French Begin Fund Drive to Restore Arch of Triumph
An international fund-raising campaign was launched today to restore the ailing Arch of Triumph, which now sits swaddled in diaper-like netting to keep chunks of stone from falling on tourists visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The role of American money in preserving the monument, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 to glorify his battlefield victories, has sparked protests from French nationalists. But leaders in the campaign, headed by former President Valery Giscard d’Estaing, said funds from any source would be welcome.
The cost of restoring the 151-year-old monument is estimated at about $6 million, half of which will be paid by the government.
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