Eiffel Tower

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Preface:

Eiffel Tower in the city of Paris, is one of the most famous European monuments. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel who was designed that great tower, a French engineer who also help establish the statue of liberty in the United States. Gustave was born in Dijon in France on December 15 1832. The Eiffel Tower ways about 7300 tons, 986 feet height and is recognized worldwide. The climbing of the Eiffel Tower on feet bye shoes take about 1665 steps.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris has become an icon for France and is known around the world for its daring and unusual structure.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous buildings in the world. It was built for the World’s Fair in 1889. It became very popular and so the French decided not to demolish it when the World’s Fair was over. Later it was used as a radio tower. But in 1925 the tower was in a bad condition, and there were articles about the problem in the newspapers.

This Paris landmark was named after its engineer designer Gustave Eiffel and was constructed between 1887 and 1889, and was built as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle, which was a World's Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution, with the Eiffel Tower being inaugurated on 31 March 1889, and opened on 6 May 1889.

Eiffel Tower

With 200,000,000 people having visited the Eiffel Tower since its construction, it makes this monument the most visited paid monument per year and being the tallest monument in the world until 1930 and still the tallest in Paris, the Eiffel Tower has seen some major events over its time.

But when the Eiffel Tower was built, it was met with resistance, as the public felt it was an eyesore, even though the people of Paris today would not wish to be without it, as it is widely considered to be a striking piece of structural art!

People were also shocked at the daring shape, questioning Gustave Eiffel wondering if he really was a good engineer, but being that he and his engineers were renowned bridge builders, he came back with comments stating that it was based on mathematical calculations utilising wind resistance.

Gustave Eiffel

And including the 24m antenna, the Eiffel Tower is 324m high, weighs in at 7,300 tons and can sway 6 to 7cm in the wind and due to the thermal expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun, depending upon the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 18cm.

Due to the fact the Gustave Eiffel was only given a permit for the Eiffel Tower to stand for 20 years, as it passed to the city, the Eiffel Tower was to be taken down in 20 years, but because it became valuable as a communications resource, it was allowed to remain in place even after the permit had expired.

And because the Eiffel Tower was originally meant to be a temporary structure, it now has to be repainted every 7 years, just to stop this famous monument from rusting!

There are three levels in all and the stairs begin at the south towers, but both the first and second levels are accessible by stairs and lifts. Yet the third level summit is only accessible by lift. On the first platform, the stairs continue up from the east tower.

Taking the steps is not for the feint hearted, as the actual count of stairs includes 9 steps to the ticket booth at the base of the Eiffel Tower, 328 steps to the first level, 340 steps to the second level, and 18 steps to the lift platform on the second level. And when exiting the lift at the third level, there are another 15 more steps to ascend to the upper observation platform. Whether you think this a good idea or not, the actual step count is printed periodically on the side of the stairs to give you an indication of your progress and there are a total of 710 steps!!!

At least you can always have dinner at the restaurant to catch your breath before going back down to the bottom, or if you are more energetic then you could go ice skating, which has been held at the Eiffel Tower every winter since 2004!

And although most people have the idea that the Eiffel Tower can be seen from almost anywhere in Paris, this is actually not the case and there are only a few of the taller buildings that can get a clear view of the tower.

Even if people hadn’t heard of the Eiffel Tower before, if they like James Bond movies, then they were sure to know of it after the 1985 movie A View to a Kill as James Bond chases May Day played by actress Grace Jones at the Eiffel Tower as she parachuted from the tower. The video of the movie's theme also included several scenes of the pop group Duran Duran staged on the tower as well.

On New Year's Eve of 2000 for the Millennium celebrations, the Eiffel Tower played a major role in Paris, as it had fireworks that exploded from the whole length of the tower in a spectacular display.

Historical Events in the Tower:

Eiffel Tower remained the tallest monument over numerous decades. When the temperature is very hot, the Tower can incline its peak by up to 18 cm while under the effects of the wind the peak can also move a few centimetres. The maximum amplitude was 9 cm during the December 1999 storm.

It also celebrates its anniversaries. For its 50th birthday, a mass was given on the fi rst fl oor. For its seventy fifth birthday, some alpinists climbed the Tower. For its centenary, Philippe Petit, a funambulist, walked on a tight rope stretched between the Eiffel Tower and the Palais de Chaillot at the Trocadero.

Pilots are attracted by the Tower, such as Santos-Dumont who, in 1901, won a prize for fl ying higher than the Tower in an airship.

Count de Lambert flew over Paris in an airplane and around the Tower for the fi rst time. (1909)

Mr. Reichelt, a tailor nicknamed « the bird man », killed himself when he jumped from the first floor using a parachute of his own fabrication. (1912)

An aviator, Léon Collot, killed himself when he tried to fl y under the Eiffel Tower. (1926)

Two paratroopers jumped from the third floor without any permission. (1984)

A New-Zealander did a « yoyo » bungee jumping from the second floor. (1987)

After 10 years, a professional British stuntman jumped from the first floor with a parachute.

Going up and down the Tower stairs has also given rise to many competitions and records.

(The year 1905), is the date of the first stair climbing competition to the first floor. It was organized by the newspaper called « Le Sport » and the first prize was a bicycle.

Pierre Labric, who later became Montmartre’s mayor, pedalled down from the fi rst fl oor to the ground. (1923)

In 1983, Charles Coutard and Joël Descuns went up and down the Tower’s stairs with a motocross bike.

A triathlete, Yves Lossuarn won the stair climbing competition which was broadcast on the Arte channel. (1995)

The Spaniard Aitor Sarasua Zumera beat the stair climbing record previously held by Hugues Richard in 1998. The following year the latter retrieved the record time. (2001)

An Andorran entered the Book of Records having climbed 1,300 steps with a mountain bike. (2004)

The following year, the athlete Jérôme Sur, went down 345 steps between the first floor and the ground, in a wheelchair.

A new record was beaten by the oldest elephant of the Bouglione circus which walked up to the first floor.

Among some of the anecdotes including achievements and records, it is worth mentioning the one concerning the sale of the Tower by a swindler called Victor Lustig, in 1925, to a scrap metal merchant making him believe that the Tower was going to be demolished.

Eiffel Tower Tourism:

The Eiffel Tower has more than 6 million visitors every year. Its lifts are the most critical dynamic systems of the building and their availability must be maximized to ensure the 100,000 km distance covered every year [a lift every 8 minutes].

Many sources, Martyn Davis at http://www.placesinfrance.com/