Paris: bird-eye view

There are some non-expensive places for a Paris bird-eye view. One of them is the Arch de Triomphe (de l'Etoile). Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon shortly after his victory at Austerlitz (and dedicated to the glory of the Great Army), it was not finished until 1836. After the 1830 Revolution, king Louis-Phillipe dedicated the monument to the armies of the Revolution and of the Empire.

The day the Battle of Verdun commenced in 1916, the sword carried by the figure representing the Republic broke off. The figure was immediately hidden to conceal the accident to try to avoid any undesired associations or interpretations as a bad omen.

Engraved around the top of the arch are the names of major victories won during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame lay under the Arch.

The terrace (284 ... steps high) offers a unique panoramic view of Paris.