The Eiffel Tower Was Built By Gustave Eiffel For The 1889 Exposition Universelle, Which Was To Celebrate The 100th Year Anniversary Of The French Revolution.
Its construction in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days was a veritable technical and architectural achievement.
“Utopia achieved”, a symbol of technological prowess, at the end of the 19th Century it was a demonstration of French engineering, and a defining moment of the industrial era.
As France’s symbol in the world, and the showcase of Paris, today it welcomes almost 7 million visitors a year, making it the most visited monument that you have to pay for in the world.
The Eiffel Tower Grew By Six Meters March 15 After Engineers Hoisted A New Communications Antenna At The Very Top Of France’s Most Iconic Landmark.
Tourists watched from the Trocadero esplanade as the new digital radio antenna was helicoptered up.
With The New Antenna, The Eiffel Tower Grew From 324 Meters Tall To 330 Meters.
The Eiffel Tower company’s president, Jean-François Martins, said scientific progress is an integral part of the Iron Lady’s 133-year history.
The Eiffel Tower Was 312 Meters High When It Was Inaugurated On March 31, 1889.
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HISTORY
The tower was met with resistance from the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore (Novelist Guy de Maupassant ate at a restaurant at the tower regularly, because it was the one place in Paris he was sure he wouldn’t see it).
Today, it is widely considered to be a striking piece of struOne of the great Hollywood movie clichés is that the view from a Parisian window always includes the tower.
In reality, since zoning restrictions limit the height of most buildings in Paris to a few stories, only the very few taller buildings have a clear view of the tower.
Originally, Eiffel Had A Permit For The Tower To Stand For 20 Years (meaning it would have had to be dismantled in 1909, when its ownership would revert to the City of Paris, which had originally planned to tear it down; part of the original contest rules for designing a tower was that it could be easily torn down).
As The Tower Later Proved Valuable For Communication Purposes, It Was Allowed To Remain After The Expiry Of The Permit.
The military used it to dispatch Parisian taxis to the front line of the Marne, and it therefore became a victory statue of that battle.
It was also used to catch the infamous “Mata Hari,” and after this, its demolition became unthinkable to the French population.
INSTALLATIONS
Since The Beginning Of The Twentieth Century, The Tower Has Been Used For Radio Transmission.
Until the 1950s, an occasionally modified set of antenna wires ran from the summit to anchors on the Avenue de Suffren and Champ de Mars.
They were connected to long-wave transmitters in small bunkers; in 1909, a permanent underground radio center was built near the south pillar and still exists today.
Track up – Eiffel Tower transmitting TV-radio to 12 million Parisians
During the German occupation of Paris between 1940 and 1944 the tower was also used for German television broadcasts, which were apparently intended mostly for wounded German soldiers in local military hospitals.
Since 1957, The Tower Has Been Used For Transmission Of FM Radio And Television.
STATISTICS
The Eiffel Tower Stretches Approximately 300 Meters High. Including the 20.75 m antenna, the structure is 320.75 m high, which is about 81 stories.
Completed in 1889, the tower replaced the Washington Monument as the tallest structure in the world, a title it retained until 1930, when New York City’s Chrysler Building (319 m tall) was completed (although the tower was still taller if the respective spires of the two structures were excluded).
In 1902, It Was Struck By Lightning, Which Caused Builders To Reconstruct 300 Feet Of The Top Later In 1902-1903.
The lights illuminating the tower also had to be replaced, due to short-circuiting.
The Tower Is The Second-Highest Structure In France, After The 350 Meters Allouis Longwave Transmitter, Built In 1930.
The Eiffel tower is the highest structure in Paris. The iron structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tons, and the total weight is 10,100 tons.
Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 8 cm (3.25 inches), due to expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun.
Maintenance Of The Tower Includes Applying 50/60 Tons Of Three Graded Tones Of Paint Every Seven Years To Protect It From Rust.
However, few people realize that the tower is actually painted three different colors in order to make it look the same color.
The colors change from dark to light from top to bottom, but it looks the same because of the background (the sky being light and the ground being dark).
On the first floor, there are interactive consoles hosting a poll for the color to use for a future session of painting.
FACTS
Hitler Ordered Eiffel Tower To Be Destroyed
When Germany occupied France during the second World War, Hitler ordered that the Eiffel Tower be torn down, but the order was never followed through. French resistance fighters got their revenge, though—they cut the Tower’s elevator cables so the Nazis were forced to climb the stairs to hoist their flag.
The Eiffel Tower Is Cousin Of Sorts To Statue Of Liberty
Before the Eiffel Tower was built, Eiffel’s firm was asked to design the internal frame for the Statue of Liberty, a task assigned to his trusted employee, Maurice Koechlin. They proved their iron handiwork with Lady Liberty first.
There’s A Post Office In Eiffel Tower
Tucked into the first floor of the Tower next to the gift shops, there is a tiny post office. Pick up une carte postale and a stamp and have it mailed from the Eiffel Tower’s post office and it will be delivered with the unique postmark.
The Eiffel Tower Doubled As Scientific Laboratory
Mr. Eiffel housed a meteorology lab on the Tower’s third floor where he performed studies in physics, aerodynamics, and built a wind tunnel. Eiffel opened the doors of the laboratory to other scientists to use for the experiments, too, and cosmic rays were discovered there.
The Eiffel Tower Moves
The massive iron structure is wind resistant and will sway during a storm. If the weather is bad enough, it can even move. Wind isn’t the only thing that can make the enormous Tower move, though—the heat of the sun also affects the Tower, causing the iron to expand and contract up to 7 inches.
The Eiffel Tower Is Covered In Names Of Scientists
French scientists and engineers working in the 19th century were not forgotten by history—not only did they lend their names to Parisian streets, but 72 of their names are also engraved on the Eiffel Tower. The engraved tributes were covered up, but thanks to a restoration effort, they are once again visible and eagle-eyed visitors can see names like Foucault, Dumas, and Perrier cut into the iron.
There’s A Military Bunker Underneath Eiffel Tower
Underneath the Tower’s south pillar sits a snug bit of history—a secret military bunker that may connect to the nearby Ecole Militaire via a long tunnel. The bunker has now been turned into a small museum and tour groups can explore the diminutive space.
Kate And William Played Rugby In Front Of Paris’ Eiffel Tower
Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate play rugby with children in front of the Eiffel Tower during an official visit to Paris, months before the 20th anniversary of the death of William’s mother Diana in a car crash in the French capital.
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If it’s your first time in Paris, going up the Eiffel Tower is a must. Visitors can choose to go up using the Tower lift or the stairs.
However, before making your mind up on how you want to visit the monument, It Is Important To Keep In Mind That There Are 1,665 Steps To The Top.
The best moment to enjoy the breath-taking views of Paris is early in the morning to avoid the lines or at dusk, when visitors will see Paris lit up.
