Eiffel Tower opening year. Eiffel Tower: an example of perseverance and success

- a metal 300-meter tower, which is located in the center of Paris. The most famous French and world landmark, which, only by the will of circumstances, was not dismantled, as was intended during its construction.

The fate of the Eiffel Tower is quite interesting. Its construction was completed in 1889, the year France hosted the World Exhibition, and the tower was the winner of the competition for projects that were supposed to determine the appearance of the exhibition complex and decorate it. According to the original plan, 20 years after the exhibition, this metal structure was to be dismantled, since it did not fit into the architectural appearance of the French capital and was not conceived as a permanent building, the development of the radio saved the most popular attraction in the world.

Facts about the Eiffel Tower

• The height of the tower is 300.65 meters to the roof, 324.82 meters to the end of the spire;
• Weight - 7300 tons tower and 10000 tons of the whole building;
• Year of construction - 1889;
• Construction time - 2 years 2 months and 5 days;
• Creator - bridge engineer Gustave Eiffel;
• Number of steps - 1792 to the lighthouse, 1710 to the platform of the 3rd level;
• The number of visitors is more than 6 million per year;

About the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel tower height

The exact height of the tower is 300.65 meters. This is exactly what Eiffel conceived of it, who even gave it the simplest name: “three-meter tower” or simply “three-hundred-meter”, “tour de 300 mètres” in French.

But after the construction, a spire-antenna was installed on the tower and now its total height from the base to the end of the spire is 324.82 meters.

While the third and last floor located at an altitude of 276 meters, this is the maximum accessible to ordinary visitors.

The Eiffel Tower looks like an unusual pyramid. Four columns rest on concrete foundation, and rising they intertwine into a single square column.

At a height of 57.64 meters, the four columns are connected for the first time by the first square platform, a 4,415-square-meter floor capable of accommodating 3,000 people. The platform lies on an arched vault, which largely forms the recognizable appearance of the tower and which served as a kind of gateway to the World Exhibition.

Starting from the platform of the second floor, the four columns of the tower are intertwined into a single structure. On it, at a height of 276.1 meters, the third and last floor is located, its area is not as small as it might seem - 250 square meters, which allows you to receive 400 people at the same time.

But above the third floor of the tower, at a height of 295 meters, there is a lighthouse, now it is controlled by software. The tower is crowned with a spire, which was added later and which was modified several times. It acts as a flagpole and holder for various antennas, radio and television.

Eiffel Tower construction

The main material of the tower is pudding steel. The weight of the tower itself is approximately 7300 tons, and the entire structure with the foundation and auxiliary structures weighs 10,000 tons. In total, 18,038 individual parts were used in the construction, which were held together with 2.5 million rivets. At the same time, each of the details of the tower weighed no more than three tons, which removed most of the problems with their lifting and installation.

During the construction, many fairly innovative engineering methods were used, which its creator, Gustave Eiffel, learned from his experience in bridge building. The tower was built in just 2 years by 300 workers, and thanks to the high level of safety measures and structures that simplified assembly, only one person died during the construction.

The high speed of work was achieved, firstly, by the very detailed drawings that were created by the engineers of the Eiffel bureau, and, secondly, by the fact that all parts of the tower were delivered to the construction site ready for use. AT various elements there was no need to drill holes, fit them together, and 2/3 of the rivets were already in place. So the workers could only assemble the tower as a constructor, using ready-made detailed drawings.

Eiffel tower color

The question of the color of the Eiffel Tower is also interesting. Now the Eiffel Tower is painted in the patented color "Eiffel Tower Brown", which imitates the color of bronze. But at different times, it changed its color and was both orange and burgundy, until the current color was approved in 1968.

On average, the tower is repainted every seven years, with the last painting taking place in 2009-2010, on the landmark's 120th anniversary. All work was carried out by 25 painters. old paint removed by steam, which is supplied under high pressure. At the same time, an external inspection of structural elements is carried out, worn ones are replaced. Then paint is applied to the tower, which requires approximately 60 tons, including 10 tons of soil and the paint itself, which is applied in two layers. An interesting fact: the tower has different shades at the bottom and at the top, so that the color is uniform for the human eye.

But main function paints are not decorative, but purely practical. It protects the iron tower from corrosion and environmental influences.

Reliability of the Eiffel Tower

Of course, for a building of this size big influence rendered by wind and other weather phenomena. At the time of its construction, many people believed that engineering aspects were not taken into account in the design, and an information campaign was even raised against Gustave Eiffel. But the experienced bridge builder was well aware of the possible risks and created a completely stable structure with recognizable twisted columns.

As a result, the tower resists the wind very effectively, the average deviation from the axis is 6–8 centimeters, even a hurricane wind deflects the tower's spire by no more than 15 centimeters.

But the metal tower is greatly influenced by sunlight. The side of the tower facing the sun heats up and, due to thermal expansion, the top can deviate even by 18 centimeters, much more than under the influence of a strong wind.

Tower lighting

Another important element Eiffel Tower - its illumination. Already during the creation, it was clear that such a grandiose object needed to be illuminated, therefore 10,000 gas lamps and searchlights were installed on the tower, which shone into the sky with the colors of the French tricolor. In 1900, electric lamps began to illuminate the contours of the tower.

In 1925, a huge advertisement appeared on the tower, bought by André Citroën. Initially, on three sides of the tower there was a vertically written surname and the name of the Citroen concern, which was visible for 40 kilometers around. Then it was slightly modernized by adding a clock and pointers. This lighting was dismantled in 1934.

In 1937, the Eiffel Tower began to be illuminated with light beams, and modern lighting based on gas discharge lamps was installed in 1986. Then the lighting was changed and modified several more times, for example, in 2008 the tower was illuminated with stars in the shape of the EU flag.

The last upgrade of the backlight was carried out in 2015, the lamps were replaced with LEDs in order to save energy. In parallel, work was carried out to install thermal panels, two windmills, a system for collecting and using rainwater.

In addition, the Eiffel Tower is used to launch fireworks during various holidays - on New Year, on Bastille Day, etc.

An interesting fact: the image of the Eiffel Tower is public property and can be used freely, but the image and appearance of the tower with the lights on is copyrighted by the management company and can only be used with their permission.

Floors of the Eiffel Tower

As already mentioned, the Eiffel Tower has three levels, not counting the area with the lighthouse, which can only be accessed by workers and the squares at the base. Each floor is not just an observation deck, there are souvenir shops, restaurants, and other objects, so each level of the Eiffel Tower should be mentioned separately.

As already mentioned, it is located at an altitude of 57 meters from ground level. Most recently, this level of the tower underwent a renovation, during which individual elements on the floor were updated and a transparent floor was built. There are a large number of different objects here:

• Glass balustrades and a transparent floor, which give an unforgettable experience of walking through the void at a height of more than 50 meters from the ground. Fear not, the floor is perfectly safe!
• Restaurant 58 Tour Eiffel. Not the only one in the tower, but the most famous.
• Buffet if you just want a bite to eat or a drink.
• A small cinema hall in which a film about the Eiffel Tower is broadcast by many projectors on three walls at once.
• A small museum with interactive screens that tells the history of the tower.
• Fragment of the old spiral staircase that led to the personal office of Gustave Eiffel.
• A seating area where you can just sit and watch Paris from a bird's eye view.
• Souvenir shop.

You can get to the first floor both on foot, overcoming 347 steps, and by elevator. At the same time, an elevator ticket costs 1.5 times more, so walking is not only useful, but also profitable. True, in this case, the third, highest platform will not be available to you.

The height of the second floor of the tower is 115 meters. The second and first floors are connected by stairs and an elevator. If you decide to climb the second level of the Eiffel Tower on foot, then get ready to overcome 674 steps, this is not an easy test, so soberly assess your strength.

In terms of area, this floor is two times smaller than the first, because there are not so many objects here:

• Jules Verne restaurant where you can treat yourself to gourmet french cuisine looking at the city from a great height. Interestingly, this restaurant has a separate direct access from the ground via an elevator in the southern column of the bridge.
• The Historical Window is a gallery that tells about the construction of the Eiffel Tower and the operation of its elevators, both the first hydraulic and modern ones.
• Observation deck with large panoramic windows.
• Buffet.
• Souvenir kiosk.

The last, third floor of the Eiffel Tower is the most interesting part of it. Of course, restaurants at a bird's eye view are interesting, but nothing compares to the panorama of Paris from a height of almost 300 square meters.

Visitors can only get to the third floor of the tower by ascending in a glass elevator, although a staircase leads here, which originally had 1665 steps, but was later replaced by a safer 1710 steps.

The last floor of the tower is quite small, its area is only 250 square meters, so there are few objects here:

• Viewpoint.
• Champagne bar.
• Eiffel's office original interior and wax figures.
• Panoramic maps that allow you to determine the direction to other cities and attractions.
• Scale model of the floor in its original form from 1889.

The main thing on this floor, of course, panoramic windows allowing you to see Paris from a great height. To date, the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower is the second highest in Europe after the site of the Ostankino TV tower in Moscow.

Where is the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is located in the center of Paris, on the Champ de Mars. From the Champs Elysees to the tower about two kilometers.

Walking around the center on foot, it is impossible to miss the tower, just look up and you will see it, and then just go in the right direction.

Nearest metro station: Bir-Hakeim, 6th line - from it to the tower you need to walk only 500 meters. But it can also be reached from Trocadero stations (crossing of lines 6 and 9), Ecole Militaire (line 8).

Nearest RER station: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel (line C).

Bus routes: 42, 69, 72, 82, 87, stop "Champ de Mars" or "Tour Eiffel"

In addition, near the Eiffel Tower there is a pier where boats and pleasure boats stop. There is also parking for cars and bicycles near the tower.

Eiffel Tower on the map

Information for those wishing to visit the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower opening hours:

Mid-June to end of September:

• Elevator - from 9:00 to 0:45 (entry until 0:00 on the 1st and 2nd floor and until 23:00 on the 3rd floor)
• Stairs - from 9:00 to 0:45 (entry until 0:00)

Rest of the year:

• Elevator - from 9:30 to 23:45 (entry until 23:00 on the 1st and 2nd floor and until 22:30 on the 3rd floor)
• Stairs - from 9:30 to 18:30 (entry until 18:00)

There are no days off, the Eiffel Tower is open all days of the year, and on holidays (Easter and spring break) it has an extended work schedule.

Ticket prices for the Eiffel Tower:

• Elevator with access to the 1st and 2nd floor - 11 €;
• Staircase with access to the 1st and 2nd floor - 7 €;
• Elevator to the 3rd observation deck - 17 €;

Ticket prices are for adults. Group tours, as well as tickets for children (4-11 years old), youth (12-24 years old) and people with disabilities are cheaper.

Important: schedule and ticket prices may change, we recommend checking the information on the official website of the tower toureiffel.paris

The Eiffel Tower is the most famous architectural landmark Paris known as the symbol of France, erected on Mars field and named after its designer Gustaf Eiffel.

It is the most recognizable and tallest building in paris, its height together with the new antenna is 324 meters, which is roughly equivalent to a house in 81st floor!

The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 and has amazing story origin. In 1889 in paris, in memory of the centenary French Revolution, Was held world exhibition, it was thanks to the exhibition that the city authorities instructed to come up with and erect a temporary structure serving as its entrance arch.

The all-French competition of architectural and engineering projects, which were supposed to determine the architectural appearance of the future World Exhibition, has started May 1, 1886. Participated in the competition 107 applicants, most of which, to one degree or another, already repeated the tower project proposed by eiffel. So the project eiffel becomes one of the four winners, and then the engineer makes final changes to it, finding a compromise between the original purely engineering design scheme and the decorative version.

As a result, the committee still stops on the plan eiffel, although the very idea of ​​​​the tower did not belong to him, but to two of his employees - Maurice Koechlen and Émile Nougier. It was possible to assemble such a complex structure as a tower within two years only because eiffel applied special construction methods.

But in order for the tower to be marked by greater sophistication and meet the tastes of the demanding Parisian public, the architect Stefan Sauvestre was commissioned to work on her artistic appearance. He proposed sheathing the basement supports of the tower with stone, linking its supports and the platform of the first floor with the help of majestic arches, which would simultaneously become the main entrance to the exhibition, placing spacious glazed halls on the floors of the tower, giving the top of the tower a rounded shape and using various decorative elements to decorate it. .

AT January 1887 Eifel, state and municipality Paris signed an agreement under which eiffel provided for personal use operating lease of the tower for a period of 25 years, and also provided for the payment of a cash subsidy in the amount of 1.5 million gold francs, which amounted to 25% of all costs for the construction of the tower. The final construction budget amounted to 7.8 million francs.

300 workers during two years, two months and five days performed construction works. The record-breaking construction time was facilitated by extremely high quality drawings indicating exact dimensions. And already March 31, 1889, in less than 26 months after the start of digging pits, eiffel invited several more or less physically fit officials to the first ascent of 1,710 steps!

The construction was a stunning and immediate success. For six months of the exhibition see "iron lady" come over 2 million visitors.

But the opponents eiffel tower also enough, starting from the very beginning of its construction. The creative intelligentsia of Paris and France acted in such a face, they were afraid that the metal structure would suppress the architecture of the city, violate the unique style of the capital that had developed over the centuries, in connection with which they sent indignation and demands to the Paris City Hall to stop the construction of the tower, and after the construction of the demand dismantling. But from the demolition planned under the contract, 20 years after the exhibition, the tower was saved by radio antennas installed at the very top - this was the era of the introduction of radio!

Throughout its history, the tower has repeatedly changed the color of its painting - from yellow to red-brown. Recent decades The Eiffel Tower invariably painted in the so-called "brown-eiffel"- officially patented color close to the natural shade of bronze

The weight metal structure towers - 7,300 tons(gross weight 10,100 tons).

The lower floor is a pyramid formed by 4 columns, connected at a height of 57.63 meters by an arched vault; on the vault is the first platform eiffel tower, which is a square.

On this platform rises the second pyramid-tower, also formed by 4 columns, connected by a vault, on which the second platform is located.

Four columns rising on the second platform, pyramidally approaching and gradually intertwining, form a colossal pyramidal column that carries the third platform, also square shape; a lighthouse with a dome rises on it, above which there is a platform at a height of 300 meters. Stairs of 1792 steps and elevators lead to the tower.

Restaurant halls were built on the first platform; on the second platform there are tanks with engine oil for the elevator and a restaurant in a glass gallery. The third platform housed the astronomical and meteorological observatories and the physics office. The light of the lighthouse was visible at a distance of 10 kilometers!

According to some calculations Eiffel Tower visited more than 200,000,000 people since its construction in 1889! It is the most visited tourist attraction in the world!

The creator of the tower often spoke with humor about his offspring: “I should feel jealous of the tower. After all, she is much more famous than me.. Gilded bust Gustave Eiffel installed at the northern "leg" of the tower with a simple inscription: "Eiffel: 1832 - 1923".

Timeline of the construction of the Eiffel Tower

general information

Initially conceived as a temporary building, the Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of France and an object of admiration. However, the history of the creation and construction of an impressive structure was dramatic. For many Parisians, the tower evoked only negative emotions - the townspeople believed that such a tall structure would not fit into the appearance of their beloved capital or even collapse. But over time, the French appreciated the Eiffel Tower and fell in love with it. Today, thousands of people are photographed against the backdrop of the famous landmark, all lovers strive for it to spend unforgettable moments. Every girl who has a date at the Eiffel Tower hopes that it is there, taking all of Paris as witnesses, that her beloved will propose to her.

History of the Eiffel Tower

1886 Three years later, the World Industrial Exhibition EXPO will begin its work in Paris. The exhibition organizers announced a competition for a temporary architectural structure that would serve as an entrance to the exhibition and personify the technical revolution of its time, the beginning of grandiose transformations in the life of mankind. The proposed building had to meet the following requirements - to generate income and be easily dismantled. More than 100 contestants took part in the creative competition, which started in May 1886. Some designs were quite bizarre - for example, a huge guillotine, reminiscent of the revolution, or a tower built entirely of stone. Among the participants of the competition was the engineer and designer Gustave Eiffel, who proposed a project of a 300-meter metal structure that was completely unusual for that time. He got the very idea of ​​the tower from the drawings of his company's employees Maurice Koehlen and Emile Nougier.

It was proposed to make the structure from ductile iron, which at that time was the most progressive and economical building material. The Eiffel project was one of the four winners. Thanks to some changes made by the engineer to the decoration of the tower, the organizers of the competition gave preference to his "Iron Lady".

Stefan Sauvestre was involved in the development of the artistic appearance of the Eiffel Tower. To give the cast-iron construction more sophistication, the architect suggested adding arches between the ground floor piers. They symbolized the entrance to the exhibition and made the building more elegant. In addition, Sauvestre planned to place spacious glazed halls on different floors of the building, and slightly round the top of the tower.

The construction of the tower required 7.8 million francs, but the state allocated only one and a half million to the Eiffel. The engineer agreed to contribute the missing amount from his own funds, but in return demanded that the tower be leased to him for 25 years. At the beginning of 1887, the French authorities, the Paris City Hall and the Eiffel entered into an agreement and construction began.

All 18,000 structural parts were manufactured at Gustave's own factory in Levallois, near the French capital. Thanks to carefully verified drawings, work on the installation of the tower progressed very quickly. Weight individual elements structures did not exceed 3 tons, which greatly facilitated its assembly. At first, high cranes were used to lift parts. Then, when the tower became taller than them, Eiffel used small mobile cranes specially designed by him, moving along elevator rails. Two years, two months and five days later, with the efforts of three hundred workers, the construction of the structure was completed.

The Eiffel Tower instantly attracted thousands of curious people - in the first six months of the exposition alone, more than two million people came to admire the new attraction. The appearance of a new huge silhouette against the backdrop of Paris caused fierce controversy in French society. Many representatives of the creative intelligentsia were categorically against the appearance of a tower equal in height to an 80-story building - they feared that the iron structure would destroy the style of the city and suppress its architecture. Critics of Eiffel's work called the tower "the highest lamppost", "bell tower grill", "iron monster" and other unflattering and sometimes offensive epithets.

But, despite the protests and dissatisfaction of a certain part of the French citizens, the Eiffel Tower almost completely paid off in the first year of operation, and the further operation of the structure brought substantial dividends to its creator.

By the end of the lease, it became clear that the dismantling of the tower could be avoided - by that time it was actively used for telephone and telegraph communications, as well as for radio stations. Gustave was able to convince the government and the generals of the country that in the event of war, the Eiffel Tower would be indispensable as a radio transmitter. In early 1910, the lease of the tower by its creator was extended for 70 years. During the German occupation in 1940, French patriots broke all the lifting mechanisms to cut off Hitler's path to the top of the tower. Due to non-working elevators, the aggressors were unable to set their flag on the iron Frenchwoman. The Germans even called their specialists from Germany to repair the elevators, but they could not get them to work.

With the development of television, the Eiffel Tower is becoming in demand as a place to place antennas, of which there are currently several dozen on it.

The designer, who at first used his building for profit, subsequently transferred the rights to it to the state, and today the tower is the property of the French people.

Eiffel could not imagine that his creation would become a tourist magnet along with other "Wonders of the World". The engineer simply called it the "300-meter tower", not assuming that it would glorify and perpetuate his name. Today, the openwork metal structure towering over the French capital is recognized as the most photographed and visited attraction in the world.

Replicas of the Eiffel Tower can be found in more than 30 cities: Tokyo, Berlin, Las Vegas, Prague, Hangzhou, London, Sydney, Alma-Ata, Moscow and others.

Description

The base of the Eiffel Tower is a pyramid formed by four pillars. At a height of about 60 meters, the supports are connected by an arch, on which there is a square platform of the first floor with sides of 65 meters. From this lower platform, the next four supports rise, forming another arch at a height of 116 meters. Here is the platform of the second floor, - the square is half the size of the first. Supports, shot up from the second platform, gradually connecting, form a giant column 190 meters high. On this colossal rod, at a height of 276 meters from the ground, there is a third floor - a square platform with sides of 16.5 meters. On the third platform there is a lighthouse crowned with a dome, above which, at a height of three hundred meters, there is a small one and a half meter platform. The height of the Eiffel Tower today is 324 meters thanks to the television antenna installed on it. In addition to television and radio equipment, the facility has cell towers, as well as a unique weather station that records data on atmospheric pollution and background radiation.

At the foot of the Eiffel Tower there are ticket offices and an information desk with free booklets and brochures. There is a souvenir shop in each pillar of the structure, and a post office in the southern column. There is also a snack bar on the ground level. There is also an entrance to the premises where you can see the obsolete hydraulic lifting mechanisms. But access here is open only to organized excursion groups.

On the ground floor, visitors are greeted by the 58 Tour Eiffel restaurant, another souvenir shop and the Cineiffel Center, where films about the construction of the Eiffel Tower are shown. Little visitors will be happy to meet Gus, the mascot of the tower and the hero of the guide book. In addition, on the first level there is a fragment of an old spiral staircase leading to the next floors, as well as to the office of Eiffel himself.

Visitors approaching the tower from the north side are greeted by a gilded bust of its creator with a simple inscription: “Eiffel. 1832-1923".

The second level is an observation deck. On this floor there is a Jules Verne restaurant and another gift shop. Many interesting details about the construction of the tower can be gleaned from the information boards located on this level. In winter, a small skating rink is poured on the second floor.

The main goal of the overwhelming number of visitors is the third level. Elevators ascend to it, through the windows of which you can admire Paris. On the top floor, those who wish can celebrate their ascent to the tower with champagne at the Champange Bar. A glass of pink or white sparkling drink costs 10-15 €. On the site of the third floor can be simultaneously 800 people. Previously, on the upper platform were the observatory and the office of Eiffel himself.

You can climb to the top of the structure by elevator or stairs, consisting of 1792 steps. The Eiffel Tower is served by 3 elevators, but they never operate at the same time due to safety reasons and due to the constant maintenance of the structure.

During its existence, the tower was both yellow and red-brown. Today, the bronze color of the structure is officially patented and is called "brown-eiffel". Cosmetic repairs of the Eiffel Tower are carried out every 7 years, this process takes a year and a half. Before applying fresh paint old layer removed with high pressure steam. Then the whole structure is carefully inspected, unusable parts are replaced with new ones. After that, the tower is covered with two layers of paint, which requires 57 tons for this procedure. But the color of the tower is not uniform everywhere, it is painted in different tones of bronze - from dark at the base of the structure to lighter at the very top. This method of painting is used to make the building look harmonious against the sky. Interestingly, even today the paint is applied with brushes.

In the 80s of the last century, the tower was reconstructed - some of the parts were replaced with stronger and lighter ones.

Eiffel designed his brainchild in such a way that he is not afraid of storms - during the strongest wind, the tower deviates from its axis by a maximum of 12 centimeters. The iron structure is much more susceptible to the sun - the iron elements expand so much from heating that the upper part of the tower sometimes deviates sideways up to 20 centimeters.

Visitors first saw the tower illuminated in 1889, on the opening day of the World Industrial Exhibition. The construction was illuminated by 10,000 gas lamps, two large searchlights and a lighthouse, whose blue, white and red beams symbolized the national colors of the country. In 1900, the tower was equipped with electric light bulbs. In 1925, the owner of the Citroen company placed a grandiose advertisement on the structure - with the help of 125,000 light bulbs, images of the tower, zodiac constellations and products of the famous French automobile concern appeared on it. This light show lasted 9 years.

In the 21st century, the lighting of the Eiffel Tower has been modernized several times. In 2008, when France held the presidency of the EU, the structure was lit up in blue, representing the flag of Europe. Today, the lighting of the tower is golden. It turns on for 10 minutes, at the beginning of every hour, in the dark.

In 2015, the tower's electric light bulbs were replaced with LEDs to save energy and cost. In addition, thermal panels, two windmills and a rainwater collection system were placed on the structure.

Views from the Eiffel Tower

• The Eiffel Tower is the emblem of Paris and a high-altitude antenna.
• At the same time, 10,000 people can be on the tower.
• The project was made by the architect Stephan Sauvestre, but the engineer Gustave Eiffel (1823-1923), better known to the public, built the tower. Other works by Eiffel: Ponte de Dona Maria Pia, viaduct de Garabi, iron frame for New York's Statue of Liberty.
• Since its inception, the tower has been visited by about 250 million people.
• The mass of the metal part of the structure is 7,300 tons, and the weight of the entire tower is 10,100 tons.
• In 1925, the rogue Victor Lustig managed to sell the iron structure for scrap, and he was able to pull off this trick twice!
• In good weather, from the top of the tower, Paris and its surroundings can be viewed within a radius of up to 70 kilometers. It is believed that the optimal time to visit the Eiffel Tower, providing the best visibility, is an hour before sunset.
• The tower also holds a sad record - about 400 people committed suicide by throwing themselves down from its upper platform. In 2009, the terrace was fenced with protective barriers and now this place is very popular with romantic couples kissing in front of all of Paris.

Tower address: Champ de Mars (Champion of Mars). Metro stations: Bir Hakeim (line 6), Trocadero (line 9).

Bus numbers to the tower: 42, 69, 72, 82 and 87.

Operating mode. From June 15 to September 1 - opening at 09.00. The elevator to the 2nd floor stops working at midnight; the rise to the 3rd floor (top) is carried out until 23.00; stairs to the 2nd floor close at 00.00; the entire tower is available until 00.45.

From September 2 to June 14, the Eiffel Tower receives visitors from 09.30. The elevator to the 2nd floor is open until 23.00; an elevator takes guests to the top until 22.30; the stairs to the 2nd floor are open until 18.00; the entire tower is open until 23.45.

During spring and Easter holidays, access to the tower is open until midnight.

Sometimes the ascent to the top of the tower is temporarily suspended - due to dangerous weather conditions or too many visitors on it.

Prices for entrance tickets. Until September 1: elevator to the 2nd floor - 9 € (for adults), 7 € (for visitors from 12 to 24 years old), 4.5 € (for children from 4 to 11 years old). Lift to the top - 15.50 € (for adults), 13.50 € (for visitors from 12 to 24 years old), 11 € (for children from 4 to 11 years old). Stairs to the 2nd floor - 5 € (for adults), 4 € (for visitors from 12 to 24 years old), 3.50 € (for children from 4 to 11 years old).

After September 1: elevator to the 2nd floor - 11 € (for adults), 8.50 € (for visitors from 12 to 24 years old), 4 € (for children from 4 to 11 years old). Lift to the top - 17 € (for adults), 14.50 € (for visitors from 12 to 24 years old), 10 € (for children from 4 to 11 years old). Stairs to the 2nd floor - 7 € (for adults), 5 € (for visitors from 12 to 24 years old), 3 € (for children from 4 to 11 years old).

Visitors with disabilities can go up to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower using an elevator.

In order to quickly get to the first and second platforms of the tower, it is better to use the stairs on the south side, since the elevators almost always have long queues.

If you want to get to the top of the "Iron Lady" without a queue, then you should buy electronic tickets in advance on the official website of the tower - www.tour-eiffel.fr. The ticket must be printed and paid for using credit card. You need to approach the tower 10-15 minutes before the time indicated on the ticket, bypassing the queue. Those who are late for more than half an hour are not allowed to go sightseeing, tickets in this case will be canceled. You need to worry about pre-purchasing tickets as early as possible, since their sale for a specific day starts 3 months in advance at 08.30 Paris time, and there are a lot of people who want to get to the tower without a queue.

In the Jules Verne restaurant, you need to book a table several months in advance, the average check for lunch at an altitude of 175 meters is 300 €.

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of France. To build this beauty, a lot of controversy had to be won, because when creating the plan for such a structure, there were a large number of people who were dissatisfied with the construction and considered the idea a failure.

Location:

Located on a former military parade ground. Now the field is divided into alleys, which are decorated in the same style: fountains, flower beds, footpaths.

Construction project approval:

1889 An exhibition was held in France, at which technical innovations were to be demonstrated. The exhibition was dedicated to the centenary of the storming of the Bastille. Letters were sent to all French architects saying that a competition was being announced for the best structure suitable for the exhibition. The authorities reported that this building should be an arch. The letter was received and Gustave Eiffel, but since he did not have a finished drawing, he began to look for old works. Found a drawing that was created by Eiffel's employee Maurice Queschelin. With the help of Emile Nouguier, the project was finalized and submitted to the competition. During the competition, Eiffel, together with Nougier, received a patent for the Eiffel Tower, after which he bought the patent from Queshlen and Nougier, thereby becoming the sole architect.

The competition was coming to an end and there were only 4 works left, one of which was the work of Eiffel. The commission sided with him.

The Eiffel Tower

Building.

The construction of the Eiffel Tower began on January 28, 1887. The creation of this structure took two years, two months and five days. For that time, these were short terms, and all because the plan had no inaccuracies, everything was thought out. The weight and length of each beam were thought out in advance. The tower was assembled from previously manufactured parts, like a designer. Holes for screws and rivets were drilled before being brought to the construction site. In total, about two million rivets were used during construction.

French Commune: The first working-class government in France

One of the most difficult during the construction was the construction of platforms on each floor. Metal cylinders filled with sand supported the weight of 4 pillars. During the removal of sand from the cylinders, the platform could take the desired position.

Expert opinion

Knyazeva Victoria

Guide to Paris and France

8 million francs were allocated for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. This amount was earned during the six-month exhibition.

Main characteristics

The height of the Eiffel Tower is 300 m, and after the appearance of an antenna on it, 324 meters. Compared to the Statue of Liberty, it was much larger. Weight reached 10 thousand tons

Expert opinion

Knyazeva Victoria

Guide to Paris and France

After the tower is painted, its weight becomes 60 tons more.

The fate of the symbol of France.

An agreement was concluded with Eiffel according to which the tower should be demolished 20 years after construction.

Why wasn't the Eiffel Tower demolished?

• popularity
• had no analogues and competitors in terms of size and appearance
• with the advent of radio, it was of strategic importance (there was a radio studio and an antenna was installed on the tower that transmitted the radio signal throughout France)

There were also opponents of the Eiffel Tower: artists and writers.

These people believed that the tower was like a chimney that spoiled the individual look of Paris.

Design

Has the shape of a pyramid. Consists of three sites. The first two are restaurants, and the third is a laboratory for the study of meteorology. The pyramidal structure most actively protects the tower from strong winds, because at a height of 300 meters the wind moves at high speed.

All about the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower ([` aɪfəl taʊər] EYE-fəl TOWR; French: Tour Eiffel) is a wrought iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

Constructed in 1887-89 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, the tower was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals, but it soon became a cultural symbol of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument in the world; 6.91 million people climbed it in 2015.

The tower is 324 meters (1,063 ft) tall, about the size of an 81-story building. It is the tallest building in Paris. Its base is a square with each side 125 meters (410 feet) long. During construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world. She held this title for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building was completed in New York in 1930. After the addition of a broadcasting antenna atop the tower in 1957, the Eiffel Tower was once again taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 meters (17 feet). Transmitters aside, the Eiffel Tower is the second tallest structure in France after the Millau Viaduct.

The tower has three visitor levels, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The highest platform is 276 meters (906 feet) above the ground - the highest viewing platform in the European Union accessible to the public. Tickets can be purchased to climb the stairs or the elevator on the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, the same height from the first level to the second. Although there are stairs to the upper level, usually only an elevator is available.

History of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

The idea for the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was designed by Maurice Cochlin and Émile Nougier, two senior engineers working for the "Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel", after a discussion about a suitable centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair to mark the centenary of the French Revolution. Eiffel openly admitted that he drew inspiration for the design of the tower from the Latting Observatory building in New York in 1853. In May 1884, working from home, Kochlin sketched his idea, which he described as "a large pylon consisting of four lattice beams that stand apart at the base and come together at the top, connected to each other by metal trusses at regular intervals. Eiffel initially showed little enthusiasm, but he approved further study, and the two engineers then asked Stephen Sowrest, head of the company's architectural department, to contribute to the design. Sourest added decorative arches to the base of the tower, a glass pavilion on the first level, and other embellishments.

The new version received the support of Eiffel: he bought a patent for the design, which was received by Kohlin, Nougier and Sourest, after which the project was exhibited at the exhibition of arts and crafts in the autumn of 1884 under the name of the company. On March 30, 1885, Eiffel presented his plans to the Society of Civil Engineers; after discussing the technical issues and emphasizing the practical significance of the tower, he ended his speech by saying that the tower would become a symbol

not only the arts of modern engineering, but also the symbol of the age of industry and science in which we live, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the eighteenth century and the revolution of 1789, in whose memory this monument will be built, as an expression of gratitude to France.

Little progress was made until 1886, when Jules Grévy was re-elected as President of France and Édouard Lockroy was appointed Minister of Commerce. The budget for the Exhibition was approved, and on 1 May, Lockroy announced a change in the terms of an open competition focusing on the centerpiece of the Exhibition, making the choice of the Eiffel design a foregone conclusion, as the data would include a study of a 300 m (980 ft) four-sided metal tower on Mars field. On May 12, a commission was set up to study the scheme of Eiffel and his rivals, which decided a month later that all proposals except for Eiffel's were either impractical or lacked detail.

Who was against the construction of the Eiffel Tower?

The proposed tower was the subject of controversy, which attracted criticism from those who did not believe it was feasible and those who objected on artistic grounds. These objections were the expression of a longstanding discussion in France about the relationship between architecture and engineering. These thoughts began to form in people's minds when work began on the Champ de Mars: A "Committee of Three Hundred" (one member for every meter of tower height) was formed under the leadership of the famous architect Charles Garnier, as well as some of the most important figures of art such as Adolphe Bouguereau , Guy de Maupassant, Charles Gounod and Massenet. A petition entitled "Artists against the Eiffel Tower" was sent to the Minister of Works and Commissioner for the Exhibition, Charles Alphand, and was published by "Le Temps" dated February 14, 1887:

"We, writers, artists, sculptors, architects and passionate admirers of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, will test with all our might, with all our indignation against the infringement of French taste, against the erection ... of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower ... so that our discontent may be reasoned, imagine for a moment the absurd tower reaching to the sky, which dominates Paris like a giant black chimney, and crushes with its barbaric mass Notre Dame, the Tour Saint-Jacques, the Louvre, the Dome of the Invalides, the Arc de Triomphe... All our humiliated monuments will disappear in this terrible dream. And within twenty years... we shall see the ink stain of the hateful shadow stretch out from the hateful column of dangling sheet metal."

Gustave Eiffel responded to these criticisms by comparing his tower to the Egyptian pyramids: “My tower will be the tallest structure ever erected by man. Why can’t it be as grand? Paris?" These criticisms were also taken up by Eduard Lokra in a letter of support written to Alphand, where he ironically says: "Judging by the majestic ripple of rhythms, the beauty of metaphors, the elegance of a subtle and precise style, one can say that this protest is the result of the collaboration of the most famous writers and poets of our time", and he explained that the protest was of no importance, since the project had been decided several months earlier, and the construction of the tower was already underway full swing.

Indeed, Garnier was a member of the Tower Commission who considered the various proposals, and had no objection. Eiffel was also dissatisfied with the fact that journalists were prematurely judging the effect of the tower solely on the basis of the drawings, that on the Champ de Mars the tower would be far enough from the monuments mentioned in the protest and there was no threat that the tower would suppress them, and made an aesthetic argument in favor of the tower: "Do not the laws of the forces of nature correspond to the secret laws of harmony?".

Some of the protesters changed their minds when the tower was built; others were not satisfied. Guy de Maupassant allegedly dined at the tower's restaurant every day because it was the only place in Paris where the tower was not visible.

By 1918, the Eiffel Tower had become a symbol of Paris and France after Guillaume Apollinaire wrote a nationalist tower-shaped poem (caligram) to express his feelings regarding the war against Germany. Today, the tower is widely considered to be a remarkable piece of structural art, and is often featured in movies and literature.

How was the Eiffel Tower built?

Work on the foundation began on January 28, 1887. The east and south foot of the tower were plain, with each beam standing on a 2 m (6.6 ft) wide concrete slab. The west and north foot, being closer to the River Seine, were more difficult: two piles were needed for each slab, installed using compressed air caissons 15 m (49 ft) long and 6 m (20 ft) in diameter, driven to a depth of 22 m (72 ft) for support concrete slabs 6 m (20 ft) thick. Each of these slabs is supported by a limestone block with a sloping top to take on the support block of the iron structure.

Each leg of the Eiffel Tower was tied to the masonry with a pair of bolts 10 cm (4 in) in diameter and 7.5 m (25 ft) long. The foundation was completed on June 30, after which the construction of the metal structure began. Visible work on the spot was supplemented by a huge amount of demanding preparatory work, which took place behind the scenes: the design office produced 1700 general drawings and 3629 detailed drawings, 18038 various necessary parts. The task of compiling the components was complicated by the difficult angles developed by the designer and the degree of precision required: the position of the rivet holes was specified to within 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) and the angles worked out to one second of arc. The finished components (some already knotted together) arrived on horse-drawn carts from a factory in the Parisian suburb of Levallois-Perret. At first they were fastened with bolts, which were replaced with rivets as the construction of the tower progressed. Neither drilling nor milling was done on site: if a part didn't fit, it was sent back to the factory to be changed. A total of 18,038 pieces were connected together using 2.5 million rivets.

At first, the legs were cantilevered, but about halfway through the first level, construction was halted to create a scaffold from timber materials. This renewal raised concerns about the tower's structural integrity, as well as sensational tabloid headlines: "Eiffel Suicide!" and "Gustave Eiffel went mad: he was imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital." At this stage, a small "creeping" crane was installed, designed to move up the towers in each leg. They used rails for elevators, which had to be installed in four legs. The critical step of joining the legs on the first level was completed by the end of March 1888. Although the metalwork had been prepared with great attention to detail, minor adjustments were later made to align the legs; hydraulic jacks capable of exerting 800 tons of force were fitted to the beams at the base of each leg, and the legs were deliberately built at a slightly steeper angle than necessary, supported by sandboxes on the platform. Although 300 workers were involved in the construction, only one person died. Eiffel developed strict security measures, the use of movable ladders, handrails and screens.

Eiffel tower elevators

Equipping the tower with high-quality and safe passenger elevators was a serious issue for the government commission supervising the Exposition. Although some visitors could have climbed to the first level, and even to the second, the main means of ascent would certainly have been the elevators.

The construction of the lifts to the first level was relatively simple: the legs were wide enough at the bottom and straight enough to contain a straight path. The contract was awarded to the French company "Roux", Combaluzier & Lepape" for two elevators, which were installed in the east and west legs. "Roux, Combaluzier & Lepape" used a pair of endless chains with rigid, articulated links to which the machine was attached. Weight some of the chain links were balanced by the heavy weight of the machine.The machine was raised from the bottom up rather than lowered from the top: to prevent the chain from buckling, it was enclosed in a tube.At the bottom of the run, the chains passed around sprockets with a diameter of 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in Smaller sprockets at the top controlled the chains.

Installing elevators leading to the second level was a more difficult task, since it was impossible to lead a direct path. No French company wanted to take on this job. The European branch of "Otis Brothers & Company" made a proposal, but this proposal was rejected: the rules of the fair excluded the use of any foreign materials in the construction of the tower. The deadline for bids was extended, but the French companies were slow to move forward and the contract was eventually awarded to Otis in July 1887. Otis was confident that the contract would eventually be awarded to them and had already started building project.

The elevator was divided into two superimposed compartments, each to hold 25 passengers, with the elevator operator occupying the outer platform on the first level. Propulsion was provided by a tilting hydraulic rod 12.67 m (41 ft 7 in) long and 96.5 cm (38.0 in) in diameter which was mounted in the leg of the turret with a stroke of 10.83 m (35 ft 6 inches): this required a wagon with six pulleys. Five fixed pulleys were mounted above the leg, creating a device similar to pulley and tackle, but acting in reverse, multiplying the stroke of the piston rather than the force produced. The hydraulic pressure in the control cylinder was generated by a large open reservoir on the second level. When exhausted from the cylinder, the water was pumped back into a tank with two pumps in the engine room at the base of the south leg. This reservoir also provided power to the first level lifts.

The original lifts between the second and third levels were supplied by Leon Edux. A pair of 81-meter (266 ft) hydraulic cylinders were installed on the second level and ran almost halfway to the third level. One elevator car was mounted on top of these cylinders, with cables running from the top to the pulleys on the third level and back down to the second car. Each lift only ran half the distance between the second and third levels, and passengers were required to change lifts halfway through using a short gangway. Each 10-ton car could carry 65 passengers.

Official opening of the Eiffel Tower

The main structural work was completed at the end of March 1889. On March 31, Eiffel celebrated the tower's completion by leading a group of government officials, accompanied by members of the press, to the top of the tower. Because the elevators had not yet been put into service, the ascent was made on foot, and took an hour as Eiffel stopped frequently to explain the various functions. Most of the members of the group decided to stop at the lower levels, but some of them, including structural engineer Emile Nouguier, construction manager Jean Compagnon, City Council President and reporters from "Le Figaro" and "Le Monde Illustre", made the ascent to the upper level of the tower . At 2:35 pm, the Eiffel raised the large tricolor to the accompaniment of a 25-gun salute on the first level.

But, there was still a lot of work ahead, in particular on elevators and equipment, and the tower was not open to the public for another nine days after the opening of the exhibition on May 6; even then, the elevators were not completed. The towers were an instant hit with the public, with almost 30,000 visitors taking 1,710 steps to reach the top before the lifts went into service (May 26). Ticket price 2 francs for the first level, 3 for the second and 5 for the upper part, half price on Sundays. By the end of the exhibition, the number of visitors totaled 1,896,987 people.

After dark, the tower was illuminated by hundreds of gas lamps, and the beacon sent out three beams of red, white, and blue light. Two spotlights mounted on a circular rail were used to illuminate the various exposition buildings. The daily opening and closing of the exposition was accompanied by the roar of cannons at the top of the tower.

The second level was occupied by the office of the French newspaper "Le Figar". There was also a printing press for printing special souvenir editions from "Le Figaro de la Tour". They also sold baked goods.

At the top was a post office where visitors could send letters and postcards to commemorate their visit to the tower. It was also possible to write down your impressions of the tower on sheets of paper on the walls specially installed for visitors. Gustave Eiffel described some of the reviews as "vraiment curieuse" ("truly curious").

The tower was visited by such famous people like the Prince of Wales, Sarah Bernhardt, "Buffalo Bill" Cody (his "Wild West show" brought attention to the exposition) and Thomas Edison. Eiffel invited Edison to his suite at the top of the tower, where Edison presented him with one of his gramophones, a new invention and one of the exhibit's many highlights. Edison signed the guestbook with this message:

"For M. Eiffel, an engineer, a brave builder of such a gigantic and original specimen modern technology from the one who has the greatest respect and admiration of all engineers, including the great engineer Bon Dew, Thomas Edison."

After some debate about the exact location of the tower, a contract was signed on January 8, 1887. It was signed by Eiffel on his own behalf rather than as a representative of his company. He was given 1.5 million francs for construction costs: less than a quarter of the approximately 6.5 million francs. Eiffel was to receive all proceeds from the commercial operation of the tower during the exhibition and for the next 20 years. He later set up a separate company to manage the tower, investing half of the required capital from his own pocket.

Why wasn't the Eiffel Tower demolished?

Eiffel had permission for the tower to stand for 20 years. It was to be dismantled in 1909 when it became the property of the city of Paris. The city planned to demolish the tower (it was part of the competition rules for the design of the tower that it should be easily dismantled), but since the tower proved valuable for communications purposes, it was allowed to keep it after the permit expired.

Eiffel used his apartment at the top of the tower to make meteorological observations and also used the tower to conduct experiments on the effects of air resistance on falling bodies.

Reconstruction of the Eiffel Tower

Prior to the 1900 World's Fair, the elevators taking passengers up to the second level at the east and west legs were replaced by those of the French company Fives-Lille. They had a compensating mechanism to keep the floor level as the angle of elevation changed at the first level. The lifts were operated by a similar hydraulic mechanism as the Otis lifts, although they were located at the base of the tower. Hydraulic pressure was provided by sealed accumulators located near this mechanism. At the same time, the lift to the first level at the northern leg was dismantled and replaced with stairs. The location of the first and second levels has been changed. It was organized by the space available to visitors on the second level. The original lift in the south leg was removed thirteen years later.

On October 19, 1901, Alberto Santos-Dumont, flying his airship No.6, won the prize of 100,000 francs offered to him by Henri Deutsche de la Meerthe as the first person to fly from Saint Cloud to the Eiffel Tower and back in less than than half an hour.

At the beginning of the 20th century, many innovations took place on the Eiffel Tower. In 1910, Theodor Wulff's father measured the radiation levels at the top and bottom of the tower. At the top, he discovered, as he expected, what is known today as cosmic rays. Just two years later, on February 4, 1912, the Austrian tailor Franz Reichel died after jumping from the first level of the tower (57 meters high) to demonstrate his parachute design. In 1914, at the start of World War I, a radio transmitter located in the tower jammed German radio communications, seriously hindering their advance in Paris and contributing to the Allied victory at the First Battle of the Marne. From 1925 to 1934, "Citroën" illuminated signs adorned three sides of the tower, making it the tallest billboard in the world at the time. In April 1935, the tower was used for an experimental low-definition television transmission using a 200 watt shortwave transmitter. On November 17, an improved 180-line transmitter was installed.

Interesting facts from the history of the Eiffel Tower

Sale of the Eiffel Tower

In two separate but related cases in 1925, the swindler Viktor Lustig "sold" the tower for scrap. A year later, in February 1926, pilot Léon Collet died while trying to fly under the turret. His plane became entangled in an antenna belonging to a wireless station. On May 2, 1929, a bust of Gustave Eiffel Antoine Bourdelle was unveiled at the base of the north leg. In 1930, the tower lost its title as the world's tallest structure when the Chrysler Building was completed in New York. In 1938 the decorative arcade around the first level was removed.

After the German occupation of Paris in 1940, the lifting cables were cut by the French. The tower was closed to the public during the occupation and the elevators were not restored until 1946. In 1940, German soldiers had to climb the tower to raise the swastika, but the flag was so large that it was blown away just a few hours later, after which it was replaced with a smaller one. When visiting Paris, Hitler decided not to climb the tower. In August 1944, as the Allies were closing in on Paris, Hitler ordered General Dietrich von Choltitz, the military governor of Paris, to demolish the tower along with the rest of the city. Von Choltitz disobeyed orders. On June 25, before the Germans were expelled from Paris, the Nazi flag was changed to the tricolor by two men from the French Naval Museum who were nearly beaten by three led by Lucien Sarniguet, who lowered the Tricolor on June 13, 1940, when Paris fell before the Germans.

Fire at the Eiffel Tower

On January 3, 1956, a fire broke out at the television transmitter, which resulted in damage to the top of the tower. It took a year to repair, and in 1957, a radio antenna, which had been there earlier, was attached to the top. In 1964, the Minister of Culture André Malraux officially recognized the Eiffel Tower as a historical monument. A year later, an additional lifting system was installed in the north column.

According to an interview, in 1967, Montreal Mayor Jean-Dropau made a secret agreement with Charles de Gaulle that the tower be dismantled and temporarily relocated to Montreal to serve as a landmark and tourist attraction during Expo 67. The plan was allegedly vetoed by the tower's operating company for fear that the French government might refuse permission to restore the tower to its original location.

Eiffel Tower elevator replacement

In 1982, the original elevators between the second and third levels were replaced after 97 years of service. They were closed to the public between November and March because the water in the hydraulic drive tended to freeze. The new cars work in pairs, one counterbalancing the other, and travel in one stage, reducing travel time from eight minutes to less than two minutes. At the same time, two new fire escapes were installed to replace the original spiral staircases. In 1983, the South Column was fitted with an electrically powered Otis elevator to service the Jules Verne restaurant. Installed in 1899, the "Fives-Lille" elevators that climbed the east and west columns were completely renovated in 1986. The machines have been replaced and a computer system has been installed to fully automate them. Propulsion was transferred from the hydraulic water system to the new electrically driven oil hydraulics, and the original water hydraulics were retained solely as a counterbalance system. Three years later, a service lift was added to the south pillar to move small loads and maintenance personnel.

On March 31, 1984, Robert Moriarty flew a Beechcraft Bonanza under the tower. In 1987, AJ Hackett made one of his first bungee jumps from the top of the Eiffel Tower using a special cord he helped develop. Hackett was detained by the police. On October 27, 1991, Thierry Devaux, along with mountain guide Hervé Calvayrac, performed a series of acrobatic figures along with bungee jumping on the second floor of the tower. Deveaux used an electric winch between the figures in front of the Champ de Mars to return to the second floor. He stopped after the sixth jump when firefighters arrived.

Lights and night illumination of the Eiffel Tower

On December 31, 1999, to celebrate the "Countdown to the Year 2000", flashing lights and powerful floodlights were installed on the tower. Fireworks flickered around the tower. This event was dedicated to the exhibition above the cafeteria on the ground floor. The searchlights at the top of the tower made it a beacon in the night sky of Paris, and 20,000 flashing lights gave the tower a brilliant appearance for five minutes every hour.

On December 31, 2000, the lights flashed blue for several nights to usher in the new millennium. The brilliant lighting continued for 18 months until July 2001. The glittering lights were turned on again on June 21, 2003, and the spectacle was scheduled to last 10 years, after which the light bulbs needed to be replaced.

Eiffel Tower attendance

On November 28, 2002, the 200,000,000th guest visited the tower. In 2003, the tower was operating at maximum capacity and was visited by about 7 million people. In 2004, a seasonal skating rink was placed on the first level of the Eiffel Tower. During the renovation in 2014, a glass floor was installed on the first level.

Characteristics of the Eiffel Tower

What metal is the Eiffel Tower made of?

The weight of the Eiffel Tower's wrought iron is 7,300 tons, and with the addition of elevators, shops, and antennas, the total weight is about 10,100 tons. As a demonstration of the economics of the design, if 7,300 tons of metal were melted into the structure, it would fill a square base, 125 meters (410 feet) on each side, to a depth of only 6.25 cm (2.46 inches), assuming a metal density of 7.8 tons per cubic meter. In addition, the cubic box surrounding the tower (324m x 125m x 125m) would contain 6,200 tons of air, weighing nearly as much as the iron itself. Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower can move up to 18 cm (7 inches) away from the sun due to thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun.

Structural stability of the Eiffel Tower

When the tower was built, many were shocked by its audacious form. Eiffel has been accused of trying to create something artistic without paying attention to design principles. However, Eiffel and his team—experienced bridge builders—understood the importance of wind forces, and knew that if they were going to build the tallest building in the world, they had to make sure it could withstand those forces. In an interview for Le Temps published on February 14, 1887, Eiffel said:

Isn't it true that the very conditions that give strength also correspond to the hidden rules of harmony? ... Therefore, what phenomenon should I have focused on when designing the Tower? This is wind resistance. Well then! I believe that the curvature of the four outer edges of the monument, which mathematically should have been ... will give a great impression of strength and beauty, as it will reveal to the eye of the observer the boldness of the design as a whole.

He more often used graphical methods to determine the strength of the tower and empirical data to account for the influence of wind, instead of mathematical formulas. Careful examination of the tower reveals a mostly exponential shape. Careful work was carried out on every detail of the tower to ensure maximum resistance to the force of the wind. The upper half was even supposed to have no gaps in the lattice. In the following years, after the completion of the project, engineers put forward various mathematical hypotheses in an attempt to explain its success. The most recent, developed in 2004 after letters sent by Eiffel to the French Society of Civil Engineers in 1885 were translated into English, is described as a non-linear integral equation based on the counteraction of wind pressure on any point of the tower with tension between structural elements at that point.

Does the Eiffel Tower sway?

The Eiffel Tower sways up to 9 cm (3.5 inches) in the wind.

What's inside the Eiffel Tower?

When the Eiffel Tower was built, there were three restaurants on the first level - one French, one Russian and one Flemish, as well as an Anglo-American bar. After the exposition was closed, the Flemish Restaurant was converted into a theater with 250 seats. A 2.6 meters (8 ft 6 in) wide promenade ran outside the first level. At the top, there were laboratories for various experiments, as well as small apartments that Gustave Eiffel used to entertain guests. The apartment is currently open to the public, complete with period decorations as well as realistic mannequins of Eiffel and some of his notable guests.

In May 2016, an apartment was created on the first level to accommodate the four winners of the competition during the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament in Paris in June. The apartment has a kitchen, two bedrooms, a living room and views of the sights of Paris, including the Seine, the Sacré Coeur and the Arc de Triomphe.

Passenger elevators in the Eiffel Tower

The location of the elevators has changed several times during the history of the tower. Considering the elasticity of the cables and the time it takes to align the cars with the seats, each round trip, under normal service, takes an average of 8 minutes and 50 seconds, spending an average of 1 minute and 15 seconds at each level. The average travel time between levels is 1 minute. The original hydraulic mechanism is on public display in a small museum at the base of the east and west legs. Since the mechanism requires frequent lubrication and Maintenance, public access is often restricted. Visitors can see the rope mechanism of the north tower when they exit the elevator.

Eiffel Tower inscriptions

Gustave Eiffel engraved the names of 72 French scientists, engineers and mathematicians on the tower in recognition of their contribution to the construction of the tower. Eiffel chose this "challenge of science" because of his concern about the artists' protest. At the beginning of the 20th century, the engravings were painted over, but in 1986-87 they were restored by the Société Nouvelle d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, working on the tower.

Aesthetic appearance of the Eiffel Tower

The tower is painted in three shades: lighter at the top, it gradually darkens towards the bottom and perfectly complements the Parisian sky. She was originally reddish brown; this color changed in 1968 to bronze, known as "Eiffel Tower Brown".

The only non-structural elements are the four decorative lattice arches added in Sauverre's sketches, which served to make the tower more substantial and create a more impressive entrance to the exposition.

How to see the Eiffel Tower

One of the great Hollywood clichés is that the view from a Parisian window always includes the tower. In fact, since zoning restrictions allow most buildings in Paris to be up to seven stories tall, only a small number of high-rise buildings have a good view of the tower.

Maintenance of the Eiffel Tower

Tower maintenance includes applying 60 tons of paint every seven years to prevent corrosion. The tower has been completely repainted at least 19 times since it was built. Lead paint was used until 2001 when the practice was discontinued due to concerns about environment.

Eiffel Tower and tourism

Where is the Eiffel Tower located?

The nearest metro station is "Bir-Hakeim" and the nearest RER station is "Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel". The tower itself is located at the intersection of the Branly and Pont d "Iéna embankments.

Popularity of the Eiffel Tower among tourists

Over 250 million people have visited the tower since it was completed in 1889. In 2015, there were 6.91 million visitors. The tower is the most visited monument in the world. An average of 25,000 people climb the tower each day, which can lead to long queues. Tickets can be purchased online to avoid queues.

Eiffel Tower Restaurants

The tower has two restaurants: "Le 58 Tour Eiffel" on the first level, and "Le Jules Verne", a gourmet restaurant with a separate lift, on the second level. This restaurant has one star in the Red Michelin Guide. Its author is Michelin star chef Alain Ducasse, who owes his name to the famous science fiction writer Jules Verne.

Copies of the Eiffel Tower in the cities of the world

As one of the world's most iconic landmarks, the Eiffel Tower has inspired many replicas and similar towers. An early example is Blackpool Tower in England. The mayor of Blackpool, Sir John Bickerstaff, was so impressed when he saw the Eiffel Tower at the 1889 Exhibition that he commissioned a similar tower to be built in his city. It was opened in 1894 and stood at 158.1 meters (518 feet). Built for communications in 1958, Tokyo Tower in Japan was also inspired by the Eiffel Tower.

There are various scale models of the tower in the United States, including a half scale model of the Paris Tower in Las Vegas, Nevada, one in Texas built in 1993, and two 1:3 scale models in Kings Island, Ohio, and Kings Dominoion (Virginia), in amusement parks that opened in 1972 and 1975, respectively. Two 1:3 scale models can be found in China, one in Durango (Mexico) which was donated to the local French community, and several more throughout Europe.

In 2011, the National Geographic Channel TV show "Pricing the Priceless" suggested that about $480 million would be needed to build a full-size replica of the tower.

Functions of the Eiffel Tower

The tower has been used to provide radio transmission since the early 20th century. Until the 1950s, sets of overhead wires ran from the top of the tower to anchors on Avenue de Suffren and Champ de Mars. They were connected to longwave transmitters in small bunkers. In 1909, a permanent underground radio center was built under the south pillar, which still exists today. On November 20, 1913, the Paris Observatory used the Eiffel Tower as an antenna to exchange wireless signals with the US Naval Observatory, which used the antenna at Arlington, Virginia. The purpose of the transmissions was to measure the difference in longitude between Paris and Washington, DC. Today, radio and television signals are transmitted using the Eiffel Tower.

FM radio

TV antenna on the Eiffel Tower

A television antenna was first installed on the tower in 1957, adding 18.7 m (61.4 ft) to its height. Work carried out in 2000 added another 5.3 m (17.4 ft), giving the current height of 324 m (1,063 ft). Analog television signals from the Eiffel Tower were discontinued on March 8, 2011.

Why can't you shoot the Eiffel Tower at night?

The tower and its image have long been in the public domain. However, in June 1990, a French court ruled that the tower's special display lighting in 1989, which marked the tower's 100th anniversary, was an "original visual development" that was protected by copyright. The Court of Cassation, France's judicial court of last resort, upheld the decision in March 1992. "The Société d"Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel" currently treats any illumination of the tower as a separate work of art that is subject to copyright. As a result, SNTE argues that it is illegal to publish contemporary photographs of the illuminated tower at night for commercial use without permits in France and some other countries.

The introduction of copyright was controversial. The Director of Documentation of the then "Société Nouvelle d" exploitation de la Tour Eiffel" (SNTE), commented in 2005: "It's really just a way of managing commercial use images, so that it is not used in ways we do not approve." SNTE (the company that runs the Eiffel Tower) earned over €1 million in royalties in 2002. However, this can also be used to restrict the publication of tourist photographs of the tower in night time, as well as to discourage non-commercial and semi-commercial publication of images of the illuminated tower.

French doctrine and jurisprudence allows the photographing of an illuminated copyrighted work if its presence is accidental or ancillary to the subject represented, which is analogous to the rule "De minimis" ("The law does not care about the little things"). Therefore, SETE may not be able to claim copyright on photographs of Paris that may include the illuminated tower.

Eiffel Tower in popular culture

The Eiffel Tower has been portrayed in films, video games and television shows as a global landmark.

In a commitment ceremony in 2007, American Erica Eiffel "married" the Eiffel Tower; her relationship with the tower has been the subject of extensive global publicity.

Despite being the world's tallest structure on completion in 1889, the Eiffel Tower lost its reputation as both the tallest lattice tower and the tallest structure in France. Height with new antenna is 324 meters (as of 2010)