- Arc de Triomphe was built to honor the French Army. Napoleon Bonaparte was the one to commission the contraction of the arch.
- The construction of Arc de Triomphe began in 1806 by Jean Chalgrin. But neither Napoleon nor Chalgrin were alive to see the finished structure.
- Arc de Triomphe was finished in 1836 by architect Jean-Nicholas Huyot and opened for public the same year.
- Arc de Triomphe Dimensions
- Arc de Triomphe is 50 m tall and 48 m wide. One has to climb 284 steps to reach the top of the Arc.
- The structure is made up of limestone and is inspired from the Arch of Titus in Rome.
- It was originally the tallest triumphal building ever constructed. But, later North Korea built a triumphal building bigger than Arc de Triomphe.
- The eternal flame at Arc de Triomphe was lit in 1923. The veterans lay wreath into the fireplace every evening at 6.30 pm to keep the flame burning all the time. It has never been extinguished even once.
- Arc de Triomphe is considered the biggest public square in the city.
- Two assassination attempts have been made at the Arc de Triomphe. Assassination attempts on French army officer Monsieur Charles de Gaulle and former President Jacques Chirac were made at the place.
- An elephant structure was initially proposed to be built in the place where Arc de Triomphe stands today.
- After World War I, Charles Godefroy flew his plane through the archway to honor the pilots who lost their lives in the war. This is one of the significant events at Arc de Triomphe.
- The popular bicycle race Tour de France ends near the arch every year.
- There is a museum inside the Arc de Triomphe that displays artifacts related to the structure.
- Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
- Every year, a ceremony in the remembrance of the armistice that ended World War I is conducted at the arch.