French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday is presiding over a series of commemorations marking the end of World War One, culminating with the inauguration of a breathtaking new monument in northern France, France 24 reported.
Tributes will be paid in France and around the world on Tuesday to the millions of servicemen who died in the Great War.
This year's centenary marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One, and Hollande opened France's day of remembrance in Paris by laying a wreath at the foot of the statue of WWI war minister Georges Clemenceau, widely hailed in France as the architect of the victory against German-led forces.
The French president then performed the traditional lighting of the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe, and a one-minute silence was held around France at 11:00 CET.
The president, who will be accompanied by Chancellor Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, will then travel to the northern town of Ablain-Saint-Nazaire to inaugurate the new International Memorial of Notre Dame de Lorette, "Ring of Remembrance" by architect Philippe Prost.
The new 8-million euro memorial consists of 500 steel plates with the names of the 579,606 soldiers from around the world who died between 1914 and 1918.
The ring, a symbol of unity, is meant to bring together all of the fallen soldiers - regardless of their nationalities or religions.
A majority of the names – 241,214 – are British, alongside the 173,876 German names and 106,012 French.