Which monumental arch in Paris stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées?

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of Paris’s Champs-Élysées.

Napoleon commissioned the monument after the victory at Austerlitz in 1805, and construction began in 1806. The project was designed by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin and Jean-Arnaud Raymond, but Napoleon’s fall delayed completion. The arch was finally inaugurated in 1836 during the reign of King Louis Philippe.

The monument honours those who fought for France, especially during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The names of hundreds of generals and battles are carved into its surfaces. Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War, whose eternal flame was first lit in 1923.

The Arc de Triomphe forms the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly called Place de l’Étoile. Twelve avenues radiate from the square, creating the famous star-shaped urban plan. It is separate from the smaller Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel near the Louvre.