monument matters
monument matters
Edition 25
(30 July 2021)
Arc De Triomphe
As the emperor and victorious commander of France- Napoleon Bonaparte, marched into Paris with his new bride Archduchess Marie- Louise, he saw a wooden mock-up structure of the arc he had commissioned to be built four years ago in 1806. The arc was to be built to honour the victory of Emperor Napoleon at Austerlitz. Sadly the architect died in 1811. Years passed by and when the Emperor died , his coffin was passed by via the arc. The arc itself holds many historic marks, Charles Godefroy an aviator successfully flew his biplane via the arc in the year 1919. Years after years the troops used to march vis this arc to mark every nationally significant event. After the entering of the tomb of ‘The unknown solider’, a significant tomb which has its own history, the troops of France avoid the main arc way, and follow the path at the sides, out of respect of the tomb. This practice was surprisingly noticed by Adolf Hitler also. On the day of liberation of France, in 1944 the most remembered parade passed through the arc.
Unlike arcs that usually have cravings of religious segments on their walls, Arc de Triomphe has cravings of the French revolution, the resistance, the moment when the National Anthem of France Marseillaise’ was sung for the first time, the coronation of Napoleon Bonaparte and list of memorable battles fought by France.
The arc has clever and strategic position, it is positioned in a place from where all the main streets and long roads of Paris radiate or begin from the arc from all corners and cervices.
Edition 23
(30 June 2021)
Hampton Court Maze
“Life is a maze we never escape.”
We all face puzzles in life, whether in problems or games. Though ridiculous or unending at initial we are able to solve after sometime. But there are many architectural mazes which never fail to amaze us and seem unsolvable. Hampton Court Labyrinth or Hedge maze of Hampton court palace is one of the oldest surviving mazes in Britain. It was built by King William the third. The architects were George London and Henry Wise. At first there was only the residence but later the garden was planted between 1689 to 1695. It is an never ending garden. This gave psychologist Edmond Sanford to create mazes for his laboratory rats to study the way humans learn or write or read. It made an literature reference debut in Jerome K. Jerome’s famous book ‘Three Men In A Boat.’
Chichen Itza
One of the world’s most famous and most visited monuments, located in Tinum Municipality, Yucatan State, Mexico- Chichen Itza. It was developed during 750ad to 900ad. It rose to prominence during circa 600ad.It gives us a lot of information about Maya civilization and Mayan tribe people. This monument got internationally known by John Stephen Lloyd in his book- Incidents of travel in Yucatan. In 1860 Desire Charnay surveyed the landscape and took numerous photographs that he published in Cites et ruins Americans in 1863. In the beginnings people were not able to roam around fully in city but in 1875, Augustus le Plongeon and his wife Alice Dixon le Pongeon visited Chichen and excavated a statue which is famously known as Chacmool. Soon many archaeologists excavated the site and dug out many ancient artifacts, scriptures, temples,etc. The site is famous for baffling many people about how the Mayans prayed and why many statues have a plate on their stomach. Perhaps you can find out!!