Arc De Triomphe, Paris – All roads lead to the Roman arch

The Arc de Triomphe in Paris occupies a location on the Place de l’Etoile at the western end of the Champs-Élysées and at the center of a star of twelve main avenues. It is not surprising, then, that the roundabout immediately surrounding this triumphal arch is particularly busy with traffic. Anyone studying an aerial view of the avenues leading from the Place de l’Etoile would conclude that all roads must lead to this impressive Roman arch.

After all, the Arc de Triomphe was modeled by its architect, Jean Chalgrin, on the first-century Arch of Titus located on the Via Sacra, Rome. The Parisian version, dating from 1806, was commissioned after Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz, his greatest triumph, and dominates the landscape from 50m up.

However, the sight of the Arc de Triomphe was not always so easy. Located on the right bank of the Seine, the arch only underwent a rationalization of its surroundings under the supervision of Baron Haussmann, who was appointed by Napoleon III in 1852 to “modernize” the city. Haussmann redesigned the Place de l’Etoile and created the long avenues that give the arch its perspective.

Before Haussmann, the city reflected its medieval background, with winding streets and weathered houses. Haussmann adorned the surroundings of the Arc de Triomphe with tree-lined boulevards, extensive gardens, and buildings of uniform height.

With its strong military sentiment, evoked by the iconography of French youths fighting bearded Germanic warriors, the Arc de Triomphe became a destination for troops to parade after military campaigns. The French paraded there in 1919 and 1945, the Germans in 1871 and 1940.

Probably the most daring trip to the arch was by a pilot named Charles Godefroy, who flew his biplane through it in 1919 to celebrate the end of World War I.

Nowadays, if you want to get there, you will have to take the RER or the Metro and get off at the Charles de Gaulle-Etoile stop. You will have to take an underpass to get to the arch as the roundabout is too crowded.