Happy New Year from Paris- Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe Paris, the most monumental of all triumphal arches, was built between 1806 and 1836. The Arc de Triomphe stands at the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the "Place de l'Étoile". The triumphal arch is in honor of those who fought for France, in particular, those who fought during the Napoleonic Wars. Engraved on the inside and at the top of the arch are all of the names of the generals and wars fought.

There are inscriptions in the ground underneath the vault of the arch which include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I where the Memorial Flame burns and have made the Arc de Triomphe Paris a revered patriotic site.

Place de la Concorde

In 1763, a large statue of king Louis XV was erected at the site to celebrate the recovery of the king after a serious illness. In 1792, during the French revolution, the statue was replaced by a another, large statue, called 'Liberté' (freedom) and the square was called Place de la Révolution. A guillotine was installed at the center of the square and in a time span of only a couple of years, 1119 people were beheaded here. Among them many famous people like King Louis XVI, Marie-Antionette etc, just to name a few.
After the revolution the square was renamed several times until 1830, when it was given the current name Place de la Concorde.
In the 19th century the 3200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes was installed at the center of the Place de la Concorde. It is a 23 meters tall monolith in pink granite and weighs approximately 230 tons. In 1831. it was offered by the Viceroy of Egypt to Loise Phelippe.

I'm sorry that it was already night when we arrived at Place de la Concorde so that we have no high quality photos, but it will be understood as a call to return to Paris.

Photos by: ilovetravels