Editing Place Charles de Gaulle (section)

== History ==
[[File:Entree-napoleon-marie-louise(fontaine).jpg|left|thumb|The ''Barrière de l'Étoile'' buildings in front of a wooden mock-up of the [[Arc de Triomphe]] in 1810.]]

The original name of the area was the ''Butte Chaillot'' ("Chaillot Mound", named after the locality). At the time, it was the point of convergence of several hunting trails. The [[Abel-François Poisson|Marquis de Marigny]] constructed monumental roadworks, completed in 1777, on the mound when he was establishing the plantations along the [[Champs-Élysées]]. The junction included paving of the road in the form of a star, as it still exists today and became known as the Place de l'Étoile.

In 1787, the [[Wall of the Ferme générale|Wall of the ''Ferme générale'']] (''Mur des Fermiers généraux''), and the two toll houses of the ''Barrière de l'Étoile'' (also known as the ''Barrière de Neuilly'') were built to the design of [[Claude Nicolas Ledoux]] for the collection of the [[octroi]] tax at the entrance to Paris. They were located on either side of the Place de l'Étoile until their demolition after 1859.

[[File:Paris. Arc de Triomphe. Postcard, c.1920.jpg|left|thumb|The Place de l'Étoile, {{Circa|1920}}.]]

Between 1806 and 1836, the [[Arc de Triomphe|Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile]] was built to the design of [[Jean Chalgrin]]. It was originally commissioned by Emperor [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]] during the [[First French Empire]] and inaugurated three decades later by King [[Louis Philippe I]] under the [[July Monarchy]].

The avenues radiating from the Place de l'Étoile were created during the [[Second French Empire]] of Emperor [[Napoleon III]] as part of [[Haussmann's renovation of Paris]].<ref>de Moncan, Patrice, ''Le Paris de Haussmann'', Les Editions du Mecene, 2012 ({{ISBN|978-2-9079-70983}}).</ref> The square was completely redesigned with avenues de Bezons (now [[Avenue de Wagram|Wagram]]), Joséphine (now [[Avenue Marceau|Marceau]]), [[Avenue Kléber|Kléber]], de Saint-Cloud (now [[Avenue Victor-Hugo (Paris)|Victor-Hugo]]), Essling (now Carnot), Prince-Jérôme (now Mac-Mahon and Niel) forming with the [[Champs-Élysées]] and other existing avenues a star around the [[Arc de Triomphe]].<ref name=ParisDigest>{{Cite web |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/champs-elysees-facts.htm |title=Champs-Elysées facts |year=2018 |publisher=Paris Digest |access-date=2019-01-03 |archive-date=7 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207222410/https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/champs-elysees-facts.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1864, the circular street surrounding the Place de l'Étoile was named [[Rue de Presbourg]] (south of the ''[[Axe historique]]'') and [[Rue de Tilsitt]] (north of the ''Axe historique''), after the diplomatic successes of [[Napoleon]] which led to the signing of the [[Peace of Pressburg (1805)|Treaty of Presbourg]] in 1805 and the [[Treaties of Tilsit]] in 1807.

Since 1921, beneath the Arc de Triomphe lies the [[Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (France)|Tomb of the Unknown Soldier]]. After the death of President [[Charles de Gaulle]] in 1970, the Place de l'Étoile was renamed the Place Charles de Gaulle.