Arch of Triumph

Located in the northern part of Bucharest, on the Kiseleff Road. The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (1878), so that the victorious troops could march under it. Another arch with concrete skeleton and plaster exterior of elaborate sculptures and decoration designed by Petre Antonescu was built on the same site after World War I in 1922.

Taking in a note that the Arch exterior had seriously decayed, and it was replaced in 1935 by the current much more sober Neoclassical design, more closely modelled in the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The new arch, also designed by Petre Antonescu and executed in stone, was inaugurated on 1 December 1936.

With the height of 27 meters. It has as its foundation a 25 x 11.50 meters rectangle. The sculptures with which the facades are decorated were created by famous Romanian sculptors such as Ion Jalea and Dimitrie Paciurea. Presently, military parades are held beneath the arch each December 1, with the occasion of Romania’s national holiday