The Eiffel tower

The Eiffel tower contains 18,038 pieces of steel connected by 2.5 million rivets!

One of the most prominent icons of France is the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the most recognizable structures in the world and is a symbolic image and recognized as purely French but many don’t know the entire history of this landmark. Here is the fascinating story behind the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower was originally built from 1887 to 1889 for the Exposition Universelle which is known as the World’s Fair. The World’s Fair specifically took place in Paris to commemorate the birthday of the French Revolution which brought democracy to France. The Eiffel Tower which was designed by architect Gustav Eiffel was positioned as the arch gateway for the World’s Fair and continues to be located at the Champ de Mars which is next to Seine River.

Eiffel Tower, one of the most powerful structure in the world, standing in Paris, France since 1889. It was built for the 1889 World's Fair as the entrance arch. It was inaugurated on 31st March 1889. It took 2 years 2 months and 5 days to complete the tower. Almost 7 million visitors visit Eiffel Tower every year and it is a most visited paid monument in the world.

The name was given by its designer name, Gustave Eiffel. It is the tallest building in Paris. There are 2 restaurants at the tower.

1) Le 58 tour Eiffel
2) Le Jules Verne

A lunch here will cost you around 17-20 Euros.

It is open seven days a week throughout the year. The minimum ticket rate for stair entrance ticket which is valid up to 2nd floor is 4.5 Euros for Adult, 3.5 Euros for person who are 12 to 24 years and 3 Euros for disabled persons and children of 4-11 years age. The higher you go the more you pay.

Designed by its namesake, the engineer Gustave Eiffel, the plans for the tower was among 700 proposals for an entrance arch to be built for the 1889 World’s Fair, which also commemorated the centenary of the French Revolution. It had been previously proposed to, and rejected by, a similar competition in Barcelona.

Construction took roughly two years, and the tower was completed and inaugurated in March of 1889, and opened in May of 1889. Until 1930 when the Chrysler Building was built in New York City the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world.

The Eiffel Tower initially drew the ire of Parisians. Its frame design was considered by many to be ugly, harsh, and generally an eyesore. Structurally it was just a frame, with eighteen thousand pieces of iron held together by two and a half million rivets. But the design was calculated and deliberate, and took into consideration the tower’s great height, as well as wind resistance.

The original permit for the tower was only for it to be kept for 20 years and it was due to be torn down in 1909.

However, the dawn of the radio age changed its course in history. At the turn of the century, the tower became the perfect transmitter for radio signals, and long range communication and it was from here in 1913 that the United States and France conducted a joint experiment to send radiowaves between Paris and Washington DC.

As a tourist attraction the tower attracts an average of 10,000 visitors a day, who have access to the first three floors, reaching 902 feet (275 meters). There are also two restaurants in the tower. The Tower welcomed its 200,000,000th visitor in 2002.