Characteristics of the Eiffel Tower. The history and construction of the Eiffel Tower is interesting and curious about the tower. Interesting information about elevators.

In the period from May 6 to October 31, 1889, a grandiose event took place in Paris; the World Exhibition was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. The exhibitions took place in specially built grandiose pavilions, and as a greeting for visitors, a Eiffel Tower. After some time, it was supposed to be dismantled in the same way as other pavilions, but this “iron lady” still stands in Paris.

As you know, Bastille Day marked the beginning of the French Revolution, which is why many monarchical countries refused to attend the exhibition. A total of 42 countries took part in this event, demonstrating their achievements in the fields of mechanical engineering, agriculture and light industry.

Dozens of decorative pavilions and exhibition halls were erected on an area of ​​1 hectare. Each country tried to decorate the space allocated for it in its national style. There were buildings with images of pharaohs, Mexican idols, Indian crocodiles.

The most outstanding exhibit of the exhibition was the Eiffel Tower - a symbol of the achievements of French science and technology. Despite the fact that its official opening took place on March 31, 1889, its elevators were not yet operational at the beginning of the exhibition. But this did not stop visitors from climbing the Eiffel Tower 30 thousand times in the first week alone.

Chief designer Gustave Eiffel simply called his creation a “300-meter tower.” It was planned that after 20 years its structure would be dismantled. Public opinion was divided. Some wrote complaints to the municipality: “For 20 years we will be forced to look at the disgusting shadow of the hated column of iron and screws stretching over the city like an ink blot.”. Others simply went to look at this miracle of engineering.

In just nine months after its opening, so many people visited the Eiffel Tower that the city was able to recoup three-quarters of its construction costs, more than 5 million francs.

But time passed, and the flow of tourists wanting to look at the 300-meter “iron lady” did not dry out. In addition, it began to be used as a tower for radio transmissions, and then for military purposes. Today the Eiffel Tower is considered a symbol not only of Paris, but of all of France. And few people remember that they once wanted to take it apart.

The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, has a complicated history. At first they categorically did not accept it, then they got used to it, and now it is impossible to imagine the capital of France without this amazing structure.

Location

The famous symbol of Paris, which gives the city a familiar look throughout the world, is located on a former military parade ground, which has been turned into a beautiful park. It is divided into alleys decorated with small ponds and flower beds. Opposite the tower is the Jena Bridge. The elegant openwork structure is visible from many points in Paris, although this was not Eiffel's original intention. The tower was supposed to fulfill one function - to become an unusual entrance to the World Exhibition.

Project approval and design assignment

The history of the Eiffel Tower began at the end of the 19th century. In 1889, the World Exhibition was to be held in the capital of France. This event was of great importance for the country. It was timed to coincide with the centenary of the day and was supposed to last for 6 months.

One of the objectives of the exhibition is to demonstrate technical innovations, so the creators of the pavilions competed to see whose project would most reflect the future. The entrance to the exhibition was supposed to be an arch. The architects were given the task of preparing a design for a structure that would demonstrate the technical power of the country and the achievements of engineering.

An offer to participate in the competition from the Parisian administration was sent to all engineering and design bureaus of the city, including Gustave Eiffel. He had no ready-made solutions, and decided to look for something suitable in projects that had been postponed. It was there that he found a sketch of the tower created by Maurice Keshlin, his employee. With the help of Emile Nouguier, the construction project was finalized and submitted to the competition by Eiffel. The prudent engineer first received a patent for it together with the creators of the project, and then bought it from Keshlen and Nouguier. Thus, ownership of the tower drawings passed to Gustave Eiffel.

Many interesting and controversial projects were proposed for the competition, and the story of the Eiffel Tower might never have begun. The engineer made changes to the design to make it more decorative, and of the four remaining applicants at the end of the competition, the commission chose him.

Eiffel Tower - year of construction and stages of construction

Construction of the gigantic structure began on January 28, 1887. It lasted for two years, two months and five days. At that time this was an unprecedented speed. Everything was explained by the highest accuracy of the drawings, in which the size of more than 18 thousand structural parts was scrupulously accurately indicated. In addition, in order to speed up the pace of work as much as possible, Eiffel used pre-fabricated parts of the tower. Two and a half million rivets were used to connect all the structural parts. In the pre-prepared parts, the holes for the rivets were already drilled and most of them were installed, which significantly speeded up assembly.

Eiffel provided that none of the pre-prepared beams and other parts of the structure weighed more than 3 tons - this would make them easier to lift with cranes. When the height of the tower outgrew the size of the lifting devices, mobile cranes designed by the architect specifically for this purpose came to the rescue, moving along rails created for future elevators.

The most difficult thing for us was not the work at the very top, at a 300-meter height, but the construction of the first platform of the tower. Sand-filled metal cylinders supported the weight of four inclined supports. By gradually releasing the sand, they could be installed in the correct position. When this was done, the first platform was installed strictly horizontally.

The cost of construction of the tower amounted to almost 8 million francs. Construction costs were recouped during the exhibition period (6 months).

Weight and size of the structure

How many meters high was the Eiffel Tower at first? It was 300 meters long and was much more impressive in its size (93 meters including the granite pedestal).

How many meters tall is the Eiffel Tower now? After installing the new antenna, it became 24 meters higher. The total weight of the tower is 10 thousand tons. With each painting, the weight of the building increases by another 60 tons.

The fate of the tower after the exhibition and the attitude of Parisians towards it

According to the agreement concluded with Eiffel, the tower was to be dismantled 20 years after its construction. Its success was deafening - during the exhibition, more than two million people wanted to look at the ingenious structure, which had no equal in the world. Within a year, we managed to recoup most of the construction costs. But the admiration of the exhibition visitors was not shared by the creative intelligentsia of Paris. The Eiffel Tower (France did not know a more controversial opinion about any other structure) caused indignation and irritation among artists and writers. They considered it ugly, like a factory chimney, and were afraid that it would disrupt the unique appearance of Paris, which had developed over centuries.

The history of the Eiffel Tower could have ended with its dismantling if not for the advent of the radio era. Radio antennas were installed on the building, and the building acquired significant strategic value. Demolition of the tower was now out of the question. In 1906, a radio station was placed in the Eiffel Tower, and in 1957 a television antenna appeared on its top.

Description of the Eiffel Tower and the reasons for its design features

The lower floor of the structure is a pyramid. It is formed by four inclined supports. The first square (65 meters in diameter) platform of the tower rests on them. The supports are connected by arched tracery vaults. Above, on four supports, lies the second platform. The next four columns of the tower begin to intertwine and connect into a huge column. There is a third platform on it. Above it there is a lighthouse and a small platform a little more than a meter in diameter.

On the first site, as planned by the architect, there was a restaurant. On the second there was another restaurant and containers with machine oil for servicing elevators. The third site was given over to laboratories (astronomical and meteorological).

Eiffel was criticized at one time for the unusual shape of the tower. In fact, the brilliant engineer and architect understood perfectly well that for such a tall structure the main danger was strong wind. The design and shape of the tower are designed to withstand high wind loads.

Eiffel Tower: interesting things about the famous symbol of Paris

Adolf Hitler visited Paris during the occupation of France by German troops and expressed a desire to climb the Eiffel Tower. But right before his arrival, the elevator drive was seriously damaged, and it was not possible to repair it under military conditions. The German leader was never able to climb the tower. After the liberation of the French capital, the elevator began operating within a few hours.

The architect of the Eiffel Tower was very concerned about safety issues, since the work was carried out at a very high altitude. In the entire history of construction, not a single worker died - this is a real achievement for those years.

Unpleasant events are also associated with the Eiffel Tower - in 2009 it was awarded the third place in popularity among suicides.

In order to repaint the tower, it will take a year and a half of work and 60 tons of paint.

On a daily basis, the tower consumes as much electricity as a small village of one hundred houses.

The famous symbol of Paris has its own patented color - “Eiffel brown”. It is as close as possible to the real bronze shade of the structure’s structures.

There are more than 300 copies of the famous tower in the world. Several of them are located in Russia: in Moscow, Krasnoyarsk, Perm, Voronezh and Irkutsk.

Eiffel Tower in culture

The famous building has more than once become an object of interest for artists, poets, writers and directors.

The history of the Eiffel Tower is recorded in documentary sources, and its possible future has been shown more than once in apocalyptic films. One of the most interesting films is the documentary “The Future of the Planet: Life After People.” It shows that without maintenance, the Eiffel Tower will not be able to withstand its main enemies for long: rust and wind. In about 150-300 years, its upper part at the level of the third platform will collapse and fall.

But most often the Eiffel Tower can be seen on the canvases of artists. Jean Béraud, known for his genre works depicting everyday life in Paris, created the painting “Near the Eiffel Tower”, in which a Parisian woman gazes in amazement at the huge structure. Marc Chagall dedicated a lot of works to Eiffel's creations.

Conclusion

One of the most recognizable buildings in the world is the Eiffel Tower. France is rightfully proud of this amazing symbol of Paris. The view of the city from the top of the tower is magnificent.

You can admire it any day - the brilliant creation of Gustave Eiffel is open to visitors on weekends.

Daria Nessel| Dec 20, 2016

The Eiffel Tower is the main symbol of Paris and all of France. Who among us would not want to be in the most magical, romantic and beautiful city on earth - Paris. It is full of colors, the French capital is captivating, opening up a new, completely unknown world. Each of us has always dreamed of strolling along the Champs Elysees, walking through the halls of Versailles, and, of course, seeing the city from a bird's eye view by climbing the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower weight

The weight of this creation of engineering is 10,100 tons, and the weight of the metal structure itself is 7,300 tons. Today, thanks to the development of technology, this amount of metal would be enough for several similar structures.

Height of the Eiffel Tower

For four decades, the Eiffel Tower with a height of 300 meters (in 2010, thanks to the installed antenna, the height increased to 324 meters) was considered the tallest in the world and was almost twice as tall as buildings of that time, such as and.

Height of the lower tier

Middle tier height

Top tier height

• From the 2nd floor, namely from 115 m, in 2010 a world record for roller jumping was set.
• In 2012, Alain Robert climbed to the top of the monument without insurance.
• The Eiffel Tower has an exclusive color called “Eiffel Brown”.
• About two thousand kilograms of paper are required to print day tickets for visitors to the Iron Lady.
• In 2007, American Erica Labrie took the Eiffel Tower as her husband. The government did not recognize the marriage, but the woman was allowed to change her name to Erica La Tour Eiffel.
• The creator of the Iron Lady spent 8,000,000 francs from his own funds on the construction, which paid off in the first year after opening.
• The tower repeatedly changed its appearance from red-brown to yellow.
• Since 2004, the first floor has been poured. This year it is stylized with a hockey theme.
• The total length of the path to the top of the Eiffel Tower is 1792 steps.
• More than 6 million tourists visit the monument every year, and up to 30 thousand people a day.
• The amount of energy consumed by the tower is 7.8 million kWh per year to power 5 billion lamps and lanterns.
• 300 millionth visitor expected in 2017
• One share of the Eiffel Tower costs approximately 40 euros on the stock exchange.

• The total number of structural elements is 18,038 and they are connected by more than 2,500,000 rivets.
• The total area of ​​the metal structure is 250 thousand m2
• Painting the building costs 4,000,000 euros (2009 data); it is painted once every 7 years.
• Painting takes more than 60 tons of paint in 3 shades
• Misfortunes have also accompanied this monument since June 15, 1898. Already about 400 people have committed suicide.
• The tower deviates from the wind by only 15 cm, and on a sunny day its inclination is 18 cm.
• Service personnel 350 people.
• Ground pressure 4 kg. cm 2
• The view from the top observation deck is almost 70 km. in good weather.
• The Eiffel Tower is considered the most expensive monument in Europe, its cost is 435 million

Eiffel Tower project

The anniversary of the French Revolution has arrived, and in honor of this, the authorities decided to organize an exhibition, creating something that would be remembered for a long time. The administration commissioned the famous engineer Gustav Eiffel to make a project and make proposals for the construction of the future structure. Gustav was surprised, but after painstaking work he submitted for consideration to the city administration an original, complex and unusual drawing for those times - an iron tower rising three hundred meters. According to historical information, the engineer had a similar idea and initial drawing for a long time, but he did not pay much attention to them due to the complexity of the work and busyness.

In 1884, he received a patent for the creation of the project, after purchasing the exclusive right.

Two years later, a competition was launched that determined the appearance of the exhibition. 107 very diverse projects took part in it, many of them repeated the drawings of the Eiffel Tower, but did not surpass it.

Very unusual proposals were offered for the exhibition, for example, a huge guillotine - a special mechanism for carrying out the death penalty by cutting off the head, reminiscent of all the horrors of the revolution. Another interesting proposal was a tower made of stone, the construction was supposed to surpass the Washington Monument in the USA. The idea was immediately abandoned due to the inconvenience of constructing the structure only from stone.

Eiffel's project was one of the four lucky winners. In order for the tower to correspond to the aesthetic ensemble of the city, final changes were made, and then the drawing was finally approved.

After approval, the difficult task was to build the Eiffel Tower in two years. This became possible thanks to special construction methods.

Many members of the public were against the iron colossus right in the center of Paris, so Stéphane Sauvestre was invited to work on the aesthetic appearance. He put forward several conceptual solutions for upgrading the iron structure, proposed covering the lower supports with stones, and connecting the base and first floor using a patterned arch. It was proposed to glaze the halls, make the top round, and the final touch was to use decorative elements along the entire height.

An agreement was signed with Eiffel, as an engineer and creator, he was provided with it for personal use and rent for twenty-five years, plus considerable subsidies. It is worth noting that the Eiffel Tower fully paid for itself during the exhibition, and an excursion to it is still a profitable business today.

Construction of the Eiffel Tower

The construction of the Eiffel Tower took just over two years, all thanks to carefully crafted drawings. They indicated the exact dimensions of about twelve thousand different metal parts. More than two and a half million rivets were used to assemble the structure. To carry out faster work, several parts were assembled into single blocks on the ground, and holes for rivets were drilled in advance. Each of the iron blocks weighed no more than three tons, this made it easier to install them at height.

At first, cranes were used, and when the tower outgrew them, Gustav came up with special mobile cranes that moved on rails, and then elevators were launched in their place.

Due to the tight deadlines and high height of the structure, Eiffel paid great attention to safety. During the entire period there were no fatal incidents, which is quite surprising for that period.

Paradoxically, the most difficult work was carried out on the lower platform; it supported the multi-ton structure, preventing it from sagging, tilting or collapsing. The entire structure has an excellent oscillatory trajectory, which prevents it from falling due to strong winds.

From the diaries of eyewitnesses to those events one can find enthusiastic stories about the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

Many Parisians were sincerely surprised and admired by such a fast-growing, huge iron giant in the very center of the city.

And so, on March 31, 1889, twenty-six months later, the engineer invited officials for the first ascent; 1,710 steps had to be overcome.

Reaction to the Eiffel Tower

According to the agreement with the engineer, the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be dismantled in twenty years, but the unusual structure was very popular with visitors to the exhibition and guests of the capital, and was a resounding success. In just 6 months, more than two million people visited it.

“The Iron Lady,” as the people called the building, caused quite a controversial reaction. After the project was approved and throughout the construction, the mayor's office and administration received letters and petitions demanding that the construction be stopped. Activists believed that the Eiffel Tower would destroy the aesthetic ensemble of the city, built over many centuries. They called it an ugly, tasteless, huge iron pipe. Many were indignant at the shadow cast by the tower, saying that there was nowhere to hide from it; it could be seen from anywhere in the city.

A restaurant was created on the ground floor, which is still open today. One day, Guy de Maupassant, the famous French writer, who was having lunch at a restaurant, was asked why he chose this particular place. To which he gave a very categorical answer, saying: “That this restaurant is the only place in all of Paris from where you can’t see the tower.” But the “iron lady” stood for more than twenty years; now it is impossible to imagine the city without her.

Eiffel Tower lights

When night falls on the city, the Eiffel Tower lights up with thousands of small lights, a spectacle of indescribable beauty, it is simply impossible to take your eyes off it. Usually it glows with golden lights, but during special events or mourning events, it is painted in the colors of the flags of various countries, inscriptions are projected on it, or a color is chosen to symbolize the upcoming event.

Where is the Eiffel Tower

The symbol of Paris is located in the 7th arrondissement, near the Quai Branly on the banks of the Seine River.

There are several metro stations 5–10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower:

• Trocadero station, overlooking Trocadero Square, metro lines 6 and 9. You just need to walk a little, pass the gardens - a park area decorated with fountains and a bridge over the river.

• Bir-Hakeim station, metro line 6. Suburban trains, line C, also go to the same station. You will get off at the embankment, from here you can walk just a couple of minutes, enjoying the views of the Seine.

• Ecole Militaire station, line eight. It is the furthest from the famous landmark, but is notable for the fact that it runs through the famous Champs de Mars park.

Don’t neglect buses (42, 69, 72, 82, 87) or walking, so you can enjoy the city in person, and not be crowded in stuffy subway cars.

View of the Eiffel Tower

Google panorama of the Eiffel Tower.

The world-famous symbol of France, the most famous landmark of Paris, filmed in hundreds of films, sung in poetry, reproduced millions of times in souvenirs and postcards, an object of admiration and ridicule, depicted in paintings and caricatures - all this is the Eiffel Tower. Having initially caused a lot of controversy and mass discontent, it became a favorite meeting place for Parisians and an integral part of the appearance of Paris. More than 6 million people visit the tower every year; in terms of popularity, it ranks first in the world among paid attractions. In total, over a quarter of a billion people visited the Eiffel Tower during its existence.

History of the Eiffel Tower

“There is nothing more permanent than temporary” - this common expression can rightfully be applied to the Eiffel Tower. In 1889, the World Industrial Exhibition was planned to be held in Paris, at which all the latest achievements of mankind in science and technology were supposed to be presented. The year of the exhibition was not chosen by chance - France was preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille.

According to the organizing committee, the symbol of the exhibition was to be a building that personified scientific and technological progress and demonstrated the country’s achievements. A competition was announced, to which 107 projects were submitted. Among them were very unique ones, for example, a huge model of the guillotine, a sad attribute of the Great French Revolution. One of the requirements for the project was the ease of dismantling the future structure, since they intended to remove it after the exhibition.

The winner of the competition was the French engineer and industrialist Gustav Eiffel, who presented a design for an openwork structure made of malleable cast iron 300 meters high. Eiffel's full partners were his employees Maurice Keuchelin and Emile Nouguier, who proposed the very idea of ​​a metal frame tower.

In the original version, the future design had a too “industrial” look, and the Parisian public actively opposed the appearance of such a structure, which, in their opinion, destroyed the aesthetic appearance of Paris. The artistic development of the project was entrusted to the architect Stéphane Sauvestre, who proposed to design the lower supporting part of the tower in the form of arches and arrange the entrance to the exhibition under them. It was planned to cover the supports themselves with stone slabs, build glazed rooms on some floors and add a number of decorative elements.

The project was patented by Eiffel and his two co-authors. Eiffel later bought out Keuchelin and Nouguier's shares and became the sole owner of the copyright.

The estimated cost of the work was 6 million francs, but eventually rose to 7.8 million. The state and municipality could allocate only 1.5 million francs, and Eiffel accepted the obligation to find the missing funds, subject to the tower being leased to him for 20 years until dismantling. After signing the agreement, Eiffel created a joint-stock company with a capital of 5 million francs, half of which was contributed by the engineer himself, half by three Parisian banks.

The publication of the final draft and terms of the agreement caused a flurry of protests from the French intelligentsia. A petition was sent to the municipality, which was signed by more than three hundred artists, architects, writers and musicians, including Maupassant, Charles Gounod, Alexandre Dumas fils. The tower was called a “lamppost”, “iron monster”, “hated column”, calling on the authorities to prevent the appearance in Paris of a structure that would disfigure its architectural appearance for 20 years.

However, the mood changed quite quickly. The same Maupassant later loved to dine at one of the tower’s restaurants. When the inconsistency of his behavior was pointed out to him, he calmly replied that the Eiffel Tower is the only place in Paris from where it itself cannot be seen.

The entire structure consisted of 18 thousand elements, which were manufactured at Eiffel’s own engineering plant in the town of Levallois-Perret near Paris. The weight of each part did not exceed three tons, all mounting holes and parts were carefully adjusted to make assembly as easy as possible and to avoid rework. The first tiers of the tower were assembled using tower cranes, then they moved on to the use of small cranes of Eiffel's own design, which moved along rails designed for elevators. The elevators themselves were supposed to be driven by hydraulic pumps.

Thanks to the unprecedented accuracy of the drawings (the error was no more than 0.1 mm) and the filigree adjustment of parts to each other already at the factory, the pace of work was very high. 300 workers took part in the construction. Working at height was very risky, and Eiffel paid special attention to safety precautions, thanks to which not a single fatal accident occurred at the construction site.

Finally, 2 years and 2 months after its foundation, Eiffel invited municipal officials to inspect the tower. The elevators were not yet working, and the unfortunate employees had to climb a staircase of 1,710 steps.

The three-hundred-meter tower, which became the tallest structure in the world, was a resounding success. During the first six months of the exhibition, about 2 million visitors visited the tower, dubbed the “Iron Lady” for its elegant, graceful silhouette. Revenues from ticket sales, postcards, etc., by the end of 1889 covered 75% of construction costs.

By the time the tower was scheduled to be dismantled in 1910, it became clear that it would be better left in place. It was actively used for radio and telegraph communications; in addition, the tower was liked by the general public and became a recognizable symbol of Paris in the world. The lease agreement was extended for 70 years, but Eiffel subsequently renounced both the agreement and his copyright in favor of the state.

A number of technical breakthroughs in the field of communications are associated with the Eiffel Tower. At the beginning of the 20th century, experiments with wireless telegraphy were carried out on it, and in 1906 a permanent radio station was installed. It was she who made it possible in 1914, during the Battle of the Marne, to intercept German radio transmissions and organize a counteroffensive. In 1925, the first television signal was broadcast from the tower, and 10 years later permanent television broadcasting began. Thanks to the installation of television antennas, the height of the tower increased to 324 meters.

The case of Hitler’s arrival in occupied Paris in 1940 is widely known. The Fuhrer was about to climb the tower, but right before his arrival, workers servicing the elevators disabled them. Hitler had to limit himself to a walk at the foot of the tower. Subsequently, specialists were sent from Germany, but they were unable to get the elevators working, and the German flag never flew at the top of the symbol of Paris. The elevators began operating again in 1944, a few hours after the liberation of the city.

The history of the tower could have ended in the same 1944, when Hitler ordered it to be blown up along with many other landmarks, but the commandant of Paris, Dietrich von Choltitz, did not carry out the order. This had no unpleasant consequences for him, since he immediately surrendered to the British.

"Iron Lady" of Paris

Today, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most popular places in the French capital, both among tourists and among Parisians themselves. According to statistics, the largest number of tourists coming to Paris for the first time go to the Eiffel Tower. As for the residents of the city, it is a common tradition among young Parisians to declare their love or propose marriage on the Eiffel Tower, as if calling all of Paris as a witness.

Eiffel himself, by the way, never called his brainchild the Eiffel Tower - he said “three hundred meters high.”

The metal structure weighs 7,300 tons and is very strong and stable. Its deflection in strong winds is 12 cm, at high temperatures - 18 cm. It is interesting that in working on the fastening designs, Eiffel was guided not only by technical calculations, but also by the work of paleontologist Hermann von Mayer, who studied the structure of human and animal joints and their ability to endure heavy load.

The lower floor is formed by four converging columns connected by an arched vault at a height of about 57 m. On the platform they support there are also four columns carrying a square platform with a side of 35 m. It is located at a height of 116 m. The upper part of the tower is a powerful column on which there is a third platform (276 m.). The highest platform (1.4 X 1.4 m) is located at an altitude of 300 m. You can climb the tower by elevator or by stairs of 1792 steps.

Between the third and fourth sites, television and radio equipment, cellular antennas, a beacon and a weather station are installed.

Initially, the tower was illuminated by gas lamps, of which there were 10 thousand. In 1900, electric lighting was installed on the tower. In 2003, the lighting system was modernized, and in 2015, LED lamps began to be used. The light bulbs (20 thousand of them) are easily replaced, which allows you to arrange multi-colored illuminations if necessary.

The color of the tower itself changed several times. Now it has a bronze shade, specially patented specifically for the Eiffel Tower. They paint it every 7 years, spending 57 tons of paint each time. At the same time, all parts of the tower are inspected and, if necessary, replaced with new ones.

Souvenir shops are open to visitors of the tower in the columns of the first tier, and there is also a post office in the southern support. Here, in a separate room, you can examine the hydraulic mechanisms that once lifted the elevators.

On the first site there is a restaurant “58 Eiffel”, a souvenir shop and a cinema center where films about the construction of the Eiffel Tower are shown. Here begins the old spiral staircase, along which one could once climb to the upper tiers and to the apartment of Eiffel himself, located on the third landing. On the parapet you can read the names of 72 famous scientists, engineers and industrialists of France. In winter, a small skating rink is built on the ground floor for ice skaters.

Eiffel's apartment was his favorite place to spend time when he came to the capital. It is quite spacious, furnished in the style of the 19th century, and even has a grand piano. In it, the engineer repeatedly received honored guests who came to look at the tower, including Edison. The Parisian rich offered Eiffel a lot of money for the apartments, or at least for the right to spend the night in them, but he refused every time.

On the second platform there is Maupassant's favorite restaurant, Jules Verne, an observation deck and the usual souvenir shop. Here you can also see an exhibition telling about the construction of the tower.

Access to the third floor is carried out using three elevators. Previously, there was an observatory and a meteorological laboratory here, but now the third platform is a magnificent observation deck with a fantastic view of Paris. In the center of the site there is a bar for those who want to admire the view of the city with a glass of wine in hand.

It is now impossible to imagine that the Eiffel Tower was once going to be demolished. On the contrary, it is the most copied landmark in the world. In total, more than 30 copies of the tower of varying degrees of accuracy are known; no one can actually say how many of them are known only to local residents.

The Eiffel Tower has been part of the urban landscape of Paris for a hundred years and has become its symbol. But it is also not only the heritage of all of France, but also a monument to the great technical achievements of the late 19th century.

Who built the Eiffel Tower?

Since the second half of the 19th century, progress has led many countries around the world to build high-rise structures. Many of the projects suffered defeats even at the conception stage, but there were also those engineers who firmly believed in the success of their plans. Gustave Eiffel was one of the latter.

Gustave Eiffel

For the centenary of the Industrial Revolution in 1886, Paris opens a competition to create new outstanding achievements of our time. According to its concept, this event was to become one of the most outstanding events of its time. In the course of this idea, the Palace of Machines made of metal and glass, destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century, and the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, 1000 feet high, were born.

Work on the Eiffel Tower project began back in 1884. By the way, Eiffel was not new to his business; before that, he brilliantly managed to find solutions in the field of construction of railway bridges. For the design competition, he provided about 5,000 sheets of drawings of the tower parts in the original scale. The project was approved, but this was only the beginning of hard work. There were still 3 years left before Eiffel would forever immortalize his name in history.

Construction of the Eiffel Tower

Many famous residents did not accept the construction of a tower in the middle of the city. Writers, artists, sculptors, and architects protested against this construction, which, in their opinion, violated the original beauty of Paris.

But, nevertheless, the work continued. A huge 5-meter pit was dug into which four 10-meter blocks were installed under each leg of the tower. Additionally, each of the 16 tower supports was equipped with hydraulic jacks to obtain an ideal horizontal level. Without this plan, the construction of the tower could have dragged on forever.

July 1888

250 workers were able to erect the tallest tower of its time in the world in just 26 months. Here it is only worth envying Eiffel’s capabilities in the field of accurate calculations and organization of work. The height of the Eiffel Tower is 320 meters, the total weight is about 7500 tons.

The tower is divided into three tiers - 60 meters, 140 meters and 275 meters. Four elevators inside the tower's legs take visitors up to the second. The fifth elevator goes to the third level. There is a restaurant on the ground floor, a newspaper office on the second, and Eiffel's office on the third.

Despite early criticism, the tower blended seamlessly with the city's views and quickly became a symbol of Paris. During the exhibition alone, about two million people visited here, some of whom immediately climbed to the very top on foot.

With the end of the exhibition, it was decided to demolish the tower. New technologies - radio - became her salvation. Antennas were quickly installed on the tallest structure. In subsequent years, television and radar antennas were installed on it. There is also a weather station and broadcasting of city services.

Until the construction of the Empire State Building in 1931, the tower remained the tallest structure in the world. It is difficult to imagine the city of Paris without this glorious image.