Eiffel Tower, Paris

France

Paris

Eiffel Tower

Summary

The Eiffel Tower is an iconic symbol of Paris, France, that was designed by Gustave Eiffel and built between 1887 and 1889 for the 1889 World's Fair. Made of puddle iron with 18,038 metal components held together with 2.5 million rivets. It stands 330 meters (1,083 feet) tall and has three floors with restaurants, exhibits, and a champagne bar at the summit. It receives over 5.8 million visitors annually, making it one of the world’s most popular landmarks.

Located in the Champ de Mars Park in the 7th arrondissement (District) of Paris it sits on the Left Bank of the Seine River and offers stunning views of the city.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel, along with engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, and architect Stephen Sauvestre, it was a groundbreaking feat of engineering. It was selected following a competition to select a tower suitable as the centrepiece of the 1889 World's Fair which celebrated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Eiffel won the contract due to his Engineering Expertise in having a good reputation for building large metal structures, including bridges and the framework for the Statue of Liberty in New York. His design was realistic and cost-effective, unlike rival proposals such as Jules Bourdais’ Sun Tower, which was deemed impractical. Eiffel’s design would also allow the tower to serve scientific purposes such as meteorology and radio transmission. After winning, Eiffel signed a concession contract, which allowed him to operate the tower for 20 years before handing it over to the city of Paris. It was Eiffel himself who provided 80% of the finance with the French government contributing the remaining 20%. The operation concession allowed him to recover costs through ticket sales.

Criticised initially, the Eiffel Tower was to become the symbol of France and one of the most iconic landmarks in the world. Annually it has over 5.8 million visitors, making it one of the world’s most popular attractions.

The Tower's design was revolutionary for its time. Gustave Eiffel and his team developed a lattice structure made entirely of puddle (wrought) iron, which allowed the tower to be lightweight yet incredibly strong.

Construction commenced in 1887 and was completed in 1889. It was originally meant to be dismantled after 20 years but was saved due to its usefulness as a radio transmission tower.

Work on the tower began on January 26th, 1887, with the foundations and by July the four main pillars had started to rise. By April 1888 the first floor had been completed and in August the second floor also had been placed. The completion of the work occurred 31st March 1889, making a total time for construction of just 2 years, 2 months and 5 days.

The original height was 312 metres, although this has been extended a number of times. In 1957 a radio antenna was added, increasing the tower’s height to 320.75 meters. In 1991 another television antenna was installed, bringing it to 317.96 meters and in 2000, a new digital TV antenna raised the height to 324 meters. In 2022, the latest DAB+ radio antenna was added, making the tower 330 meters (1,083 feet) tall.

The Tower was constructed of puddle iron, a type of wrought iron that was commonly used in the 19th century. This was selected due to the material being strong, lightweight, and resistant to corrosion. The structure consists of 18,038 individual metal components, held together by 2.5 million rivets. Between 150 and 300 workers were on-site at any given time.

Unlike traditional towers the curved shape was designed to resist wind. Extensive wind resistance calculations had been carried out to ensure the tower could withstand even the strongest storms. Prefabricated iron pieces were assembled on-site, with workers heating rivets to 1,000°C, then hammering them into place, thus speeding up construction.

The Tower consists of three main floors. The first floor is located at the height of 57m (187ft) and includes a glass floor, allowing visitors to look straight down. It contains historical exhibits about the tower’s construction and evolution and a restaurant serving classic French cuisine. It also displays seasonal exhibitions and interactive displays.

First & Second Floor, Eiffel Tower, Paris

The second floor is at 115 m (377ft) providing panoramic views over Paris. It also contains a restaurant and a souvenir shop selling exclusive Eiffel Tower memorabilia.

The Top Floor is located at 276m (906ft) and contains a champagne bar and an observation deck providing 360° views of Paris. It also displays a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel’s office, complete with wax figures.

Access to the first two floors can be by stairs consisting of 674 steps, or by one of the six elevators to any of the floors. Three of these are open to the public and are situated in the North, East and West pillars. A private elevator is in the South pillar for use by guests of the restaurant on the top floor.

Due to the material used in the tower it does need regular maintenance. The tower is repainted every 7 years to prevent rust and damage.

Over the years the colour that the tower was painted has changed. During construction it was a Venetian red, in 1892 it changed to a Brown Orche. In 1899 it became a gradient of yellow, being orange yellow at the base to a light yellow at the top. In 1907 it was a yellow brown which was the colour chosen by Eiffel. In 1954 it became a Redish Brown and in 1968 a Brown. Although the repainting carried out prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics, restored it to the yellow brown shade.

It also needs to be regularly checked for weather damage, pollution effects, and bird droppings, which can corrode the iron.

Despite initial criticism, the Eiffel Tower became a global icon and one of the most visited monuments in the world. Today, it is praised as a masterpiece of engineering and design, proving that bold ideas can reshape history.