Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile

The Arc de Triomphe (Triumphal Arch for you Americans) is one of the most famous Parisian monuments. It stands 50 meters (164 feet) tall at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle (originally the Place de l'Étoile) on the western end of the famous avenue the Champs-Élysées.

There is a smaller, "sister" verison of the Arc de Triomphe just outside of the Louvre named the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.

It was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806 and inaugurated on July 29th, 1836. Its design was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus.

The four major sculptures of the arch are:
Le Depart de 1792

Le Triomphe de 1810

La Resistance de 1814

La Paix de 1815

There are also six reliefs (raised carvings) sculpted on the Arch, depicting important moments of the Revolution and Napoleonic Era.

The Arc de Triomphe honors those who fought for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The Arch has all of the names of the French victories and generals on the inner and outer surfaces.
Beneath the Arch is The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of World War I. A ceremony is held at the arch every year on November 11 to honor the armistice signed between France and Germany in 1918.

Sources: http://www.wikipedia.org