Historical Landmark of France: Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. The tower is 330metres (1,083 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building, and the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125metres (410 ft) on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest human-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930. It was the first structure in the world to surpass both the 200-metre and 300-metre mark in height. Due to the addition of a broad casting aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2metres (17 ft). Excluding transmitters, the Eiffel Tower is the second tallest free-standing structure in France after the Millau Viaduct.

Work on the foundations started on 28 January 1887. Those for the east and south legs were straightforward, with each leg resting on four 2 m (6.6 ft) concrete slabs, one for each of the principal girders of each leg. The west and north legs, being closer to the river Seine, were more complicated: each slab needed two piles installed by using compressed-air caissons 15 m (49 ft) long and 6 m (20 ft) in diameter driven to a depth of 22 m (72 ft) to support the concrete slabs, which were 6 m (20 ft) thick. Each of these slabs supported a block of limestone with an inclined top to bear a supporting shoe for the ironwork. The Eiffel Tower was almost torn down several times. But Eiffel oversaw changes to the structure that made it more useful. Among them were the additions of a weather station in 1890 and a military telegraph station in 1903. The tower is now a popular tourist attraction. Whether you’re visiting the Tower or walking nearby the monument at night, it’s an incredible experience, typically Parisian and oh so magical! The Eiffel Tower’s lights at night are made up of three components: the golden lighting, the sparkles and the beacon.