Eiffel Tower: France

Champ de Mars
Tel: 01 44 11 23 23
9:30am-11pm daily. (until midnight in summer)
Admission charged.
Metro: Trocadero or Bir-Hakeim
RER: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel

The tower was completed by 300 workers in just over two years from January 1887-March 1889. It contains over 12,000 metallic parts and two and a half million rivets! When it was completed, it was the tallest building in the world. The occasion of its creation was the centenary of the French Revolution. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, it stands 320m (1050ft) high.

Initially intended as a temporary structure to be displayed at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, it was slated for demolition in 1909. However, during the Exposition nearly 2 million visitors paid to see it, and by the end of the first year 3/4 of the building costs had been recovered. By 1909 it was playing a new role as a radio telephone tower.

In preparation for its 100th anniversary in 1989 the tower was repainted and illuminated by more powerful lights. On a clear day the viewing platforms offer visitors willing and able to wait in line for the elevators, a spectacular glimpse of the city and surrounding area. Just southeast of the tower is a grassy expanse that was once the site of the world’s first balloon flights and is now used by teens as a skateboarding arena www.tour-eiffel.fr

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel: France

T he Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (architects Percier and Fontaine) was built between 1806 and 1808 by Napoleon I following the model of the Arch of Constantine in Rome. The two arches conceived by Napoleon, Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile, were erected to commemorate his victories, and the grand armies he had commanded. The bronze horses which originally perched on top of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel were taken from Saint-Marc of Venice. These were later returned after WWII.

The monument is richly decorated in rose marble on the columns and the front paneling. It is part of the so-called Grand Axis of Paris - or Voie Triomphale - which consists of the Grande Arche de la Defense to the west, the Arc de Triomphe de l’Etoile at place du General Charles de Gaulle, the boulevard Champs-Elysees, the Obelisque de Luxor at the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, and the Palais du Louvre (Louvre Museum) culminating at the eastern end.
Physical Description

The Arc du Carrousel is composed of three arches: a big one and two little ones. While the principal structure is 63 feet high, 75 feet wide, and 24 feet deep, the ceiling of the big arch is 21 feet high and 9 feet wide, and the two small arches are each 14 feet, 16 inches high and 9 feet wide. The arc is surmounted by a group of men on horses underneath which one finds the names of the battles and treaties of Napoleon.

Napoleon ’s diplomatic and military victories are commemorated by bas-reliefs executed in rose marble, depicting the Peace of Pressburg, Napoleon entering Munich, Napoleon entering Vienna, the Battle of Austerlitz, the Tilsit Conference, and the surrender of Ulm. Reliefs also decorate the arches.
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Arc de Triomphe: France

The arch was commissioned by Napoleon as a tribute to the French army. The original architect was Chalgrin; after his death, the work was continued by Joust (or Goust) from 1811-14 until it stopped after the defeat of Napoleon. In 1833 work was begun again. The name of Blouet, who had the honor of completing the monument, is engraved on it.

The inscription (translated) reads: “This monument which was begun in 1806 to honour the great army, was left unfinished for many years, was continued in 1823 with a new purpose, and was completed in 1836 in the reign of King Louis-Philippe I who dedicated it to the glory of France’s armed forces. G. A. Blouet, architect” (Dillange 7). Completed under the new king Louis-Philippe and his minister of the interior, Adolphe Thiers, the arch was a way of illustrating the new government’s efforts at national unity and reconciliation.

The arch from the Neuilly side

This huge arch (164 feet high, 148 feet long and 72 feet wide) stands at the end of the Avenue des Champs Elysees and in the center of the Place de l’Etoile, formed by the intersection of 12 radiating streets. Although it is much larger, the arch derives from Roman examples. (See, for example, the Arch of Titus.)

The arch from the Champs Elysees side

The structure consists of a simple arch with a vaulted passageway (98 feet high and 49 feet wide) topped by an attic.