraine to France on November 11, 1918.
Plaque remembering fighters who died for France from 1939–1945.
Plaque remembering Charles de Gaulle's speech on June 18, 1940.

How to Visit

To get to the Arc de Triomphe, you can use the RER or Métro trains. Get off at the Charles de Gaulle–Étoile station. Because the roundabout around the arch has a lot of traffic, people use two underground tunnels to reach the monument safely. These tunnels are located on the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue de la Grande Armée.

Once inside, a lift can take you almost to the top, to the attic level. Here, you'll find a small museum with models of the arch and its history. From there, you can climb about 40 more steps to reach the very top, called the terrasse. From this rooftop terrace, you get an amazing panoramic view of Paris!

The Arc de Triomphe and the Place de l'Étoile are located where three different parts of Paris, called arrondissements, meet. These are the 16th, 17th, and 8th arrondissements.

Paris seen from the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

Other Arches Like It

Many buildings around the world look like the Arc de Triomphe, and some were even inspired by its design! Some examples include:

The Rosedale World War I Memorial Arch in Kansas City, USA (built in 1924).
The Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania (built in 1936).
The Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea (built in 1982).
A smaller version at the Paris Casino in Las Vegas, USA (built in 1999).

Rosedale World War I Memorial Arch in Kansas City, USA.
Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest, Romania.
Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, North Korea.
Paris Casino in Las Vegas, USA.

External links

Inscriptions on the Arc de Triomphe
Clarification of history of Arc de Triomphe
The permanent exhibition inside the Arc de Triomphe
View from the Arc de Triomphe

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