6 ‘Arc de Triomphes’ That Are Not in Paris
One of the world’s most famous landmarks, Paris’s Arc de Triomphe, has been the city’s most-visited structure since it was erected in 1836. In fact, during the latter half of the 2010s, more than 1.5 million people have paid the 164-foot-tall arch a visit annually. It was commissioned in 1806 to honor the Frenchmen who fought—and consequently died—for their country during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and it was erected in the middle of 12 avenues that all point to the Arc, forming a star. Though Paris is home to the only Arc de Triomphe, there are a handful of cities around the world with their own similar arches that make for a bold architectural statement.
From Brooklyn to Barcelona, these six towering, centuries-old arches are worth visiting.
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Brooklyn, New York
Just above the 526-acre Prospect Park, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch stands proud at 80 feet tall. Designed by architect John H. Duncan and erected between 1889 and 1892, the arch is dedicated to “the Defenders of the Union, 1861–1865,” which is carved into the structure’s façade. Duncan’s unique design was one of 36 submitted options for the arch. In addition to the imposing arch’s already dramatic stance, there are also bronze sculptures by Frederick MacMonnies.
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Barcelona
There are few entrances more grand than the Josep Vilaseca–designed Arc de Triomf in Barcelona, which served as the gateway to the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition in Parc de la Ciutadella. When tasked with designing the future landmark, Vilaseca chose to both honor the fellow nations and provinces participating in the exhibition and pay homage to its Spanish roots. The result? A classic brick structure with a neo-Mudéjar-style series of friezes that were on trend in Spain at the time. As a final loving nod to Spain, Vilaseca topped the arch with the shields of the 49 Spanish provinces, presided over by Barcelona’s coat of arms.
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New York, New York
Plenty of places around the United States are named after America’s first president, but Washington Square Park in Lower Manhattan is special: George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States in New York City. The park was first used as the Washington Military Parade Ground in 1826, and shortly thereafter, it became a public park. Nearly the moment it boasted its new designation, prominent New York families eager to flee the congestion downtown moved to the park, building Greek Revival–style mansions that still line the park’s northern border.
More than six decades after the 10-acre area became a public park, distinguished architect Stanford White was commissioned to design and build the marble Washington Arch, which was finished in 1892. The smooth and stately arch replaced a similar one made of wood that honored the 100th anniversary of President Washington’s inauguration.
Photo: Noppasin Wongchum/Getty Images4/6Rome
Arco di Costantino, or the Arch of Constantine, is a stunning example of ancient architecture in Italy. A triumphal arch dedicated to Roman emperor Constantine the Great (famous for making Christianity Rome’s main religion and establishing Constantinople, which would later become the most powerful city in the world), the structure was built in 315 A.D. to commemorate the emperor’s victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge. It’s also right next to perhaps Rome’s most famous landmark, the Colosseum, which was built in 80 A.D.
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Photo: Getty Images/Rudy Sulgan5/6London
The 40-foot-tall Wellington Arch, originally known as Green Park Arch when it was built between 1826 and 1830, was originally placed in a different corner of London’s fourth-largest park, but was moved to its current home only two years later. Now, it’s the centerpiece of Hyde Park Corner, where Knightsbridge, Belgravia, and Mayfair meet in central London. City dwellers started calling it the Wellington arch because the structure originally boasted a massive statue of the First Duke of Wellington on horseback. In 1912, however, the arch was topped with a bronze four-horse chariot by artist Adrian Jones.
Photo: Getty Images6/6Brussels
The Arcade du Cinquantenaire, a 147-foot-tall, three-arch memorial arcade in the middle of Brussels’s Parc du Cinquantenaire built in 1905, is made even more dramatic with a bronze quadriga sculpture headed by a female charioteer. The massive structure was erected during the reign of Leopold II to commemorate 50 years of Belgian independence. Initially designed by Belgian architect Gédéon Bordiau in 1904 and finished by French architect Charles Girault after Bordiau’s unexpected death, the Arcade du Cinquantenaire is one of the city’s most symbolic architectural masterpieces: Cinquantenaire Park, where the arches live, was designed in the shape of a pentagon, the same unique shape as the inner and outer rings of Brussels.
