Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower (French: Tour Eiffel) is a puddled iron tower built on the Champ de Mars, beside the River Seine, in Paris, France. It is the most famous Paris landmark and is used as a symbol of the city. At the time of its construction in 1889 it was the tallest building in the world, and remained so until 1930. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, it is a premier tourist destination, with over 5.5 million visitors per year.

Background

The structure was built between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle (1889), a World's fair marking the centennial celebration of the French revolution. It is located at geographic coordinates {{coor dms|48|51|29|N|2|17|40|E|region:FR_type:landmark}}. The tower was inaugurated on March 31, 1889, and opened on May 6. Three hundred workers joined together 18,038 pieces of puddled iron, using two and a half million rivets, in a structural design by Maurice Koechlin. The risk of accident was great, for unlike modern skyscrapers the tower is an open frame without any intermediate floors except the two platforms. Yet, because Eiffel took good care of his workers with movable stagings, guard-rails and screens, only one man died (during the installation of Otis Elevator's lifts).

Related Topics:
1887 - 1889 - Exposition Universelle (1889) - World's fair - French revolution - Geographic coordinates - March 31 - May 6 - Iron - Rivet - Maurice Koechlin - Skyscrapers - Otis Elevator - Lift

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The tower is 300 meters (986 feet) tall, not including the 24-meter television antenna on top. The metal structure weighs 7,300 metric tons, the total weight is 10,100 metric tons. According to the official website for the tower, the summit is reached by 1,665 steps and not, as popularly believed, by 1,792 steps (the same as the year of the First French Republic).

Related Topics:
300 - Meters - Television - Antenna - Metric ton - Weight - First French Republic

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Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the Eiffel Tower may shift away from the sun by up to eight centimetres, due to expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun.

Related Topics:
Sun - Centimetre - Metal

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Maintenance on the tower includes applying 50 metric tons of three graded tones of paint every 7 years to protect it from rust. On occasion, the color of the paint is changed (the tower is currently painted a shade of brown). On the first floor, there are interactive consoles hosting a poll for the color to use for a future session of painting.

Related Topics:
50 - Paint - Brown

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The tower was met with resistance from the public when it was first built, many thought it an eyesore. Today, it is widely considered to be one of the most striking pieces of structural art in the world.

Related Topics:
Structural - Art

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One of the great Hollywood movie clichés is that the view from a Parisian window always includes the Eiffel Tower. In reality, the Tower is not visible from a large part of Paris, due to relief and other constructions blocking the sight.

Related Topics:
Hollywood - Movie

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Originally, Eiffel had a permit to leave the tower standing for 20 years, more than recouping his expenses, but, as it proved valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to stay after the end of the permit.

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