Napoleon erected the Arc de Triomphe in honor of the Great Army after its victory at Austerlitz in 1806. Initially, Napoleon wanted to integrate it into the Bastille square, a symbolic site of the French Revolution, where the old fortress had been destroyed. The Minister of the Interior suggested the Chaillot district to reinforce the image of the Emperor, the architect of a sumptuous imperial district.
Napoleon was still undecided about the monument for the new imperial quarter. He had already commissioned the construction of the Carrousel du Louvre. He had a crazy idea in mind: create a museum inside a majestic elephant as a tribute to the emperor. The Arc de Triomphe was to be an elephant! Victor Hugo illustrated in his famous novel “Les Misérables” 50 years later.
The first stone was laid on 15 August 1806, but the appearance of the monument was still unknown. In 1814, Napoleon went into exile and never saw his triumphal arch.
Nine years later, in 1823, Louis XVI’s younger brother, Louis XVIII, decided to continue the work. Unfortunately for him, he was the last monarch to die during his reign in 1824.
After the French Revolution of 1830, Louis-Philippe I, the last king of France, took over the monarchy and chose to continue construction. In 1836, the King of France finally inaugurated the Arc de Triomphe, inspired by the arches of ancient Rome. The monument is dedicated to the armies of the Revolution and the glory of the Great Napoleonic Army.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was buried on the ground in 1921. It symbolizes the sacrifice of all those who died on the battlefields for the Liberation of France. Every day, the flame of memory is rekindled to prevent the tomb of the Unknown Soldier from sinking into oblivion.