Why do people go to see the arc de triomphe?

Answer 1

The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned in 1806 to celebrate Napoleon and his victory at Austerlitz. It wasn't completed during Napoleon's reign, and construction was halted for some time. It was finally completed in 1836, and it was reinterpreted as a monument to peace, commemorating the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.

The square on the top of the Chaillot Hill has been known as PLACE DE L'ÉTOILE since the eighteenth century. Étoile means star, and already in those days five avenues met there. In 1854 the square (No.1, below) was redesigned with twelve avenues. In the centre of the star stands the Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile.

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. In 1840 the body of Napoleon I was carried through in a procession and a snowstorm on its way to the Invalides. In 1854 the twelve avenues were completed by Baron Haussmann. In 1920 the Unknown Soldier was buried under the centre of the Arch. If your grandfather was killed in the First World War - like 1,500,000 other Frenchmen - lay your flowers here. He may be the Unknown Soldier. An everlasting flame on the tomb is rekindled by old soldiers daily.

Answer 2

The Arc is famous because it is a huge monument (the second-largest triumphal arch in existence) standing 50 metres (165 ft) tall. Also because of its location at the upper end of the Champs-Elysees in Paris, the avenue the Parisians call "the world's most beautiful avenue". Because of its impressive statues, the most famous being "La Marseillaise", its true name being "the departure of the volunteers of 92". And because of the sight you will enjoy from the top over Paris, on the 12 avenues radiating from the Arc, of the Eiffel tower across the river Seine ...

At the foot of the Arc is buried the Unknown Soldier, one of the great many soldiers that haven't been found or identified in WWI.

Answer 3

quoted from Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_de_Triomphe

The triumphal arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I .

Answer 4

The Arc de Triomphe is a huge monument, the second-largest of its kind in the world - the first being a modern one in North Korea. It is really so massive that in 1919, Charles Godefroy flew his Nieuport biplane through it.

The panoramic sight from the top is wonderful, you will have a vantage point to look at the Eiffel tower, the Sacré-Coeur, and of course the Champs-Elysées. It is an historical place and an emotional one when you observe the ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier beneath the Arc, held every day at 18:30. Finaly it is also famous for it sculptures, especially "the departure of the volunteers of 92", popularly nicknamed "la Marseillaise".