Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Beneath the Arc de Triomphe at the western end of the Champs-Elysees lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, set up in 1920 to honour the unidentified dead of the First World War. The eternal flame, the Flamme du Souvenir, has been alight since 1923 and is rekindled every evening at 18:30 by veterans associations — a ritual that continued unbroken even during the German occupation of 1940 to 1944. The inscription ICI REPOSE UN SOLDAT FRANCAIS MORT POUR LA PATRIE 1914 1918 marks the plain stone in the floor. Wreath-layings happen all year, and the central event is the military parade for Armistice Day on 11 November. Visitors to the Arc de Triomphe should time their visit for the evening ceremony — it is more moving than the view from the top.