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FROM ARC DE TRIOMPHE TO CHAMP-DE-MARS THE TOUR : THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE, THE TROCADERO, THE EIFFEL TOWER, THE CHAMP DE MARS THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE THE TROCADÉRO THE EIFFEL TOWER THE CHAMP-DE-MARS Length : Access for persons with reduced - 3H00 walking mobility : yes if accompanied on the Arc - ½ day with the Eiffel Tower visit de Triomphe’s lift - The whole day with the ascent on Total distance : 4 km the Arc de Triomphe’s terrace, a Starting point : Place Charles de Gaulle Palais de Chaillot’s museum and the (Charles de Gaulle Square) (RER station Eiffel Tower visit. Ch. De Gaulle-Etoile, line A or stop Ch. Public : All De Gaulle-Etoile bus lines 22, 30, 31, 52, Means of transport : by foot (There is a 73, 92 or metro lines 2 and 6) bus to go up the Avenue Kléber) STAGES THE ARC-DE-TRIOMPHE THE TROCADERO THE EIFFEL TOWER THE CHAMP-DE-MARS GOING FURTHER THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE THE PLACE DE L’ETOILE It was at the end of the 18th century (« THE SQUARE OF THE that the place de l’Etoile became a STAR ») circular esplanade and a famous promenade with its bars, open-air Had you come here in the 17th cafes and auditoriums. century, you would have been Then, from the 1850s, under in Neuilly. On the huntsmen’s Napoleon III’s orders who asked the crossroads, located at the top of baron Haussmann (Prefect of Paris) to the colline du Roule (Roule Hill) take care of the capital town planning, surrounded by woods, there were it found its current structure. Twelve fields, swamps and very few houses big and large avenues leading to the but that were badly frequented. square and rich private mansions surrounded by gardens (called In the 1665s-1670s, as part of a hôtels des Maréchaux « Marshal new layout of the Louvre ordered hotels » because of the name of the by Louis XIV, a first draft of the neighbouring avenues) were built at voie triomphale (triumphal way, a the crossing of the avenues. Parisian historical axis going from the Louvre to La Défense) was If you climb up the Arc de Triomphe’s drawn by Le Nôtre (Louis XIV’s terrace, you can clearly see the gardener). The route of this new star-like construction. If there is not avenue goes from the Tuileries too much traffic you will be able to Garden to the top of the Roule Hill. observe that the square pavement From 1671, the Palace of Versailles form a star. Dark coloured triangles caught the King’s interest. This point to the Marshals’ hotels and red avenue was clearly less interesting triangles point to the avenues. to him... In November 1970, the place de l’Etoile changed its name to place Charles de Gaulle. Circuits Parallèles To reach the Arc de Triomphe, J.Chalgrin’s death in 1811 and first and foremost, do not try to the Emperor’s lack of interest for cross the place de l’Etoile ! Between those extravagant plans slowed the avenue des Champs-Elysées and down the construction. They the avenue de Friedland there is an underpass that leads to the bottom were stopped by the fall of the of the monument. Empire in 1814 while the vaults were being constructed (20 metres). THE ARC-DE-TRIOMPHE The construction started again ten years later under Louis XVIII Napoleon, after his victory in (Louis XVI’s brother). In 1830, Louis- Austerlitz (a Czechoslovakian city), Philippe came to power, continued wanted to have a triumphal arc the construction and added the built to the glory of the Grande armies that fought between Armée (« Great Army »). An imperial 1792 and 1815 to the monument decree of February 1806 confirmed dedications, thus paying tribute to the decision. The first stone was the Empire and to the Republic. laid in August 1806. The 6 metres deep foundations were finished in The Arc de Triomphe is different 1808. The plans taken on were those from the other monuments built of the architect J.Chalgrin. There during the same period thanks to was a single arc surrounded by the place granted to the big sets pillars (square pillars architecturally of sculptures. The themes and speaking) decorated with reliefs. the sculptors chosen by Adolphe Inside, there were rooms and empty Thiers, Minister of the Interior and spaces for stairs and pipes. great connoisseur of art, had to The architect took his inspiration represent the « national spirit ». from Roman arches but the Twenty-two artists participated in proportions set - 50 metres high, the realisation of the decoration 45 metres wide and 22 metres explaining the diversity of styles. deep – were much bigger than > Find out more about the sculptures the Arch of Septimius Severus’ in Rome, which was then the biggest in the world. It is huge but it completely fits the Champs Elysées ! In April 1810, Napoleon, for his wedding with the archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria and for her arrival in Paris, wanted to pass under the arch. But the problem was that its construction was not over yet ! The pillars were not higher than 3 metres. The solution found was to build a life-size window- dressing with wood, hessian and stucco. This model permitted to make some final modifications and approve the definitive project. Circuits Parallèles In 1835, the construction work Eventually, the Arc de Triomphe was about to be over. Then, was launched in July 1836 for the the architect noticed that the 6th anniversary of the Revolution of Arc de Triomphe’s interior walls July by Adolphe Tiers. The families were very bare. He suggested to came and visited the monument engrave them with the big names and hoped to find a close relation’s of the Republique and the Empire. name among the big list of the The battles’ names appear on armies’ heroes. It seemed that a lot the great arch’s interior walls, of names had been forgotten as the respecting the geographic complaints kept coming ! Among orientation (French Eastern cities them, a certain Victor Hugo, the corresponding to the Eastern pillar french writer, did not find his father’s etc) ; the generals’ names appear name, the general Hugo. Until 1895, on the small arch’s interior walls battles and generals’ names (or and the names of the officers killed equivalents) were added but not the in action are underligned. In total, general Hugo’s yet... 384 names are engraved. Circuits Parallèles Some striking facts In April 1871, during the Commune (an insurrectional movement), In 1840, the cortege that brought cannons were placed on the Napoleon 1st’s ashes (he died in monument roof by the insurgents. 1821 in exile in Sainte-Hélène) went The shootings caused too much back up the Champs Elysées and vibration and damaged the passed under the Arc de Triomphe. sculptures. The monument terrace His tombstone is situated in les only served as an observation post. Invalides. In 1885, Victor Hugo’s state In March 1871, to keep the victorious funeral in tribute to his republican German troups from passing under commitment took place. His body the Arc de Triomphe, the Parisians was shown under the Arc de blocked the access with chains, carts Triomphe before being transferred and cobblestones. to the Panthéon. A monument dedicated to the Take a look, it is very short... memory At the end of 1919, the deputies From 1916, while the war was voted the transfer of a soldier killed far from being over, the idea of in action’s remains to the Panthéon. honouring the soldiers who died for The ex-servicemen preferred a their country gained ground. ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, monument dedicated to the soldiers In 1919, the head of the who died for their country while the government Georges Clémenceau Panthéon honoured the civil and wished to organise a ceremony political glories. They would win their in tribute to the million and a case. They had now to choose « THE » half soldiers who died during the unknown soldier. First World War. On 14th July, the Victory Parade passed under the At the end of 1920, the choice Arc de Triomphe. Ahead, there ceremony took place in Verdun. were a thousand disabled persons André Maginot, Minister of Pensions, followed by French marshals, ally held a bouquet of flowers out to a general staffs and French and young soldier, Auguste Thin, who foreign regiments. On 7th August, belonged to the guard of honour. the aviator Charles Godefroy flied It was his duty to leave the bouquet between the Arc de Triomphe’s on one of the eight coffins exhumed pillars without permission. This from different areas of the front. senseless exploit was above all a The coffin so designated was protestation and a revenge. The transferred to Paris and exhibited military authorities had made the in an Arc de triomphe’s room until aviators march on foot during the it was burried under the arch in last 14th July parade. January 1921. Charles Godefroy flies through the Arc-de-triomphe https://youtu.be/HIZzkq5Y8q0 Circuits Parallèles In 1923, a journalist sparked the idea of a flame of the memory that would never die. The idea was maintained by André Maginot and the public opinion. The flame was lit for the first time on 11th November 1923 by André Maginot to the music of Chopin’s Funeral March. It never died even during the German occupation of the Second World War. In August 1944, during the Liberation of Paris, the general de Gaulle left a white flower cross of Lorraine on the unknown soldier’s grave.

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