The Arc de Triomphe anchors the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of twelve radiating avenues that form a star pattern across Paris. Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 after his victory at Austerlitz, it honors those who fought and died for France during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Beneath its vault, an eternal flame marks the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I.
Designed by Jean-François Chalgrin and completed in 1836, the Arc stands 49.54 metres tall with a main vault 29.19 metres high and 14.62 metres wide. The monument's inner and outer surfaces bear the names of 660 officers—including 558 French generals—and 30 shields engraved with major French victories. François Rude's sculptural group The Departure of the Volunteers of 1792, known as La Marseillaise, dominates the base.
You climb to the terrace and the city unfolds in twelve directions—the Axe historique stretches from the Louvre through La Défense in one unbroken line. The names of battles and generals cover the walls around you. Below, traffic circles the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where the flame has burned continuously since 1920. The view makes the monument's role as rallying point immediate and tangible.