The 20th-century counterpart to the classical Arc de Triomphe is La Grande Arche de la Défense (often simply called La Grande Arche). I stopped by it for the first time last week and I was quite impressed by its scale.

Rather than a traditional curve, it is a hollowed-out hyper-cube—110 meters tall, 108 meters wide, and 112 meters deep. The central opening is massive enough that the entire Notre-Dame Cathedral could theoretically fit inside it. Unlike traditional monuments, it is a fully functioning high-rise building hosting French government ministry offices, corporate headquarters, and exhibition spaces.

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