The Eiffel Tower is arguable the most famous monument in Paris. It was erected to commemorate the anniversary of the French Revolution in 1889. It was constructed in two years by 300 steel workers. More than 984 feet high, it was the tallest building in the world until 1930. On the top three levels are the Altitude 95 restaurant (first level) and Le Jules Verne Restaurant (second level). On the top level, in Gustave Eiffel's renovated office, are wax replicas of Eiffel and Thomas Edison. Also on the top level are a bar and a souvenir shop.
At 164 feet high and 147 feet wide, the Arc de Triomphe is the largest commemorating arch in the world. It was commissioned by Napoleon I in 1806 in honor of the French Army but was not completed until 15 years after Napoleon's death. Inside the arch is an interactive museum. Visitors can climb stairs to the roof for a spectacular view of Paris. An elevator is available for visitors with disabilities and people with strollers.
The Louvre was originally a fortress of King Philippe Auguste and held King Charles V's library. It was not until August 1793 that the idea of a museum for the public was realized. Called the Musée de la République, meaning Museum of the Republic, the museum increased its holdings with the help of Napoleon's military conquests. The state acquired the museum in 1848 and subsequently purchased numerous art pieces that grew to more than 300,000 works of art by 2010. The museum was later renamed Le Grand Louvre.
King Charles V commissioned the Place de la Bastille in 1370 as part of an elaborate defensive stronghold. It was later converted into a prison, and in 1788 the stronghold was overrun by a mob and demolished. In 1830, King Louis-Philippe, to honor the victims of the three-day revolution, erected La Colonne de Juillet on the same location. La Colonne de Juillet still stands; however, little is left to mark the original location of the Place de la Bastile.