Museums & cultural venues
The Arc de Triomphe
2self-service kiosks at the top
6languages available
1840the year reconstructed in 3D
Known worldwide for its imposing architecture on Place de l’Étoile, the Arc de Triomphe has a role in French history that often goes untold. A witness to the nation’s defining moments, it embodies its unity. The Centre des Monuments Nationaux entrusted us with the monument’s panoramic terrace with a clear brief: put the Arc in context so visitors grasp its symbolic and historical significance.
The return of Napoleon’s ashes
Our film projects the visitor into the heart of the procession passing through the Arc during the return of Napoleon’s ashes, on 15 December 1840. Thanks to thorough historical research and analysis of period sources, including an 1852 engraving used as reference, the scene is reconstructed in every detail: the imperial chariot, the military parade, the roar of the crowd.
A bridge between past and present
The experience then sets this reconstruction against a contemporary event that celebrated the same national unity: the French team’s return down the Champs-Élysées after winning the 2018 Football World Cup. Two crowds, two eras, one triumphal axis. The Arc de Triomphe still lives up to its name.
Two kiosks at the top, in six languages
The virtual-reality films play in six languages in two self-service Timescope kiosks, installed on the terrace and inaugurated on 26 July 2019. In full immersion, visitors live the scene and the emotions it carries: they take in the panorama of Paris, then dive into the same landscape a century and a half earlier.
In pictures
