There is no doubt that Paris, France won the triumph when the Arc de Triomphe was completed between the years 1833 and 1836. It was not only regarded as a canvas of its nation’s rich history. Instead, it also became a reflection of the city’s rich architectural heritage. However, the triumphant status of this structure took a long time to build.
Commissioned in 1806 after Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s victory at Austerlitz, the arch’s foundations took two years to build. In 1810, a wooden model of the arch was built just in time for the arrival of Napoleon and his bride, Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria. At 49.5 meters high, 45 meters wide and 22 meters deep, this landmark in the center of Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, the arch honors the mighty warriors who fought for France during the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 to 1815. .
Designed by Jean Chalgrin, the iconography of the bow illustrates a battle between heroically naked French youths and bearded Germanic warriors in mail. This illustration of the glory of France served as the basis for a wave of public monuments with nationalist messages until World War I.
To add meaning to the foundation of the structure, the four sculptures at the base of the arch were also notable works of art. These are The Resistance and Peace by Antoine Etex, The Triumph of 1810 by Jean-Pierre Cortot and the most famous of all, The Departure of the Volunteers of 92 by Francois Rude, commonly called La Marseillaise. Rude’s allegorical depiction reflecting France calling the people after him, is also worn as a belt buckle for the seven-star Marshal of France.
Another notable feature of the arch is the attic. The attic above the sculpted soldiers houses thirty shields on which the names of the main victories are engraved. As for the names of the French generals who fought with Napoleon, these are engraved on the inside, with the names of those who died in battle underlined. Also present on the shorter sides of the support columns are the names of the main battles of the Napoleonic War.
Below the arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Modeled after the UK’s Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey, the tomb has the first everlasting flame lit in Eastern and Western Europe during the year 391. This fire was created in memory of the unidentified dead during the two World wars.
On November 12, 1919, the state originally decided that the remains of the Unknown Soldier would be interred in the Pantheon. However, a public campaign suggested otherwise. As such, the coffin was placed in the chapel, on the ground floor of the arch, on November 10, 1920. It then went to its final resting place on January 28, 1921. On the upper slab is written the inscription ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANÇAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914-1918 which means “Here lies a French soldier who died for his country 1914-1918”.
For centuries, this building is the best illustration of France’s glorious past. The brave story of French soldiers from generations past has been solidified here for all to see and admire. For this reason, the triumph for which they have fought will remain strong in the hearts and minds of the French today. An arc of history, an arc of gallantry, an arc of heritage: that is the Arc de Triomphe.