The land of Europe holds great attractions for tourists from all around the world. Paris is one of the best places to spend your vacations. Among the many monuments of Paris, one of the most elegant pieces of structural engineering is the Eiffel Tower. There are many romantic connotations associated with Eiffel Tower, but what most of the people do not know about this giant metal hunk is the process of its construction. Especially, the people who have an eye for architecture would want to know what is it made up of.
1- Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower cost about eight million francs to build.
2- Many artists and architects were not comfortable with the idea of the Eiffel Tower, and there were many who even wrote a petition against it.
3- The construction of the tower began on January 26, 1887. It almost took two years, two months and two days to complete the construction.
4- Call it the luck of Paris that it stands till this date, because initially it was planned that the tower was there to stand only for 20 years.
5- It played a great part in early radiophonic experiments and also the start of French Television.
6- The tower is about 324 feet tall and consumed 7300 tons of iron. It took 18,038 metallic components to build up the structure.
7- A race was held in 1905 by L’Euipe. The first person to reach the top of the Eiffel won a bike. The total time he took to reach the top was three minutes and 12 seconds.
8- An aviator named Leon Callot was killed when he tried to fly under the tower. The death occurred because he hit the television antennas in his attempt to fly.
9- On the day of its 75th anniversary, mountaineers climbed up the tower which was televised in a live broadcast.
10-The tower actually shrinks about six inches whenever it rains.
11- It has also been observed that the tower leans and sways in the heat; about 18 centimeters, it is estimated.
12- In 1934, a French car manufacturer Citroen used the tower as a giant billboard which made his advertisement set a record for the world’s largest advertisement.
13- Gustave Eiffel owned an apartment on the third floor of the Eiffel Tower, in which he used to invite his friends and family.
14- Back then, the tourist would have to climb 1,665 steps to reach the top of the tower. Luckily, they have an elevator today.
15- Two Britons jumped with parachutes from the tower. They did not take any permission from the authorities so the authorities were a bit displeased.
16- Breaking his own 1998 record, Hugues Richard climbed the tower on a mountain bike in 2002.
17- Most of the tourists are French who visit the tower frequently.
18- It is estimated that about seven million people visit Eiffel Tower each year.
19- 2010 is marked as a special year in the history of Eiffel tower, as it marks the celebration of the 250 millionth visitor.
20- The tower is known for its fine dining experience, as you will find in it some of the internationally acclaimed restaurants including Jules Verne Restaurant.
