Louvre Museum Paris France

The Louvre Museum

Outcomes:

1.      You will recall historical facts, in writing and orally, regarding the Louvre museum.

2.      You will demonstrate a basic knowledge of the kinds of collections contained within the museum.

3.      You will describe orally and in writing at least one area of art you have seen.

While you are touring the museum, or shortly afterwards, you must fill out a worksheet and write a reflection.

Web site name: Official Site of the Louvre Museum

Web site address: http://www.louvre.fr/francais/pal_f.htm 

The above web site contains all the information you could want to know about the Louvre in French, Spanish or English. The site details the history as both a royal residence and a museum; it summarizes its vast collection, including new and temporary exhibits, and it takes you on a virtual tour of its artwork.

The areas you may explore on this web site are divided as follows: Palace and Museum, Activities, and Information, such as hours it is open and prices of tickets.

Other Resources: 

·        Treasures of the Louvre by Michel Laclotte, 1993, Abbeville Publishing Group, New York, NY

·        Paris City Guide, Lonely Planet,  2004 edition

·        Wikipedia! For various works of art including Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, Venus de Milo and Liberty Leading the People

Information on the Louvre

History of the Louvre

The Kings’ Residence

The Louvre museum is the most famous museum in the world. However, it was originally designed as a palace. Since the Middle Ages, its development has been shaped by both the major events of French history and by the series of architects and decorators who have designed and decorated it.

The palace was first built in 1190 as a fortress by King Philippe Auguste. It has since progressively been extended along the right bank (north side) of the Seine River.  In effect, it has become a barrier separating the north side of the city from the south.

In 1528, François I decided to transform the former fortress into a luxury residence. The work continued under kings Henri II and Charles IX. Two new wings were added, which occupy two sides of the former fortess. In 1594 Henri IV decided to join the Louvre to the Tuileries palace to form one gigantic palace. The “Grande Galerie” joined the two palaces. This was the beginning of the “Grand Dessein,” or Grand Design, which was to direct future building projects to the palace.

Under Louis XIII and Louis XIV, the “Cour Carrée” (Square Courtyard) was built, four times the size of the former Renaissance courtyard. However, additions and changes to the Louvre came to a halt for a long time, because Louis XIV chose Versailles as his center of power. In the 18th century, new projects contributed to the overall “Grand Dessein” of the Louvre.

The Louvre continues to be a work in progress. In the 1980’s a glass pyramid was installed in the “Cour Carrée” as the main entry to the museum. The goal today is to devote the entire palace to the function of a museum while modernizing and improving the presentation of the collections.

•200 years as a museum

The histories of the Louvre museum and of France over the last two centuries seem to be intertwined.

The Louvre was established as a museum in 1793 by the French Republic, just four years after the French Revolution. It was not intended to become a museum, although the kings who lived there collected paintings and other artwork. For the purpose of viewing and displaying their collections, galleries and other rooms were designed and built, whose access were reserved for a privileged few.

It took the French Revolution of 1789 to accomplish the task of making the existing art collections accessible to the public. After 1794, many works of art came to the Louvre via the victorious revolutionary armies with the idea of establishing a major museum here. Others were purchased. In July 1798, masterpieces from Italy arrived in Paris with great ceremony.

The museum has also undergone a number of name changes and dedications: for instance, it was renamed “musée Napoleon” in 1803; in 1827 it was inaugurated as the “musée Charles X” and in 1857, the “Nouveau Louvre” came into being. Efforts continued during the 1800’s and 1900’s to acquire art and improve the presentation of its collection.

Located in the heart of Paris, the Louvre offers its visitors the chance to see artwork representing 11 millennia of civilization and culture. The Louvre is also a cultural entity that teaches the public through lectures, audiovisual and interactive productions and printed publications. It is very much an active, integral part of Parisian cultural life.

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Reflection sheet

Collections found within the Louvre

Divided into 7 departments, the Louvre collections incorporate works dating from the birth of the great antique civilizations right up to the first half of the 19^th century.

The departments include:

1.            Oriental Antiquities; Islamic Art

2.            Egyptian Antiquities

3.            Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities

4.            Sculptures

5.            Objects d’art

6.            Paintings

7.            Prints and drawings

Using the information on these pages or the web site, and from your visit to the museum, please answer the following questions:

1.      What three historical facts did you learn about the Louvre?

a.___________________________________________

b.___________________________________________

c.___________________________________________

2.      Visit one of the collections listed above.  List three paintings/sculptures or other works of art you saw.

3.      Draw or illustrate at least one piece of art you saw.  You may use a postcard.  Stick figures okay.

4.      What did you appreciate the most about your visit to the Louvre?

Works for Guided Visit:

1. Mona Lisa “La Jaconde” (Denon)
2. Winged Victory “La Victoire de Samothrace” (Denon)
3. Venus de Milo (Sully)
4. Liberty Leading the People “Liberté guidant le people” (Sully
5. The Raft of the Medusa by Géricault

1.            Mona Lisa by Da Vinci

Mona Lisa (also known as La Gioconda) is a 16th century portrait painted in oil on a poplar panel by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian Renaissance. The work is owned by the Government of France
Mona Lisa is named for Lisa del Giocondo,^[8][9] a member of the Gherardini family of Florence and Tuscany and the wife of wealthy Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo.^[7] The painting was commissioned for their new home and to celebrate the birth of their second son, Andrea.
 The painting is a half-length portrait and depicts a woman whose expression is often described as enigmatic. The ambiguity of the sitter's expression, the monumentality of the half-figure composition, and the subtle modeling of forms and atmospheric illusionism were novel qualities that have contributed to the painting's continuing fascination. Few other works of art have been subject to as much scrutiny, study, mythologizing, and parody.
Leonardo used a pyramid design to place the woman simply and calmly in the space of the painting. Her folded hands form the front corner of the pyramid. Her breast, neck and face glow in the same light that models her hands. The light gives the variety of living surfaces an underlying geometry of spheres and circles. Leonardo referred to a seemingly simple formula for seated female figure: the images of seated Madonna, which were widespread at the time. He effectively modified this formula in order to create the visual impression of distance between the sitter and the observer. The armrest of the chair functions as a dividing element between Mona Lisa and the viewer.
The woman sits markedly upright with her arms folded, which is also a sign of her reserved posture. Only her gaze is fixed on the observer and seems to welcome them to this silent communication. Since the brightly lit face is practically framed with various much darker elements (hair, veil, shadows), the observer's attraction to Mona Lisa's face is brought to even greater extent. Thus, the composition of the figure evokes an ambiguous effect: we are attracted to this mysterious woman but have to stay at a distance as if she were a divine creature. There is no indication of an intimate dialogue between the woman and the observer.

2.Winged Victory 

Unknown sculptor, presumably of Rhodian origin, dating from 220 and 190 BC.  It was first discovered on the island of Samothrace in Greece.  In April 1863, the Victory was discovered by the French consul who sent it to Paris in the same year.  It was reassembled in stages since its discovery.  Since 1884 it has dominated the Daru staircase here in the Louvre.

Made of white Parian marble, which is a fine-grained semitranslucent pure-white marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros. ...the figure originally formed part of the Samothrace temple complex dedicated to the Great Gods.  It stook on a rostral pedestal of gray marble from Lartos representing the prow of a ship and represents thegoddess as she descends from the skies to the triumphant fleet.  Before she lost her arm, which was never recovered, Nike’s right arm was raised, cupped round her mouith to deliver the shout of Victory.  The work is notble for its naturalistic pose and for the rendering of the figure’s draped garments, depicted as if rippling in a strong sea breeze, which is considered especially compelling.

 The statue’s outstretched right wing is a symmetric plaster version of the original left            one.  As with the arms, the figure’s head has never been found, but various other fragments have since been found. 

3.Venus de Milo

Also known as Aphrodite of Milos, Venus de Milo is an ancient Greek statue and one of the most famous works of ancient Greek sculpture.  Created between 130 and 100 BC, it is believed to depict Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) the Greek goddess of love and beauty.  It is a marble sculpture, slightly larger than life size at 6 ft 8 in high.  Its arms and original plinth has been lost.

A plinth is an ornamental wooden trim block where the side casing of a door merges with the baseboard

Although the Venus de Milo is widely renowned for the mystery of her missing arms, there is enough evidence to prove that the right arm of the goddess was lowered across the torso with the right hand resting on the raised left knee so the sliding drapery wrapped around the hips and legs could be held in place.  There is a filled hole below the right breast that originally contained a metal tenon that would have supported the separately carved right arm.

The left arm was held at just below the eye level of the statue above a herm which is a statue consisting of a squared stone pillar with a carved head on top; used in ancient Greece as a boundary marker.  The arm held an apple.  The right side of the statue is more carefully worked and finished than the left side or back, thus indicating that the statue was intended to be seen mainly as a profile from its right.  The left hand would have help the appleup into the air further back inside the niche the statue was set in.  The left hand was still attached, it would have been clear to an observer that the goddess was looking at the apple she help up in her left hand.

The statue would have been tinted as was the custom of the era, adorned with jewelry and positioned in a niche inside of a gymnasium.  The painting and jewelry adorning were intended to make it appear more lifelike.  Today, all traces of any paint have disappeared and the only singed of the armbands, necklace, earring and crown are the attachment holes.

4.Liberty leading the people (Liberté guidant le people) by Eugène Delacroix

1830.    Eugène Delacroix the 3-day Paris uprising, July 27, 28, 29 1830.  These events inspired the painting.

The allegory of Liberty is personified by a young woman of the people wearing the Phrygian cap, her curls escaping onto her neck. Vibrant, fiery, rebellious, and victorious, she evokes the Revolution of 1789, the sans-culotte, and popular sovereignty. In her raised right hand is the red, white, and blue flag, a symbol of struggle that unfurls toward the light like a flame.

Liberty wears a yellow dress reminiscent of classical drapery, held in at the waist by a belt whose ends float at her side. It has slipped below her breasts, revealing the underarm hair considered vulgar by classical artists who decreed that a goddess's skin should be smooth. The erotic realism of her nudity recalls the ancient winged victories. Her Greek profile, straight nose, generous mouth, delicate chin, and smoldering gaze are reminiscent of the woman who posed for the Women of Algiers in their Apartment. She stands noble and resolute, her body illuminated on the right, cutting a distinct figure among the men as she turns her head to spur them on to final victory. Her dark left side stands out against a plume of smoke. Her weight is on her bare left foot, visible below her dress. She may be an allegory, but this is a real battle, and she is caught up in the heat of the moment. The infantry gun with bayonet (1816 model) in her left hand gives her a contemporary look and a certain credibility.

Two Parisian urchins have spontaneously joined the fight: the one on the left clings to the cobblestones, wide-eyed under his light infantry cap; the more famous figure to the right of Liberty is Gavroche, a symbol of youthful revolt against injustice and sacrifice for a noble cause. He sports the black velvet beret (or faluche) worn by students, as a symbol of rebellion, and carries an overlarge cartridge pouch slung across his shoulder. He advances right foot forward, brandishing cavalry pistols with one arm raised, a war cry on his lips as he exhorts the insurgents to fight.

The fighter whose beret bears a white royalist cockade and red liberal ribbon and who carries an infantry saber (1816 model) or briquet, is recognizably a factory worker with his apron and sailor trousers. The scarf holding his pistol in place on his belly evokes the Cholet handkerchief—a rallying sign for Royalist leader Charette and the Vendeans.

The kneeling figure with the top hat of a bourgeois or fashionable urbanite may be Delacroix himself, or one of his friends. He wears loose-fitting trousers and an artisan's red flannel belt, and carries a double-barreled hunting gun. The wounded man raising himself up at the sight of Liberty wears a knotted yellowish scarf, echoing the color of the heroine's dress; his peasant's smock and red flannel belt suggest the temporary workers of Paris. The blue jacket, red belt, and white shirt echo the colors of the flag.

5. The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault

The Raft of the Medusa (French: Le Radeau de la Méduse) is an oil painting of 1818–19 by the French Romantic painter and lithographer Théodore Géricault (1791–1824). Completed when the artist was just 27, the work has become an icon of French Romanticism. At 491 cm × 716 cm (193.3 in × 282.3 in),^[1]The Raft of the Medusa is an over-life-size painting that depicts a moment from the aftermath of the wreck of the French naval frigate Méduse, which ran aground off the coast of today's Mauritania on July 5, 1816. At least 147 people were set adrift on a hurriedly constructed raft; all but 15 of them died in the 13 days before their rescue, and those who survived endured starvation, dehydration, cannibalism and madness. The event became an international scandal, in part because its cause was widely attributed to the incompetence of the French captain acting under the authority of the recently restored French monarchy.
In choosing the tragedy as subject matter for his first major work—an uncommissioned depiction of an event from recent history—Géricault consciously selected a well-known incident that would generate great public interest and help launch his career.^[2] The event fascinated the young artist, and before he began work on the final painting, he undertook extensive research and produced many preparatory sketches. He interviewed two of the survivors, and constructed a detailed scale model of the raft. His efforts took him to morgues and hospitals where he could view first-hand the colour and texture of the flesh of the dying and dead. As the artist had anticipated, the painting proved highly controversial at its first appearance in the 1819 Paris Salon, attracting passionate praise and condemnation in equal measure. However, it established his international reputation, and today is widely seen as seminal in the early history of the Romantic movement in French painting.
Although The Raft of the Medusa retains elements of the traditions of History painting, in both its choice of subject matter and its dramatic presentation, it represents a break from the calm and order of the then-prevailing Neoclassical school. Géricault was influenced by the human pathos as expressed in such earlier works as Francisco Goya's The Third of May 1808, Henry Fuseli's depiction of Ugolino and scenes from Michelangelo's Last Judgment. Géricault's work attracted wide attention almost immediately from its first showing, and was subsequently exhibited in London. It was acquired by the Louvre soon after the artist's early death at the age of 32. The painting's influence can be seen in the works of Eugène Delacroix, J. M. W. Turner, Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet.

The Musee d’ Orsay

The Musee d’ Orsay is an art museum in Paris, France. It was built in the Old Gare d’ Orsay. Before being a museum it was a Railroad station. Inside the station there was all modern techniques, for example ramps & lifts for luggage, elevators for passengers, reception services, sixteen underground railroad tracks, and electric traction. From 1900 to 1939, the Gare d’ Orsay was the head of the southwestern French railroad network. In 1939, the station’s short platforms became insuitable for the longer trains and became useful only for the mainline services. After 1939, during the World war 2, the Gare d’ Orsay served as a mailing center for sending packages to the prisoners. The station became abandoned and was used as a set for several films such as The trial by Orson Welles, and The Conformist in Bertolucci’s. By 1973, the Direction des Musees de France was considering the installation of a new museum in the railroad station. All the arts from 1848-1948 would be represented in this new museum. The Musee d’ Orsay was rebuilt in the railroad station, Gare d’ Orsay, by Victor Laloux. On December 1st 1986, the new museum was inaugurated by president Fracois. It was opened to everyone on December 9, 1986. (Mills, Ian c.)

(These are some of the beautiful sculptures inside of the Musee d’ Orsay)

-Now in days the museum receives about 2.5 million visitors.

questions: 1. Why did the Direction des Musees de France consider into building a new museum instead of a new railroad station?
2. Does the Museum look exactly how the railroad used to bet with the same features, or is it completely different?
3. How much money was there converted into building the new museum?

Citations: Mills, Ian c. “Musee d’ Orsay, Paris”. Online: Discover France. 24, March 2010.
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Museums-Paris/Orsay.shtml
“Musee d’ Orsay”. Online: Paris. 1994. 24, March 2010.
http://paris.org/Musees/Orsay/info.html

Barrio Gotico

Barrio Gotico or El Gotic which is also known as "Gothic Quarters" in Catalan Spanish is the medieval centre and heart of Barcelona. Barrio Gotico is a city built by the Roman during their settlement in the medieval years. It is Barcelona's oldest area. El Gotic stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana which are districts, all the way to the seafront of Ronda de Sant Pere. Very famous artist, Picasso and Joan Miro lived and worked in Barrio Gotico from 1895-1904.

The Romans settled in Spain in 206 B.C. when they invaded the Iberian Peninsula.

Romans' contribution to Spain were significant. This includes language, government, cultures, religion, architecture, and infrastructure. Rome ruled majority of Spain for 500 years and by 2nd century B.C. it was a part of Roman growing empire. Spain provided food to Rome such as wine, olive oil and metal. Roman engineers also set up bridges to cross rivers and gullies. Today there are still 3 remaining arched-bridge built by the Romans. The Roman entertainment of blood sports was also adopted by the Spaniards. The ruins of the amphitheater in Meseta confirms the adoption of combat entertainment between gladiators and animals. Spaniards in central Spain also adopted the Roman tradition of bathing. In the city of Segobriga an intramural of bath with locker room was found. Roman so-called forum was another contribution. Forum is a roman market Spaniards adopted from Roman, now they are plaza and shopping centers. Lastly, religion is the major influence of Roman to Spain. Today Roman catholicism is the leading religion in the country containing 76% of Spain Population.

Today the Roman ruin can be found in the heart of Barcelona. The Barrio Gotico and Barcino are places in Barcelona where Roman ruins can be found.

Cathedral Le Seu

In the center of Barri Gotic there is the city's gothic cathedral known as Le Seu. The church was named after Barcelona's patron Saint Eulalia. During 343 A.D. Roman Empire build a basilica , it was destroyed and replaced by a roman cathedral in 1052. A chapel was added in 1267 named after Santa Llucia. In 1298 the cathedral as destroyed except for the chapel. A new cathedral was build under King Jaume II which is now tody the Gothic Cathedral of Le Seu.

La juderia is translated to Jewish quarter. La juderia or the old jewish quarter are full of narrow streets. The building are like style houses apartment with balconies decorated with flower pots. It was build during the medieval era of Barcelona.

La Rambla is the most famous street in Barcelona. This boulevard connects the Placa de Catalunya which is a busy square, to the Monument a Colom which is a monument in honor of Chrisoffel Columbus. This street is always crowded by both tourist and locals. La Rambla street used to be a river and university build along it. In the 19th century the river dried up and the walls along the old university was destroyed.

3 Questions:

1. Who are the famous people who lived in Barrio Gotico ? And what years were they living in El Gotic ?
2. What significant influence did Rome have in Spain ?
3. What is La Rambla used to be ?

Work Cited Page:

"Le Seu Cathedral" Online: A View on cities. 25 March 2010. <http://www.aviewoncities.com/barcelona/barcelonacathedral.htm/>

"Barrio Goticol" Online: Barcelona Internet. 25 March 2010. <http://www.bcninternet.com/touristinfo.php?contentid=271>

"The Roman Legacy of Spain" Online: Spain Exchange. 25 March 2010. <http://www.spainexchange.com/travel_spain/article-73.htm>

The Buckingham Palace

History:

The Buckingham Palace was originally built as a countryhouse in 1705. King George bought the house in 1761, and in 1826, the same man asked architect John Nash to expand the house into a palace.

Ever since, it has been the official residence of Britain's Kings and Queens since 1837. It has 775 rooms in all, and as many as 50,000 people a year visit its halls as guests of the monarch. The palace's 19 state rooms are open to tourists for a few months during the summer - when the Queen is not in. The rooms available for sightseeing include the Throne room, the picture gallery, the State Dining Room, Music Room, and Silk Tapestry room. It has opened its doors to the public since 1993, to raise funds to pay for damage after a fire at Windsor Castle in 1992. But it quickly became popular, so the Queen has allowed visitors in every summer. She leaves every summer to go to one of her country houses.

The Buckingham Palace Today:

Every time the Queen is in the palace, a flag is hoisted. The Buckingham Palace does not only hold all of the royal family, but many staff members as well. In addition, the changing of the guard takes place in front of the Buckingham Palace every day. It occurs at 11 'clock in the morning, where the New Guard parades towards Buckingham Palace and replaces the Old Guard.

World War Two:

Buckingham Palace was bombed no less the 7 times during WWII by the Nazis. The most serious destruction was to the palace chapel in 1940, the bomb fell in the palace quadrangle while the King and Queen were still in residence. The damage taken in from the bombing were that many windows were blown in and the chapel completely destroyed.

Questions:

1. How many expansions did the ruling Monarchs make to the Buckingham Palace to make it into the building it is today?

2. Which months during the summer are tourists allowed?

3. Why was the Buckingham House initially chosen as the place of residence for the monarch, and not somewhere else?

Citations:

The Tower of London

The Tower of London was founded by William the Conqueror. For over a thousand years it has been a big part of Britain's history. The building was first started in 1078 by William the conqueror. The tower is now used to show the armor that was used in their past history. This building was once used also as a torture chamber, some of the weapons used in torture is now on display. There is also a legend about the Ravens that make the tower their home it says if they ever leave the kingdom will fall.

The tower of london was also used to strike fear in any one to try and go against the Government it was also used as a fort at times of war and as a palace. It was later enlarged which now makes it cover over 18 acres. The tower is built on north bank of the River Thames. When the castle was used as a palace the monarchs had wall's put in to make it bigger. People can go in and visit the tower and see a lot of room's.

Questions:

1. Why did william build the tower here?

2. Did the building come out the way william wanted?

3. How many times did they fix the tower?

Wilde, Robert "The History Of The Tower London" Online:European History. 15 March 2010

"Tower of London" online: Historic Royal Palaces. 15 march 2010

The Tower of Big Ben

History: On the 16^th of October, 1834, a raging fire ravaged a majority of the Palace of Westminster along the waterfront of the River Thames in London. The following year, Parliament decided that they must rebuild the palace, and that the new structure should include a massive clock tower. Commission for the reconstruction was given to architect Charles Berry. Specifications for the clock was appointed to George Airy, the Astronomer Royal, who created a requirement that "the first stroke of the hour bell should register the time, correct to within one second per day, and furthermore that it should telegraph its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, where a record would be kept." Most clockmakers at that time were skeptical of his plan, believing that such accuracy would be impossible to maintain in a clock so large. They were in awe when it was completed on April 10, 1858, and precisely measured time, largely due to a new “gravity escapement” invented by Denison.

Even today, the clock tower (originally called the Clock Tower of St. Stephens) keeps precise timing, and has become the most famous landmarks in all of London. It is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world. The Tower of Big Ben (calling it just Big Ben is actually a misnomer, as it is the name of the huge bell inside of the tower, named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the commissioner of works when the bell was installed) reaches over 200 feet high and sits on a 10 foot high concrete raft. A close-up view of the clock faces show that the “faces” are actually large, white stain-glassed windows, and below each “face”, there is an inscription which reads: “DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM”, meaning “O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First” in Latin.

Questions:

1. Why did Parliament have to rebuild the palace?

2. What allowed such a large clock to keep precise timing?

3. What is Big Ben?

4. What does “DOMINE SALVAM FAC REGINAM NOSTRAM VICTORIAM PRIMAM” mean in English?

WCP:

"Big Ben." Online: UK Parliament. 24 February 2010. <http://www.parliament.uk/bigben/>

"Big Ben." Online: a view on cities. 25 February 2010. <http://www.aviewoncities.com/london/bigben.htm>

"Big Ben Clock." Online: Destination 360. 25 February 2010. <http://www.destination360.com/europe/uk/big-ben>

"Big Ben." World Book Encyclopedia. 2007 ed.

Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe was built in 1836 by Jean François Thérèse Chalgrin. It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon, the French Emperor. In 1920, an unknown solider was buried underneath the arc to honor the soldiers who fought for France. This was a symbol of victory for France and Germans and the Allies, both who marched through the arch after victories as they entered Paris. The names of the 128 battles of the 1st French Republic and Napoleon’s Empire are written on the walls under the vault together with the names of the generals who took part in them. Today, the Arc de Triomphe served as a tourist spot. Inside, a small museum documents its history, architectural design, and construction. The price of admission includes entrance to the top of the arch and from the roof, spectacular views are yet to be seen!

Questions:
1. Who built the Arc de Triomphe?
2. In 1920, where was the unknown solider buried?
3. What is the Arc de Triomphe a symbol for?


Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. It was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 in which it commemorated the centenary of the French Revolution. King Edward VII of England opened the tower. The Eiffel Tower was designed to be an observation tower and tourist attraction. The purpose of building this structure was to make it known to the world about the advancement of technology and beauty in France. Also, Eiffel Tower was used as a radio transmission tower. Many radio transmission experiments have been performed atop the tower. The Eiffel Tower still stands today as one of the world's most famous structures of all time. Upon its opening, two major elements contributed to the Tower's becoming an icon: size and shape; Today, in modern society, the Eiffel Tower has been the most visited site in France for at least 40 years. Approximately half of all visitors and tourists come to Paris and actually climb the Tower. It is also one of the most popular souvenirs bought in Paris.

Questions:
1. Who built the Eiffel Tower?
2. How tall is the Eiffel Tower?
3. What was the purpose of building the Eiffel Tower?

Work-Cited

“Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile.” Online: Discover France. 1997. 25 February 2010 .

“All you need to Know about the Eiffel Tower.” Online: La Tour Eiffel. 2008. 25 February 2010 .

Arc de Triomphe

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe was built in 1836 by Jean François Thérèse Chalgrin. It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon, the French Emperor. In 1920, an unknown solider was buried underneath the arc to honor the soldiers who fought for France. This was a symbol of victory for France and Germans and the Allies, both who marched through the arch after victories as they entered Paris. The names of the 128 battles of the 1^st French Republic and Napoleon’s Empire are written on the walls under the vault together with the names of the generals who took part in them. Today, the Arc de Triomphe served as a tourist spot. Inside, a small museum documents its history, architectural design, and construction. The price of admission includes entrance to the top of the arch and from the roof, spectacular views are yet to be seen!

Questions:
1. Who built the Arc de Triomphe?
2. In 1920, where was the unknown solider buried?
3. What is the Arc de Triomphe a symbol for?