Built as a showcase of technology for France, Eiffel, this bold and historic tower, pushed the country towards modernity. Today, this building is the most visited historical building in Paris.
Three floors, three atmospheres
The first floor, 57 meters above ground level (345 steps), has been extensively renovated. The highlight of the remake? Transparent floor throughout the area that allows you to feel like you are flying above the crowd below. Three glass and steel pavilions, tilted to follow the curves of the columns, have also been added, housing some of the reception areas, and an immersive film screening about the tower’s history. And the upcoming opening in May 2022 of a brand new restaurant “Madame Brasserie” with a menu signed by Thierry Marx, which respects contemporary and friendly cuisine.
Climb another 359 steps and you reach the second floor at 115 meters with fantastic views of the city… Le Jules Verne gourmet restaurant offers a stylish menu created by Frédéric Anton and has its own elevator to the south. column. If you’re in a hurry, at least make a quick stop at the Macaron Bar before continuing on.
The third floor is 276 meters high and is only accessible by lift – and even then there is a limit of 800 people. Try to get there an hour before sunset to enjoy the best light. You can also visit the (reconstructed) office of Gustave Eiffel and the champagne bar.
March 31, 1889: The date of the opening of the Eiffel Tower, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
In 1889, the first official visitors to the Eiffel Tower were the British Royal Family and Buffalo Bill. All have signed Gustave Eiffel’s guest book.
Even before the end of construction, the Eiffel Tower was criticized by intellectuals of the time (Charles Garnier, Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant). The tower, which some refer to as “a giant giraffe of success”, nevertheless managed to impose itself in the eyes of the whole world.
At 324 meters tall, the Eiffel Tower remains the tallest French building to date.
In the storm of 1999 (one of the strongest storms of the 20th century), the top of the tower moved only 20 cm.
The Monza Chamber of Commerce in Italy estimated the value of the Eiffel Tower at 434 billion euros in 2012.
Before getting its current color (brown), the Eiffel Tower was first painted red, then yellow, and then blue.
From 1925 to 1934, Citroën advertised by writing its name on the Eiffel Tower in illuminated letters (250,000 bulbs and 600 km of electrical cables).
The weight of the tower for the steel frame is 7300 tons and the total weight is 10100 tons.
During the winter, the Eiffel Tower shrinks by 4 to 8 cm. When the temperature rises, it returns to its original size. In warm weather, metal expansion causes the monument to move, which in 1976 registered a record 18 cm slope.
With 7 million visitors a year, the Eiffel Tower is the busiest paid tower in the world. The three most visited places in France in front of the Eiffel Tower are Disneyland, Notre Dame Paris and the Louvre!
Le Jules Verne restaurant offers an average of 2 marriage proposals every day.
There is the equivalent of 16 tones of color on the Eiffel Tower, which has been painted 18 times.
Originally, the tower’s lighthouse was placed in a small carriage on rails that circled above to illuminate Paris. It was only in 2000 that the device was modified: 4 fixed projectors, each on one side of the building, are used alternately at night.
Franz Reichelt died at the age of 33 on February 4, 1912, while jumping from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower to test his invention, the parachute suit.
There is a chimney at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Few people notice it behind the west pillar and yet it has been there for 123 years! Hidden in a park between some shrubs, this red brick turret dates back to when the tower was built, so it dates back to 1887. Its function was purely industrial and not decorative as it was connected to the engine room located under the south pillar.
Lighting the Eiffel Tower requires about 20,000 bulbs, although they are rarely lit at once. During important events, it can be decorated with colors and stand out even more in the landscape.
The exact number of replicas of the Eiffel Tower is unknown, but there are about 30 monuments that were inspired by it. To discover them, you have to go to Las Vegas, China, Canada… The Eiffel Tower is in the four corners of the world!
The bravest can walk to the top of the Eiffel Tower. To do this, just go up the stairs of the east door, but be careful, the 1665 steps can get the better of your will…
On the top floor is the former apartment of Gustave Eiffel. Today you can discover wax figures of Gustave Eiffel and Thomas Edison in full discussion. However, the creator certainly never lived there as the space was used as a weather station and then as a laboratory for the first TSF experiments.
Broadcasting a picture of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night is prohibited. In fact, illustrations are a work protected by intellectual property laws.
During World War II, the French thought there was no such thing as a small symbol. Thus, while Hitler was visiting the capital, the elevator cables of the Eiffel Tower were cut. If senior officers and soldiers wanted to enjoy the view, they had to walk!
Erica LaBrie is a former US Army. This young woman fell in love with the Eiffel Tower during a trip in 2004 and decided to marry our monument in 2007. Sexual desire for objects is called object love. A good example here.
The Eiffel Tower has its own post office. It allows tourists to post their postcards directly.
Source: https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/eiffel-tower