When France and Paris are mentioned, one of the first places that comes to mind is undoubtedly the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower has been a symbol of France and Paris for hundreds of years, as part of French history as well as national heritage. When Gustave Eiffel completed its construction in 1889, the tower not only offered a fascinating view of Paris, but also became one of the most popular buildings in the world. Standing out prominently among other popular structures in the world, the Eiffel Tower has become a world heritage.
The Eiffel Tower, the tallest building in Paris and the most visited monument in the world, was visited by 7 million people in 2011, breaking a record in one year. It has hosted more than 500 million visitors since then. The tower, which has long exceeded its lifespan when it was built, is still dazzling today. It is now not only one of Paris’ most popular landmarks, but also one of the most well-known structures in human history.
The Story of the Emergence of the Eiffel Tower
When Gustave Eiffel built Paris’s best-known monument for the 1889 World’s Fair, many French people viewed the massive iron structure with suspicion. Continuing to play an important role for France, the Eiffel Tower is considered an architectural marvel and attracts more visitors than any other tourist destination in the world.
At the time when the Eiffel Tower was being built, it was not particularly welcomed by the French. Although many people were against the structure at that time, they expressed their concerns in a letter titled “Artists Against the Eiffel Tower” and published an announcement that the tower posed a threat to the aesthetic nature of Paris. It was stated that an iron tower erected in the heart of Paris was a complete contrast to the elegance and elegant beauty of the city. However, despite all the opposition, the iron tower has shown the whole world that it is capable of achieving its current fame. The turning point in the history of the Eiffel Tower undoubtedly took place at the 1889 Universal Exposition, and in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, a competition was held to build a square-based iron tower, 125 meters wide and 300 meters high, on the Champ-de-Mars, one of the floors of the tower. Gustave Eiffel’s was chosen from 107 proposals submitted. Next to Eiffel are engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier and architect Stephen Sauvestre.
The construction of the Eiffel Tower is quite interesting even today because a large structure like it has never been built remotely before. Moreover, the tower was built in only about two years with a small workforce and at a low cost.
The project of the tower was prepared in 1884. Construction work started in 1887 and the first phase was completed in 1888.
For the Eiffel Tower, advanced architectural and construction knowledge was utilized regarding the stance of metal arch and lattice forms under load. When the calendar showed May 15, 1889, the tower was erected in its current location and opened to the public.
The Eiffel Tower stands on a base of four trusses that taper inward and combine to form a single large vertical tower. Thanks to its inwardly curving structure and skeleton, two levels are connected to each other by beams, which provide viewing platforms for tourists. In contrast, the four semicircular arches at the base of the tower complete the aesthetic aspect of the tower, although they serve no structural function. It is considered a unique structure, partly engineering and partly artistic and architectural. Glass-cage machines designed by the Otis Elevator Company in the United States allow elevation to observation decks via elevators. This elevator system, which has become one of the main features of the building, has also helped to make the tower one of the world’s leading tourist attractions.
Details and Legends about the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower, the most important symbol of France, is the tallest building in Paris, with a height of 324 meters, approximately the same height as an 81-storey building. Its base is square and measures 125 square meters on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York was completed in 1930. Due to the addition of a broadcast antenna at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now 18 feet taller than the Chrysler Building.
The Eiffel Tower consists of four iron lattices placed on a square base, rising at an inclination of 54 degrees and curving upward until they meet. At this point the tower rises as a single slender pyramidal form all the way to the bell tower at its summit. The shape of the tower was dictated by concerns about wind, especially at high altitudes. This element even affected the size and placement of the holes in the tower’s iron pieces. Three floors of the tower are open to visitors, the first and second levels are located between four piers, and the third floor is 324 meters above the ground and is referred to as the bell tower. Although it was estimated that the Eiffel Tower would weigh 6,500 tons and cost 3 billion 155 million francs before its construction began, the tower weighed 7,300 tons as built and cost two and a half times more than expected.
There are also many interesting urban legends about the Eiffel Tower, which contributes to Paris being such a famous tourist destination.
The most well-known of these is explained as follows. Gustave Eiffel fell in love with a woman whose name began with the letter “A” and had the tower built along her lines, ordering engineers to design the building in the shape of an inverted garter. But the truth is that the most important and only thing considered when shaping the Eiffel Tower is to provide minimum wind resistance for the best possible stability.
Many people believe that the United States gave the Eiffel Tower to France in exchange for the Statue of Liberty, although this is not true and there is a strong connection between the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty. The Eiffel Tower was entirely manufactured in France. The Statue of Liberty, unveiled in New York in 1886, was donated to the United States by French philanthropists to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
Notes for Those Who Want to See the Eiffel Tower
Although the tower, which is much loved today, faced great opposition from the Paris art and architecture community before it was erected, it later turned into a structure admired by the whole world. The Eiffel Tower can be accessed from anywhere in Paris. For this reason, it is among the first places to visit in Paris. It is possible to climb the tower by elevator or stairs. The Eiffel Tower is open every day throughout the year. The tower closes at 14:00 only on Bastille Day (14 July).
Visiting hours for the Eiffel Tower vary depending on the season and whether elevator or staircase access is preferred.
From 13 June to 29 August, elevator access is available between 09:00 and 12:45, and stair access is available between 09:00 and 12:30. During the rest of the year, elevator access is between 09:30 and 23:45, and stair access is between 09:30 and 18:30.
The Eiffel Tower has maximum crowds during the summer season between June and September. For those looking for shorter ticket and elevator lines or less crowds, the best time to visit the Eiffel Tower is between October and December and January and March. December can be quite crowded due to Christmas, New Year and winter holidays for schools.
The best days to visit the Eiffel Tower are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, which have the least crowds compared to Saturdays and Sundays. The best time of the day is early in the morning between 09:00 and 11:00 and late at night between 20:00 and 22:00. The Eiffel Tower staircase entrance ticket price is valid up to the 2nd floor and costs 5.00 Euros for adults, 3.50 Euros for teenagers and children aged 12 to 24, 3 Euros for children 4 to 11 years old and 3 Euros for visitors with special needs.
The elevator entrance ticket price is valid up to the top of the tower. It costs 14.50 Euros for adults, 13 Euros for children between 12 and 24 years of age, 10 Euros for children between 4 and 11 years of age, and 10 Euros for visitors with special needs. It can take approximately 3 hours to tour the tower from top to bottom and spend time around it.
