The Largest Triumphal Arch
1836 AD
1836 1836
02.17E48.53N
ARC

PARIS, FRANCE
	After his great victory at Austerlitz in 1806, Napoleon decided to build a huge triumphal arch in Paris.
	But by 1810, the giant arch at the Neuilly toll-gate (now the Place de l'Etoile) was still just a foundation, so the designers created a full-scale replica for the conqueror, first building a wooden frame, then covering it with painted paper. Napoleon's entry into the city was celebrated with fireworks throughout Paris.
	The real Arc de Triomphe was finally opened in 1836, years after Napoleon's death. It is the largest triumphal arch in the world, measuring 162 feet high by 147 feet wide.
	The arch is a memorial to the wars of the French Revolution and to those of the French Empire under Napoleon. A large frieze around the base of the arch shows a procession of conquerors more than 6 feet tall bringing home treasures from conquered nations.
	In 1852, Napoleon III put Paris financier George Haussmann in charge of much of the city. In 1853 Haussmann began improving the avenues leading to the arch and added others, so now 12 avenues radiate out from the arch like spokes of a giant wheel.