L'Arc De Triumph
It could have been an elephant. Louis XV had plans for a gigantic construction in that shape, housing ballrooms and a theatre that would be erected on the Place de l'Etoile. That idea was dropped, as well as the white marble obelisk that was projected later. Instead, Napoleon I ordered the construction of an Arch of Triumph in 1806, to glorify the victories of the French armies, and, of course, in homage to himself. Jean-Francois Chalgrin was assigned to design the monument and he found his inspiration in the Titus Arch in Rome.
When Napoleon returned from his 1807 campaign, he wanted to enter Paris in Roman style, passing under the arch. A wooden mock-up had to be built to make the spectacular entrance possible.
Bonaparte did not live long enough to see the arch completed. It was inaugurated 15 years after his death during the regime of his nephew, Louis-Philippe, in 1836. It was a magnificent piece, as it should be with a final price tag of 10 million francs. 50 metres (164 ft) high, 45 metres (148 ft) wide and 22 metres (72 ft) deep, it was - and still is - the largest of its kind in the world. Its foundation runs 8 metres down into the ground. The top of the Arch features important moments of the Napoleonic wars and the four pillars have friezes picturing The Triumph of 1810, Resistance, Peace and The Departure of the Volunteers.
The inner walls and arches have the inscriptions of 558 generals, heroes of France, and more than 100 battles. When Victor Hugo searched for the name of his father, General Léopold-Sigisbert Hugo, it was nowhere to be found. In disappointment, he dedicated Inner Voices to him, sadly noting that he had to write on paper instead of granite. But this is not the reason why l'Arc de Triomphe is a Hugo sight.
When the Arch was completed, only five streets converged at Place de l'Etoile. In the 1850's, Haussmann added seven more and a roundabout. By that, the area got the layout it still has - and the name Place de l'Eotile (star).
When the news of Victor Hugo's death reached the senate and the chamber of deputies, all activities were cancelled as a sign of national mourning. It was decided that the Panthéon would carry out the task bestowed upon it by the national assembly and the inscription on its front was to be restored; To the Great Men, from the Grateful Nation. But before Hugo's coffin was to be placed in Panthéon, it was to lie under the Arc de Triomphe.
On 31 May 1885, a giant catafalque with the monogram "VH" was placed in the illuminated arch with Hugo's coffin in front of it. The monument itself was draped in black and 12 young poets formed a guard of honor.
The spectacle exceeded the tribute paid to Napoleon when his ashes were returned in 1840. Though the magnitude of this night before Victor Hugo's funeral is impossible to comprehend today, the photos and artwork displayed in the small museum inside the Arc de Triomphe gives you an idea. It is well worth the modest fee to climb the narrow stairs of one of the pillars to reach the museum and then continue to the top of the monument. The view is great and you will leave convinced that all roads lead, not to Rome, but to Place de l'Etoile - or Place Charles de Gaulle as it was renamed to in 1970.
At the base of the Arch de Triomphe stands a torch that is lit every evening at 6:30 P.M. War veterans lay wreaths decorated with red, white and blue near its flickering flame. It burns in homage to an unknown French soldier who gave his life during World War I, and all lost, unknown French soldiers since. Perhaps it was first during the 20th century the arch became the symbol of France it is today. The Nazis knew its propaganda value and spread photos and posters picturing German soldiers marching to, from and around it. Its importance was manifested right after the war when the French burned the stones of the base to rid it from any possible trace of Nazi boots.
Don't miss this great landmark when you're visiting Paris. For Hugo reasons and in general. And when you're done, a convenient walk on the Avenue Victor-Hugo will bring you to the address where Hugo spent the last years of his life.
