The Eiffel Tower in Paris is an amazing and excellent structure. Difficult to build in the late 1800s. The symbol of France, one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks.
Since opening in 1889, the Tower has welcomed over 300 million people. Still welcomes almost seven million visitors a year. Despite the incredible number of people who have walked up the iron tower. And there are still secrets to tell about it.
Top of the Eiffel Tower, the view is indefinable. The photographs or pictures you see on google cannot describe visitors feelings against this wonderful view. In this post, we will share with you the facts you probably didn’t know about Eiffel Tower.
How do French people say Eiffel Tower
How do French people say Eiffel Tower or what does it mean in French? As the French call it, La Tour Eiffel or however, the “iron lady” name is also used.
Where is Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is in Paris. The address is “Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France”. In addition to this, you may also ask anybody too.
Who Built the Eiffel Tower
The design of the Eiffel Tower selected from among 107 projects. It was that of Gustave Eiffel, an entrepreneur. Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, both engineers. Stephen Sauvestre, an architect, that was accepted.
Gustave Eiffel was just an entrepreneur
While Eiffel earned the naming rights for the Tower, it was actually two men who worked for his company. Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier—who drew the original design, according to Live Science. The two engineers teamed up with French architect, Stephen Sauvestre. On the plans for the monument and entered them into a contest to choose the main attraction of the World’s Fair.
Why Eiffel Tower Built
The tower was designed as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. It was meant to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. Show off France’s modern mechanical prowess on a world stage.
When was the Eiffel Tower Built
The construction time of the Eiffel Tower is actually quite impressive. Consequently the first digging work started on the January 28th 1887. On March 31st 1889, the Tower had been finished in record time. It only took a total of 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to construct!
Eiffel Tower History
At the time of the construction of the Eiffel Tower, the architecture became industrial. Moreover the industry and the creativity were combined for the construction of the monument.
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 to celebrate the French Revolution’s centennial year during the Exposition Universelle at the Champs de Mars. The purpose was to show the other nations the power and the industrial abilities of France. The tower was constructed by the Seine and its rounded shape was used as the entry to the exhibition. Finally the Eiffel Tower was entrance to the Exposition Universelle.
The iron structure marked the beginning of a new form of architecture. In 1884, two important engineers that worked in the Eiffel Enterprise. It was founded by Gustave Eiffel, Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, started making plans for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. They proposed the project of a 300 meters tall tower. Then, Gustave Eiffel asked Stephen Sauvestre to redesign and refine the tower. Sauvestre added a few arcs and decorations. He beautified the project.
Construction of the Eiffel Tower
Each of the 18,000 pieces used to build the tower was calculated specifically for the project. Prepared in Eiffel’s factory on the outskirts of Paris. The wrought-iron structure is composed of four immense arched legs. Set on masonry piers that curve inward until joining in a single, tapered tower.
Building the tower required 2.5 million thermally assembled rivets and 7,300 tons of iron. To protect the tower from the elements, workers painted every inch of the structure, a feat that required 60 tons of paint. The tower has since been repainted 18 times.
How Tall Eiffel tower
The Eiffel Tower stands at 1,063 feet height (324 metres), from its base to the very tip. The highest a person can go up it, however, is 276 metres (906 feet). That’s the top floor level, and the two levels below have restaurants on them for visitors. It is the the second tallest structure in France after the Millau Viaduct, and when it was built it was the tallest structure in the world, beating the Washington Monument.
How Many Steps Do You Need to Climb
How can you climb the Eiffel Tower on foot? You can take the stairs from the bottom of the Eiffel Tower up to the 2nd Floor. That means exactly 674 steps! In total, there are 1665 steps from the esplanade up to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but the stairway from the 2nd floor to the top is not open to the public.
Ticket Prices
There are many options to visit the Eiffel tower, from standard and combo tickets to dining at the top as well as a lengthy comparison of all the different types of tours and tickets available. Lets get to know Eiffel tower ticket prices:
Opening times
Eiffel Tower at Night
TAKING a photograph of the Eiffel Tower at night could result in you breaking the law.
Thanks to the iconic light show which illuminates the attraction in the evening, it is actually illegal to take pictures of the tourist attraction after dark.
Take a photo during daytime and no one will bat an eyelid, but problems arise at dusk when the Eiffel Tower lights are switched on.
Why It’s Illegal To Take Pictures of the Eiffel Tower at Night
It turns out that sharing your own pictures of the iconic structure at night-time is a copyright violation.
According to Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), which manages the tower, the lights are an artistic work.
On the website it states: “The various illuminations of the Eiffel Tower (golden illumination, twinkling, beacon and events lighting) are protected.
“The use of the image of the Eiffel Tower at night is therefore subject to prior authorization by the SETE.
“This use is subject to payment of rights, the amount of which is determined by the intended use, the media plan, etc.”
Office of Gustave Eiffel on the top of Tower
When Gustave Eiffel designed his namesake tower, he cleverly included a private apartment for himself where he hosted famous guests, like Thomas Edison. The apartment is now open for the public to tour.
Funny facts about Eiffel Tower
- Gustave Eiffel used latticed wrought iron to construct the tower to demonstrate that the metal could be as strong as stone while being lighter.
- Eiffel also created the internal frame for the Statue of Liberty.
- Construction of the Eiffel Tower cost 7,799,401.31 French gold francs in 1889, or about $1.5 million.
- The Eiffel Tower is 1,063 feet (324 meters) tall, including the antenna at the top. Without the antenna, it is 984 feet (300 m).
- It was the world’s tallest structure until the Chrysler Building was built in New York in 1930.
- The tower was built to sway slightly in the wind, but the sun affects the tower more. As the sun-facing side of the tower heats up, the top moves as much as 7 inches (18 centimeters) away from the sun.
- The sun also causes the tower to grow about 6 inches.
- The Eiffel Tower weighs 10,000 tons.
- There are 5 billion lights on the Eiffel Tower.
- The French have a nickname for the tower: La Dame de Fer, “the Iron Lady.”
- Newspapers received many angry letters that said the tower didn’t fit into the feel of the city! Finally 300 prominent Parisian artists and intellectuals signed a manifesto that ran in the Le Temps newspaper on Valentine’s Day in 1887.
- The first platform is 190 feet above the ground; the second platform is 376 feet, and the third platform is almost 900 feet up.
- The Eiffel Tower has 108 stories, with 1,710 steps. However, visitors can only climb stairs to the first platform. There are two elevators.
- One elevator travels a total distance of 64,001 miles (103,000 kilometers) a year.
Why had Hitler ordered the 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.
Statue of Liberty made by Eiffel’s Company
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 the Eiffel Tower
Tucked into the first floor of the Tower next to the gift shops, in fact 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 a 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.
The list of the 72 names contains no women! The list has been criticized for excluding the name of French mathematician Sophie Germain, whose work on the theory of elasticity was used in the construction of the tower.
It takes a lot of work to keep the Eiffel Tower looking good
Every seven years, around 60 tons of paint are applied to the tower. It not only keeps the so-called Iron Lady (La dame de fer) looking good, but it also helps keep the iron from rusting.
There’s a military bunker underneath
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.
There’s a Champagne bar at the top
If you’re brave enough to reach the top of the Tower, reward yourself with a glass of champagne from the Champagne Bar built into the top floor. There’s nothing like a glass of bubbly with a spectacular view.
Restaurants on First Floor
There were originally four restaurants on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower: a Russian restaurant, a French restaurant, a Flemish restaurant and an Anglo-American bar!
Replica of Eiffel in Las Vegas, USA
The Las Vegas Strip may be thousands of miles away from the City of Lights, but it has its own half scale replica of Paris‘s most iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower!
Eiffel Tower Tours
Check out the best tours and activities to experience Eiffel Tower. Don’t miss out on great deals for things to do on your trip to Paris!
