Grande Arche Facts for Kids

The structure in white is the Grande Arche

View of the Skyline of La Défense, with the Grande Arche in the center. What shows as green belt is the Axe historique

Car par near the Grande Arche

La Défense, with Grande Arche

The Grande Arche is a huge, arch-shaped building located in La Défense, a modern business district just outside Paris, France. It's like a giant, hollow cube that stands proudly at one end of a famous straight line of monuments called the axe historique (the "historic axis"). This line stretches all the way to the famous Musée du Louvre in central Paris.

Building a Modern Arch
- Opening Day and Design
What's Inside the Grande Arche?
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Building a Modern Arch

The Grande Arche was built during the 1980s. It was a big project started by François Mitterrand, who was the president of France at the time. He wanted a modern monument to celebrate human achievement and peace, instead of war. The design for the Grande Arche was chosen through a competition. A Danish architect named Johan Otto von Spreckelsen came up with the winning idea. Sadly, he passed away before the building was finished. Another architect, Paul Andreu, took over to complete the work.

Opening Day and Design

The Grande Arche officially opened its doors on July 14, 1989. This date was very special because it marked 200 years since the start of the French Revolution. The building looks like a giant, open cube. Some people even say it looks like a 3D drawing of a "tesseract," which is a complex shape from mathematics. It stands 110 meters (about 360 feet) tall, 112 meters (about 367 feet) wide, and 108 meters (about 354 feet) deep. It's so big that the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris could fit inside it!

What's Inside the Grande Arche?

The Grande Arche is more than just a cool-looking monument. It's a working building with many uses.

Government Offices

Most of the Grande Arche is used for offices. Different parts of the French government have their workplaces here. This makes it an important center for public administration.

A View from the Top

For a long time, visitors could go up to the very top of the Grande Arche. There was a special viewing terrace that offered amazing panoramic views of Paris and the surrounding area. You could see the entire Axe historique stretching out, with the Arc de Triomphe and even the Louvre in the distance. There was also a museum dedicated to computer science and photography.

Exhibition Spaces

The Grande Arche also has spaces for exhibitions. These areas often host different art shows or displays. They give people a chance to see new and interesting things in a unique setting.