Arc de Triomphe
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Exit Charles de Gaulle Étoile metro station and you will be at the Arc de Triomphe. After the Battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon’s most celebrated victory in 1805, he promised his men that ‘You shall go home beneath triumphal arches’. The first stone of this monumental Arc de Triomphe was laid the following year. Designed by architect Jean Chalgrin, it is a simple arch with a vaulted passageway topped by an attic. Its four pillars feature allegorical sculptural reliefs. The simplicity of its form is deceptive, for this is a massive building, standing 50 metres (164 feet) tall. Delays in construction and Napoleon’s fall from power meant that the arch wasn’t completed until 1836. It forms the focal point of Place Charles de Gaulle Etoile, another of Haussmann’s urban interventions. Twelve avenues radiate in different directions to from a vast star. Some of these commemorate military leaders such as Foch, Marceau and MacMahon.
Simply known as Place de l’Étoile until Charles de Gaulle’s death in 1969, it was renamed in his honour – the old name seems to have stuck, however. The arch is the starting point for France’s most important celebrations and parades and its viewing platform commands one of the best views in the city.
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