Page 117 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

Illuminated by thousands of lights as dusk falls, the Eiffel Tower

CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES

AND INVALIDES

Bisected by the River Seine, this area was a
suburb of Paris during the Middle Ages. The rue
du Faubourg St-Honoré began as a medieval dirt
road, connecting outlying western villages to the
city market. In 1616, Queen Marie de’ Medici com-
mis sioned a tree-lined approach road through the
countryside to the former Palais des Tuileries.
Named the Champs-Élysées in the 18th century,
its crowning glory, the Arc de Triomphe, was com-
missioned by Napoleon I in 1806, after his great
victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. The Baroque
construction of the Hôtel des Invalides, built to
house wounded military veterans, brought about
sub sequent urbanization. The neighbourhood
was especially popular with nobles, who built
impressive palaces, and has strong military
connections as the home of the École Militaire.
In 1889, its parade ground staged the Universal
Exhibition, to commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the Revolution, with the main draw then and
now – the Eiffel Tower.
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