Arc de Trionphe
Part of the historic axe, which draws a route from the courtyard of the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe lies in the centre of Place de l'Etoile, which is even known as Place Charles de Gaulle. Commissioned in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon I to celebrate the victory at Austerlitz, it was designed by Jean Chalgrin and - after his death - the works were taken over by Huyon. When he entered the city with his spouse, the Archduchess Marie Louise of France, Napoleon had a wooden mock up of the arch constructed, since the works for the...real one, lasted until the reign of King Louis Philippe, with the architects Goust, Huyot and de Thury. Under the arc there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is dedicated to the French soldiers who died in WWI and WWII. Lit by an eternal flame, it is the monument which inspired Jacqueline Kennedy's decision to have one on JFK's grave at Arlington National Cemetery.The monument stands 49.5 metres (165 ft) in height, 45 metres (148 ft) wide and 22 meters (72 ft) deep, hence being the largest triumphal arch in existence.
