The Arc De T riomphe

1. The Arc De Triomphe By Alecia Fay and Jasmine Goleman

2. 5 Facts About The Arc De Triomphe • 1. It was completely finished in 1836. • 2. It is the place that soldiers pass through when they won a battle. • 3. The Arc de Triomphe is engraved with names of generals who commanded French troops during Napoleon's regime. • 4. You cannot use the elevator so if you ever go be prepared to walk up 234 steps. • 5. It is the second largest Victory Arc in the world (The largest one is in North Korea). Information found at http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/arcdetriomphe.htm

3. A Little Bit About MeThe Arc De Triomphe • The arch was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate his victories, but he was ousted before the arch was completed. In fact, it wasn't completed until 1836 during the reign of Louis-Philippe. The Arc de Triomphe is engraved with names of generals who commanded French troops during Napoleon's regime. The design of the arch by Jean Chalgrin is based on the Arch of Titus in Rome. The Arc de Triomphe is much higher (50m versus 15m), but it has exactly the same proportions. The triumphal arch is adorned. With many reliefs, although most of them commemorating the emperor's battles. Among them are the battle of Aboukir, Napoleons victory over the Turkish and the Battle of Austerliz, where Napoleon defeated the Austrians.The best known relief is the Departure of the Volunteers in 1792, also known as the Marseillaise. At the top of the arch are 30 shields, each of them bears the name of one of Napoleon's successful battles. Below the arch is the Grave of the Unknown Soldiers, honoring the many that died during the WWI.

4. The work was taken over by Huyon, after the architect and designer, Jean Chalgrin, died in 1811. Unfortunately construction was halted and would not be completed until the reign of King Louis-Philippe, in 1833 to1836.  This was under the direction of Hericart de Thury and the architects on site were Gouts' then Huyot. The sculpture representing Peace is now interpreted as commemorating the Peace of 1815, which was not the original intention. The Astylar design in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture is by Jean Chalgrin.  Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe, namely Cortot, Rude, Étex, Pradier and Lemaire.  And the main sculptures are treated as independent trophies applied to the vast masonry masses. The four sculptural groups at the base of the Arc de Triomphe are the triumph of 1810 by Jean-Pierre Cortot, Resistance and Peace, both by Antoine Étex .The most renowned of them all, the Departure of the Volunteers, which is commonly called La Marseillaise, is by Francois Rude.  And it was the face of the allegorical representation of France calling forth her people on this last sculptural group that was used as the belt buckle for the seven-star rank of Marshal of France.

5. A Little More? In the attic above the richly sculptured frieze of soldiers are 30 shields engraved with the names of major revolutionary and Napoleonic military victories. The inside walls of the monument list the names of 558 French generals with the names of those who died in battle being underlined.  Also inscribed on the shorter sides of the four supporting columns, are the names of the major battles of the Napoleonic wars. Yet the battles that took place in the period between the departure of Napoleon from Elba and his final defeat at Waterloo are not included. The sword carried by the Republic in the Marseillaise relief broke off, apparently on the day that the Battle of Verdun began in 1916.  Tarpaulins to conceal the accident, and to avoid any undesired or ominous interpretations, were immediately put in place to hide the problem. Beneath the Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War and France took the example from the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in the United Kingdom.