Napoleon Bonaparte had wanted the Arc to be completed to impress his new bride when she arrived in 1810 but a temporary wooden one had to be built in order to be ready on time as only the base had been completed during those first four years.
|The history showing the soldiers in battle|
The top of the Arc has 30 shields which each bears the name of a successful battle of Napoleon’s. The four supporting columns of the Arc have names of major battles of major battles of Napoleonic wars.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a many of many accomplishments and it was too bad he didn’t live long enough to see the Arc when it was completed. If this was what he had envisioned from the beginning, then he was once again a winner. Napoleon’s body was carried through these arches in 1840 when it was moved to Les Invalides in
The Unknown Soldier represents 1,500,000 French soldiers who lost their lives in WW!. This was following the example of the Unknown Warrior buried at Westminster Abbey in
|The magnificant Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France|
The size of the Arc makes it a very impressive sight to see as it sits tall in Place Charles de Gaulle, at the junction where twelve streets meet, all named after French military leaders. It is large enough that an aviator was able to fly his Nieuport biplane through it at the 1919 Paris Victory Parade to mark the end of WW 1.
This is the place where troops have rallied and held many parades and where millions of visitors have come to pay their respects to the millions of soldiers that it represents and to see the history of valiant battles engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. It is a wonderful sight to behold in a city that has many incredible sights, like the Eiffel Tower, one of which I will also share.