Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris, War memorial under Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris is a war memorial beneath the Arc de Triomphe in the 8th arrondissement, holding the remains of an unidentified French soldier from World War I. A granite slab covers the grave, with a bronze shield bearing a flaming sword and an eternal flame that has burned continuously since 1923.
The remains were chosen in 1920 from eight identical coffins holding unidentified soldiers from different battlefields and laid to rest on January 28, 1921. Three years later, André Maginot lit the eternal flame for the first time after it was planned as a symbol of continuous remembrance.
The name "unknown soldier" reflects how the monument honors every French serviceperson without distinction, giving families a place to mourn even when their loved ones were never found. Visitors today see fresh flowers and wreaths placed by military associations and ordinary citizens who still come to pay their respects.
The daily ceremony to rekindle the flame takes place at 6:30 PM, and visitors can watch from marked areas without interfering with participants. Access to the platform of the arch is through an underground passage reached from the sides of Place de l'Étoile.
In 1919, Charles Godefroy flew his biplane through the Arc de Triomphe to protest airmen being excluded from the Victory Parade. The grave has never been officially opened, and the identity of the soldier inside remains forever unknown.
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