I have been writing about technology over my blog, this time I wanted to share a thing which I want to do in my lifetime- It is to visit the Eiffel tower. I love to travel and visiting Eiffel tower is on my bucket list. Eiffel tower is around 130 years old and still attracts tourists from all over the world. It is indeed an engineering marvel and the top of Eiffel tower shows a magnificent view. Read along to know some facts about the iron lady that may surprise you.
Basic facts on Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower is a wrought iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. It is the tallest structure in Paris and it is about the height of an 81 stored building, to be precise 324m tall.
The Eiffel Tower was built in two years, two months, and five days; the construction began in the year 1887.
Why was it constructed?
The Eiffel tower was constructed to commemorate the French revolution, the massive engineering feat showed the might of France’s industry. Although it was meant to stay for 20 years, the removal was canceled, the tower was later used as a wireless telegraph transmitter and thus making it useful.
France may feel proud of them that they did not abolish the magnificent marvel, and today it is the most-visited paid monument. Every year around 7 million travelers pay a visit to this tower.
Some other surprising facts
• The two senior engineers of the company owned by Gustave Eiffel who designed the Eiffel Tower their names are- Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier
• By now there are around 300 million-plus people who have visited Eiffel Tower
• The Eiffel Tower was originally intended for Barcelona, Spain, but the project was rejected.
• London attempted to build something similar to the Eiffel tower, they started doing so in 1889, but as the structure was unsteady it was not completed and was finally demolished in 1907.
• In 1944 Hitler ordered the German military governor of France to tear it down but he refused. Moreover, when Hitler visited France during WW2, the French cut the lift cables on the Eiffel Tower so that Hitler would have to climb the steps if he wanted to reach the top.
• The wrought iron used in the tower weighs around 7,300 tons and the addition of lifts, shops, and antennae have brought the total weight to approximately 10,100 tons
• Wrought Iron tends to expand as there is a change in temperature, the tower is completely made of iron and hence it has a change of about 15 cm as the temperature changes, heat expands iron whereas cold shrinks it.
• As the tower is made of iron, it requires frequent paint jobs to save it from rusting; the maintenance of the tower includes applying 60 tons of paint every seven years. Till now the tower has been painted around 19 times. The paint on the Eiffel Tower weighs as much as 10 elephants.
• The tower is painted in three shades: lighter at the top and then getting darker towards the bottom, this color scheme complements well with the sky. Till 968, the color was reddish-brown, later it was changed to Bronze color. The color is also denoted as Eiffel tower brown.
• One can climb the Eiffel tower to floor one, later on, one needs to take a lift. There are 1,710 steps up to the top. It takes an average of 8 minutes and 50 seconds to do the round trip, spending an average of 1 minute and 15 seconds at each level. The average journey time between levels is 1 minute
• If the Eiffel Tower was built today, it would cost about US$31 million.
• Daily Eiffel Tower has around 25,000 visitors, it is wise to get tickets online to avoid standing in long queues
• Eiffel Tower ticket costs vary wildly. Adults over the age of 25 who wish to take the 704 stairs to the second-floor pay 7 euros, those aged 12 to 24 years pay 5 euros, and children 4 to 11 pay 3 euros. Admission tickets with elevator access to the second floor cost 11 euros, 8.50 euros, and 4 euros, respectively.
• There are 20,000 light bulbs on the Eiffel Tower, to conserve power they are shut off at 1 AM
• The tower sways a bit in case of high winds
• There are two restaurants on the first and second level respectively, the second restaurant -Le Jules Verne is run by a Michelin star chef. Also, there is one champagne bar at the top of the Eiffel tower.
• One can also find the penthouse of Gustave Eiffel at the top level of the tower.
• There are over 30 replicas of the Eiffel Tower around the world.
• The Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest building for 41 years until the time the Chrysler Building was built in New York
• The Tower has lost its standing both as the world’s tallest structure and the world’s tallest lattice tower but it still has the status of the tallest freestanding structure in France
• The inventor of the Parachute – Franz Reichelt, tried his parachute by jumping from the Eiffel tower, but unfortunately, his attempt was a fail and he died.
• It is illegal to take pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night. It has copyright issues, If you wish to take pictures you can take as many as you want, but only in the daytime.
• You may have heard of cons in movies, but you will be surprised to know, the Eiffel Tower was sold to a scrap metal dealer by a Con names Victor Lustig
Even Crazier facts about the Eiffel tower
After reading the above facts you may have fallen in love with the monument, You can go to an extent of booking a ticket to Paris immediately, but what if I tell you that one woman was so crazy that she has married the Eiffel Tower. The woman’s name is Erika, and she married the tower in 2007.
This was an example of immense love towards the monument, but there was also a person who found the tower useless, Novelist Guy de Maupassant hated the tower so much that he once commented that he would often dine at the base of the tower because that’s the place from where the tower is not visible to him.
With so much history attached, it is indeed something everybody would love to visit once if these facts don’t make you feel to visit there too, and then I wonder what will. So do not wait up, start planning for Paris, I know I have.
Ajay Rathod
Hi!! I am Ajay, and I’m a passionate blogger who loves to write about a variety of topics. I’m always eager to explore new ideas and share my thoughts with others.