After the destruction of the Tuileries Palace, the Arc du Carrousel has become the oldest monument aligned with the Historical Axis (besides the ancient obelisk on place de la Concorde).

This is a triumphal arch built by Napoleon from 1807 to 1808 to celebrate the victory of the French imperial army in Austerlitz.

However, originally the view of the Great Perspective from Arc du Carrousel was blocked westwards by the Tuileries Palace.

The Historical Axis runs through some of Paris’ most celebrated monuments and squares:

• The Louvre: the Glass Pyramid, the equestrian statue of Louis XIV portrayed as ‘Alexander the Great’ in the Cour Napoléon, and the Inverted Pyramid.
• The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
• Les Jardin des Tuileries and the former Tuileries Palace
• Place de la Concorde and the Luxor obelisk
• Avenue des Champs-Élysées
• The Arc de Triomphe, standing in the centre of the wide Place de l’Etoile
• Avenue de la Grande Armée leading to Porte Maillot
• Porte Maillot
• Avenue Charles de Gaulle in Neuilly-sur-Seine
• Pont de Neuilly
• Esplanade de La Défense
• The Grande Arche de la Fraternité in La Défense
• The Seine-Arche project endeavours to push the axis beyond La Défense, to the Seine.

Let’s move along the Historical Axis of Paris, from East to West, starting from the Louvre.