Panytourism_Tourism magazine
The Eiffel Tower in Paris is the most famous and most visited tourist attraction in the world, whose visit statistics have always shown the importance and status of this tourist attraction. The story that the Eiffel Tower has gone through until today has had many ups and downs, and each of the interesting stories and facts of the Eiffel Tower reveals a secret or a surprising truth; From Hitler’s order to destroy the tower to the existence of a secret apartment and the marriage of a woman to this iron tower, these are just some of the things to know about the Eiffel Tower.
Some of these facts have been revealed by the officials of the tower and some others have been leaked in the news and media. In this article, we have tried to introduce you to more information and facts about the Eiffel Tower so that you have a better and complete understanding of the Eiffel Tower in France when you visit this city with a Paris tour .
What are the facts of the Eiffel Tower?
Eiffel Tower facts are a collection of information and knowledge that will increase your knowledge about this tower, which is one of the best sights in France . The fact that the Eiffel Tower was first built for an exhibition, after 20 years they decide to demolish the tower and what strategies they take to prevent it from being destroyed, all constitute the facts to be read about the Eiffel Tower. The history of knowledge extends to today and includes the color of the tower in the 2024 Olympics.
1. Eiffel Tower; An exhibition
The structure of the Eiffel Tower was designed and built for an exhibition and was not supposed to be a permanent structure. This tower was built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, and one of the goals of its construction was to show the modern mechanical capabilities of France. The Eiffel Tower was known as a marvel in the accuracy and speed of its construction, and many events happened after its construction. After the construction of the Eiffel Tower, about 2 million visitors visited the Eiffel Tower in the same year of the exhibition.
2. Opponents of the construction of the Eiffel Tower
Before the Eiffel Tower was built, many people showed their opposition in different ways to prevent the construction of this tower. It is interesting to know that some of these people were famous figures. People like Alexandre Dumas Jr., one of the reasons for their opposition to the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, was that they thought the Eiffel Tower humiliated French architecture!
3. The duration of the construction of the Eiffel Tower
One of the interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower is how long it took to build it. The Eiffel Tower was built in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days and finally opened in 1889, which was considered an architectural and technical achievement and was considered a defining moment of the industrial era.
4. The number of parts used in the Eiffel Tower
18,038 pieces of metal have been used to build the Eiffel Tower, and the total weight of this tower is about 10,100 tons. Another name of this tower is “Iron Lady”. Another interesting point is that 2,500,000 screws were used in the construction of this tower.
5. Destruction of the Eiffel Tower
One of the strange decisions that later became the facts of the Eiffel Tower was the decision to destroy the tower. After 20 years, that is, in 1909, they wanted to destroy the Eiffel Tower; But the change of use and the intelligence of Gustave Eiffel for the type of use of the tower prevented this action. The Eiffel Tower was used as a transmitter and radio antenna, and its other uses were to use it as a laboratory and study center. All these works helped to preserve and prevent the destruction of the Eiffel Tower.
6. Names engraved on the Eiffel Tower
In some streets of Paris, the names of famous people have been chosen for alleys and streets. If you look closely at the Eiffel Tower, you will see 72 names, all of which were scientists and researchers. These names can be seen from the 4 sides of the tower and are engraved on the body.
7. The capacity and limitations of the Eiffel Tower for visiting
Since 1980, the Eiffel Tower has been regularly renovated and restored so that tourists can still visit it. One of the facts of the Eiffel Tower is that every day, a certain and limited number of tourists can climb the tower at the same time. The capacity of visitors of the tower is equal to 5 thousand people in total, which is equal to 3 thousand people on the first floor, 1 thousand 600 people on the second floor and 400 people on the last floor.
Visiting the Eiffel Tower is one of the other recommended things you can do in the Paris travel guide . Therefore, if you arrive at this tower when the crowd is overwhelming, we suggest you do the activities suggested by the guide.
8. Eiffel Tower, the most visited place in the world
As a symbol of Paris and a showcase of this city, the Eiffel Tower has very attractive and interesting statistics of its visits. Each year, about 7 million tourists visit the tower, approximately 75% of whom are foreigners. The Eiffel Tower is the most visited place in the world that you have to pay to see. So far, approximately 300 million people have visited the Eiffel Tower.
9. Eiffel Tower elevators
Using an elevator in the Eiffel Tower is considered an achievement for its time. There are still 2 of the original elevators of that time. From the bottom of the tower to the first floor, there are 5 elevators, 3 of which are for visitors, one for the crew and the other for the staff of Julvern restaurant. Between the second and third floors, there are 2 elevators and 2 cabinets that are responsible for transporting tourists. One of the facts of the Eiffel Tower in relation to the elevators is that they have traveled more than 103 thousand kilometers between floors.
10. Hitler’s order to destroy the Eiffel Tower
During World War II, when Hitler visited Paris, he ordered the tower to be destroyed, but this order was never carried out. Also, French resistance fighters cut the power cables of the elevators of the Eiffel Tower so that the Nazis would have to climb the stairs to reach the top of the tower and lower their flag.
11. The number of steps in the Eiffel Tower
In order to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower on foot without using the elevator, you have to climb 1665 steps. The first floor has a souvenir shop and a restaurant. On the second floor, Jules Verne restaurant is located and is a place to see the sights of Paris such as the Louvre Museum and the Arc de Triomphe . The top floor also gives you a panoramic view.
12. Eiffel Tower business offices
In the Eiffel Tower, there have been commercial offices, each of which has been based in this tower for a while. Journalism office, post office and theater were among the offices and parts that were guests of this tower for some time in the past.
13. The scam that sold Eiffel
One of the most dangerous fraudsters in America, Victor Lustig, sold the Eiffel Tower in a game! Not just once, but twice. Finally, after the massive printing of money that endangered the American economy, he was arrested and sent to Alcatraz prison.
14. Construction of Eiffel in Barcelona
Gustave Eiffel first decided to build the Eiffel Tower in Barcelona, but his idea was rejected and finally it happened in Paris. The Eiffel in Barcelona was supposed to be the starting gate of the World Festival.
15. The Eiffel Tower moves!
The structure of the Eiffel Tower is designed in a way that is resistant to the wind and in other words it is windproof. But since the Eiffel Tower is made entirely of iron, it is affected by changes in air temperature. In this way, the dimensions of the tower in winter and summer have differences with each other, and this difference is approximately equal to 6 inches or about 15 cm. In general, the height of the tower is 300 meters, and if we want to calculate the height of the antenna, this value reaches 324 meters.
16. An inventor jumping from the Eiffel Tower
An inventor named Franz Reichelt, who was a French tailor and a pioneer in parachutes, jumped from the Eiffel Tower to test his own parachutes. The performance of the umbrella was not proper and eventually caused his death. This happened in 1912.
17. The woman who married the Eiffel Tower
An American woman named Erika Aya married the Eiffel Tower in 2007! A competitive archer, he saw the Eiffel Tower for the first time in 2004. After seeing the tower, Erica claimed that she felt an immediate and intense attraction. Medical experts classify this feeling and attraction under the title of paraphilia. In paraphilia, a person develops a strong attachment to inanimate objects, just like Erica.
18. Illumination of the Eiffel Tower
First, they used 336 projectors to illuminate the Eiffel Tower so that it would be visible in the dark. Today, 20,000 more lamps have been added to illuminate and shine the tower. At the beginning of each hour, they make the Eiffel shine for 5 minutes, which does not consume much energy. According to the decisions made in September 2022, the lights of the tower will be turned off completely from 23:45. Another point is that the lighting of the tower is like a work of art and has copyright.
19. Eiffel towers in the world
Have you ever heard of the Eiffel Tower outside of France ? The Eiffel Tower is so famous and popular that almost in many cities of the world, they have built an example like it.
21. Strange facts about the color of the Eiffel Tower
First of all, you should know that to build the Eiffel Tower, they used iron that is less damaged and painting it will protect it better. This prevents rusting and possible damage from air pollution and bird droppings. The paint they use for the Eiffel Tower has several layers, and to paint the Eiffel Tower, they proceed with traditional methods and paint most of the parts by hand. The color of the tower weighs a total of 60 tons.
To date, the Eiffel Tower has been painted approximately 19 times, which is about once every 7 years. During the life of the tower, they have used different colors such as red-brown, ocher yellow, oak brown and bronze. The Eiffel Tower will probably be painted gold for the 2024 Olympics.
22. Gustave Eiffel’s secret apartment
At the top of the tower, Gustave Eiffel had a secret apartment for himself, which later became his office and a place for holding meetings with people like Thomas Edison. Today, you can see mummy sculptures by Gustave Eiffel in this place and see some of the accessories of that time.
23. The failed Watkin London project
In 1891, in London, they designed a structure to surpass the Eiffel Tower in terms of height. This structure was a tourist tower and was built in London’s Wembley Park, which looked similar to the Eiffel Tower. Designers and engineers never managed to complete this building and finally this tower, which was known as “Watkin Tower” or “Great Tower of London”, was demolished in 1907. Today, instead of this tower, there is the English national football field, which if you travel with Europe tour and visit London, you may be able to see this field.
24. Gustave Eiffel was not the designer of the Eiffel Tower!
Contrary to what many people think, the main designer of this tower was not Gustave Eiffel, but two of the engineers who worked for him and in his company were responsible for designing the tower. However, we should not ignore the fact that Gustave Eiffel played a role in the design of the structure supporting the Statue of Liberty.
25. The tallest building in the world
When the Eiffel Tower was built, it was known as the tallest man-made structure for nearly 4 decades. This process continued until 1930, when they built the Chrysler Tower and the Empire State Tower in America, and the Eiffel Tower was no longer the height record holder.
26. The material value of the Eiffel Tower
According to estimates and estimates, the material value of the Eiffel Tower is approximately 400 billion euros. This amount is almost 6 times the value of the Colosseum in Rome, which is considered as a tourist competitor of the Eiffel Tower.
27. Moving to Canada
In 1967, the Eiffel Tower was to be moved to Canada for restoration and displayed as the main attraction at the 1967 World’s Fair, also known as Expo 67. But the feedback prevented the implementation of this decision, and in addition to the implementing company that refused to do this, there were many opponents in the people and governments.
28. The average number of lightning strikes per year
In 1902, lightning damaged the top of the Eiffel Tower, leaving the tower in need of repair. On average, lightning strikes the Eiffel Tower 10 times a year. Therefore, it cannot be said that the Eiffel Tower is invulnerable to lightning.
