Place Charles de Gaulle,
above Arc de Triomphe
The Avenue des Champs Élysées, undoubtedly the most famous avenue in the world, stretches 2 kilometers from Place de la Concorde adjacent the Jardin des Tuileries to equally world-famous Arc de Triomphe in the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, formally Place de l'Étoile.
Up until 1758, only five streets radiated from the traffic circle of the empty square. That year, several plans were drawn up. Napoléon chose a classical triumphal arch to glorify his Grande Armée. The Arc de Triomphe was innaugurated in 1836. The Place de l'Étoile was not completed, however, until 1854 when Haussman added another seven avenues to the existing five, part of his redesinging of Paris.