The workers started to wrap the Parisian Arc de Triomphe in fabric according to the artist Christo

Paris - Workers today began to wrap the Parisian Arc de Triomphe in shiny fabric. The installation was designed by the late artist Christo, who previously had historical buildings like the Berlin Reichstag similarly wrapped.

Visitors to Paris were surprised today, according to the Reuters agency, as they walked along the Champs-Elysées and saw dozens of workers starting to wrap the famous monument, which was commissioned by the ruler Napoleon Bonaparte as a reminder of his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz.

To wrap the 50-meter-high 19th-century monument, workers will use up to 25,000 square meters of bluish-silver fabric made from recyclable plastic. The art installation is set to be on view from September 18 to October 3.

Bulgarian-born Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon, who passed away in 2009, gained attention throughout their careers particularly for their "wrapping" projects. Over several decades, they covered skyscrapers, a part of the Australian coast, the Roman walls, living trees, the Parisian bridge Pont Neuf, and the Berlin Reichstag with fabric.

The idea to wrap the Arc de Triomphe came to them in 1962 when they rented a small room near the iconic Parisian building. While the duo presented their idea via photomontage, they never proposed a specific method for wrapping the arch, as they did not believe they could obtain the necessary permits.

The project, costing around 14 million euros (approximately 354 million crowns), has now been completed by Christo's nephew Vladimir Javacheff. "The biggest challenge for me is that Christo is not here. I miss his enthusiasm, his critical eye, his energy," he told Reuters.