Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile

Commissioned in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte after his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. Designed by Jean Chalgrin in monumental Roman Neoclassical style and inaugurated in 1836.

The apex of the historic Axe Historique, serving as a gateway of solar alignment where the sun sets directly through the central vault twice every year.

Napoleon never marched under the completed arch during his lifetime; his remains only passed beneath it during his state funeral in 1840 on their way to Les Invalides.