1889 World’s Fair

The tower’s design of Gustave Eiffel was chosen among seven hundred during a contest organized by the French Government on the occasion of the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair). The tower was built at a record speed considering the rudimentary means available at that time : five months for the foundations, twenty-one months for the metallic part. Some artists, among them Gounod, Zola, Maupassant, Dumas fils or Verlaine, were strongly opposed to this project. But this protest rapidly vanished with the huge success of the Tower at the World’s Fair (two million visitors). With its 300-meter height, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest monument in the world from 1889 to 1930, year of the Chrysler Building’s erection in New York.

Tourism and telecommunications

Every year, the Eiffel Tower records more than 6 million visitors. From its opening in 1889 up to year 2002 the Tower welcomed 200 million people. It is considered as the most symbolic monument of Europe. From the 1th to the 3rd floor, the view on Paris is staggering. Today the Eiffel Tower is used as a powerful means of radio transmission and communication for several television and radio stations. And this role saved it from demolition originally expected in 1909. The top of the Tower accomodates several tens of antennae, including a television mast reaching its highest point at 324 meters.

Some figures

The Tower is composed of 18,000 pieces and 2,5 million rivets. Considering its huge dimensions, the Tower is light : its metallic structure “only” weighs 7,300 tons, for a total weight of 10,000 tons including its foundations. In average, the Tower is repainted once every seven years. Its repainting requires 60 tons of paint. Since Year 2000, the Tower has played the role of a time piece at nightfall, its 20,000 light bulbs announcing the hour in a beautiful 10-minute sparkle. To go up the Eiffel Tower, visitors can use the stairs or the elevators. The 3rd and last floor can be reached only by elevator. There are several restaurants on the Eiffel Tower, among them the Michelin-starred “Jules Verne”, at the 2nd floor.