Arc de Triomphe closed for renovations

PARIS, Dec 7 (AFP) – France’s Arc de Triomphe will be closed to visitors from Monday to December 22 as part of a major renovation project, officials said.

The famous 167-year-old monument, which sits at the top of the Champs-Elysees in Paris, will have its outside spruced up and its inside modified to bring it into lines with safety standards, the Monum, the body that manages France’s national monuments, said.

More than 1.2 million people enter the Arc de Triomphe each year, many heading to the open-air top of the building, which offers panoramic views of the capital.

The renovation work being carried out is the first stage of a project that is to go to June 2005 and cost EUR 2.2 million (USD 2.6 million).Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the building of the Arc de Triomphe in 1806, based on the Roman military victory monuments. It was completed in 1836 – well after Napoleon’s decisive defeat at Waterloo and his death in exile in 1821.

Inscribed on it are the names of battles Napoleon’s armies won, and the names of famous French generals. Underneath is the Flame of Remembrance, which is lit each day in honour of soldiers killed during World War I.

© AFP

                                                                Subject: French news