How long did it take to build l'Arc de Triomphe?

Answer 1

In 1806 Napoleon asked the architect Chalgrin to construct a gigantic triumphal arch in honour of the French Army. The top of the Chaillot hill had to be levelled, and the foundations gave some difficulty, so that by the time the new Empress Marie-Louise arrived in 1810, the arch was only a few feet high. As the Emperor insisted that his bride must drive into Paris through this new gateway, Chalgrin had to get friends from the Theatres of Paris to construct a fake arch of wood and canvas for the occasion. When Napoleon was defeated and exiled in 1814, work stopped, not to be started again till Louis-Philippe ordered it in 1832. It was finished in 1836.

Answer 2

The nowadays Trocadéro is the association of the square (place du trocadéro, created 1869) and of the "Palais de Chaillot" overlooking the Seine towards the Eiffel tower.

- The old Trocadéro was shaped as a huge circular theatre, which was also the liaison between two horseshoe-shaped wings, and included two towers. Building work start in Nov. 1876 and ends in June 1878, at the beginning of the 1878 World Exhibition.

- The Palais de Chaillot was built in the years 1935-37 for the 1937 World Exhibition. It architecture using reinforced concrete for structures, incorpores much of the stone walls of the wings of the former "Palais du Trocadéro"; however the central theatre and its two towers were dismantled and a large esplanade was created overlooking the fountains and the gardens. That plaza is nowadays a favourite spot for tourists photographing the Eiffel tower.

Answer 3

The Eiffel Tower was built between 1887 and 1889. The construction took 2 years, 2 months and 5 days. The tower opened on 6 May 1889.
from 1887-1889

Answer 4

It was commissioned in 1806 but not completed until 1836. They were not working on it all the time, though.