The Eiffel Tower: The Remarkable Story of a Paris Icon

Location: The Eiffel Tower stands in Paris’s 7th arrondissement at the northwestern end of the Champ de Mars, directly beside the Seine. The Trocadéro lies on the opposite bank. Its elevated terrace offers one of the most famous views of the Eiffel Tower.

Significance: The Eiffel Tower is Paris’s most famous landmark and one of the best-known structures in the world. More than 6 million people visit it every year, making it one of the world’s most visited ticketed monuments. The tower was originally built for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair. It later became a symbol of Paris and of France as a whole. Since 1991, it has formed part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the Banks of the Seine in Paris. It is not a World Heritage Site in its own right, but part of the protected historic urban area along the river.

Background: Before the Eiffel Tower was built, the Champ de Mars was a large open space in front of the École Militaire. The site was originally used as a military training and parade ground. From 1867 onwards, it became an important venue for Paris’s World’s Fairs. Large halls, pavilions and gardens were built there for the exhibitions of 1867 and 1878. Most were later removed.

Design competition: The basic idea for the Eiffel Tower was developed in 1884 within Gustave Eiffel’s company. His engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier designed a 300-metre-high iron tower. Architect Stephen Sauvestre refined the initially austere technical concept and helped shape the tower’s later appearance. In 1886, the French government launched a competition for the planned World’s Fair. One of the requirements was a 300-metre-high iron tower on the Champ de Mars. Eiffel and his team’s design was selected from 107 submitted projects. Although the original idea came from Koechlin and Nouguier, the project already bore Gustave Eiffel’s name before construction began. As an entrepreneur, he drove the project forward and represented it publicly.

Gustave Eiffel: French engineer and entrepreneur Gustave Eiffel had already made a name for himself with large metal structures before the Eiffel Tower was built. His company constructed numerous bridges and viaducts and also developed the internal supporting framework of the Statue of Liberty in New York. After becoming involved in the Panama Canal scandal, Eiffel withdrew from business in the early 1890s. His initial conviction was later overturned. He then devoted himself primarily to scientific research in aerodynamics and meteorology.

Construction: The Eiffel Tower was built in just two years, two months and five days, an exceptionally short construction period for the time. Its 18,038 metal parts were precisely prefabricated at Eiffel’s factory in Levallois-Perret near Paris and then assembled on site. Depending on the stage of construction, between 150 and 300 workers were employed there. The metal structure was completed on 31 March 1889, although work inside the tower was still unfinished. For the inauguration, Gustave Eiffel climbed to the top with employees and guests and raised the French flag there.

Financing: The construction costs of the Eiffel Tower were originally estimated at 6.5 million francs. The French government provided a subsidy of 1.5 million francs, while Gustave Eiffel was responsible for financing the remainder. In return, he received the right to operate the tower for 20 years from the end of 1889 and keep the revenue. The financial risk quickly paid off. Around 1.95 million people visited the Eiffel Tower during the 1889 World’s Fair alone.

Former record holder: At around 312 metres tall, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world when it opened in 1889. It clearly surpassed the Washington Monument in Washington, which stood just under 170 metres tall, and became the first structure to exceed 300 metres. It held this world record for more than 40 years. It was not surpassed until 1930, when the approximately 319-metre-high Chrysler Building opened in New York.

Only planned for 20 years: The Eiffel Tower’s future was initially secured for only 20 years. Gustave Eiffel’s operating concession expired on 31 December 1909. After that, the City of Paris could have had the tower dismantled. Its usefulness for wireless telegraphy was the main reason it was preserved. From 1903, the French military used the tower for radio experiments and increasingly recognised its strategic importance. Eiffel’s concession was therefore extended for another 70 years from 1 January 1910.

Architecture: The Eiffel Tower is made of puddled iron, a type of wrought iron produced by a special process that reduces its carbon content to a very low level. Around 2.5 million rivets connect its components. The four massive lattice piers curve inward and draw closer together as they rise. Their sweeping shape distributes the enormous forces acting on the structure and provides stability. At the same time, the open lattice design makes the tower comparatively light and reduces wind resistance. This made it possible to reach a height that was extraordinary for the late 19th century.

Historic lifts: The lifts were among the greatest technical challenges in the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Although lifts already existed in 1889, systems for such a height had never been built before. The cabins also had to follow an inclined route inside the sloping piers. The original systems were later replaced or rebuilt. In 1899, the east and west piers received new hydraulic lifts made by Fives-Lille. They have been modernised several times but still operate on the same basic mechanical principle and carry visitors from ground level to the second floor.

Levels: The Eiffel Tower has three levels open to visitors. The first floor is 57 metres above the ground and features, among other things, a glass floor and the Madame Brasserie restaurant. The second floor is 116 metres high and offers sweeping panoramic views across Paris. It is also home to the Le Jules Verne restaurant. From the second floor, a lift continues to the summit. The highest observation platform is located at a height of 276 metres and consists of an enclosed and an open-air level. There is also a champagne bar.

Gustave Eiffel’s private apartment: At the top of the tower, Gustave Eiffel had a private area of around 100 square metres created for himself. He used it as an office, for scientific experiments and to receive prominent guests. There was no bedroom, and Eiffel probably never stayed there overnight. Today, a small part of the original space has been reconstructed as a historic office. Behind windows, wax figures depict Gustave Eiffel, his daughter Claire and American inventor Thomas Edison during Edison’s visit in 1889.

The 72 names: Around the first floor, Gustave Eiffel had the names of 72 French scientists, engineers and inventors inscribed in gold lettering. They include Lavoisier, Ampère, Fourier, Foucault and Coulomb. The inscriptions honour important figures in science and engineering and underline the tower’s role as a symbol of progress and research. The names disappeared beneath a new coat of paint in the early 20th century. They were restored in 1986 and 1987.

Colour: The Eiffel Tower has changed colour several times over the course of its history. During construction in 1887 and 1888, it was initially painted Venetian red. For the 1889 World’s Fair, it was given a reddish-brown coat. From 1968 to 2019, the specially developed “Eiffel Tower Brown” defined its appearance. The tower now once again features the yellow-brown shade that Gustave Eiffel had already chosen in 1907. The paint protects the iron from corrosion and is renewed on average about every seven years. A complete repaint requires around 60 tonnes of paint.

Flexible tower: The Eiffel Tower is not completely rigid but moves slightly under the influence of sunlight, temperature and wind. The iron expands in heat and contracts in cold conditions. This can change the tower’s height by a few millimetres. When the sun heats one side more strongly than the others, the top leans slightly away from it. Over the course of a sunny day, this can cause it to trace an approximately circular movement with a diameter of about 15 centimetres. Strong winds also cause the tower to sway slightly. Its curved lattice structure was designed to offer as little resistance to the wind as possible.

Lightning strikes: The Eiffel Tower is regularly struck by lightning during thunderstorms, on average about five times a year. Gustave Eiffel had four lightning conductors installed at the top during construction. They are connected to cables that safely conduct electrical charges into the ground. The tower’s conductive metal structure is also grounded. As a result, lightning strikes normally pose no danger to either visitors or the structure.

Scientific use: Gustave Eiffel also used the tower as a scientific laboratory from the very beginning. Weather observations and experiments in aerodynamics were among the activities carried out there. In 1910, physicist Theodor Wulf compared ionising radiation at ground level with measurements taken on the Eiffel Tower. He found that radiation decreased far less with increasing altitude than expected. His findings were an important early indication that some of the radiation might originate in space. The decisive proof was provided in 1912 by physicist Victor Hess through measurements taken during balloon flights.

Underground radio station: In 1909, the French military established a permanent radio station beneath the Champ de Mars. Before that, officer and radio pioneer Gustave Ferrié had conducted his experiments in a simple wooden hut beside the Eiffel Tower’s south pier. The new station was connected to antennas on the tower and used its great height to transmit and receive radio signals over long distances. This made the Eiffel Tower an important part of France’s military radio communications.

Military use: During the First World War, the Eiffel Tower’s radio station played an important role in French military intelligence. It intercepted German radio messages and helped track troop movements and other military information. During the Battle of the Marne in 1914, intercepted messages provided clues about problems with the supply and advance of German troops. Encrypted radio telegrams were also deciphered and analysed for counter-espionage purposes.

Selling the Eiffel Tower: In 1925, con artist Victor Lustig posed as a senior Paris official and claimed that the city intended to dismantle the Eiffel Tower and sell it for scrap metal. Using forged letters, he invited several scrap-metal dealers to what he described as a secret auction. André Poisson fell for the scam and paid Lustig a large sum of money. Too embarrassed to report the crime, he remained silent, allowing Lustig to flee to Austria. About a month later, Lustig tried to sell the Eiffel Tower a second time. This time, however, the scam was uncovered, and he once again left France.

Giant billboard: From 1925 to 1936, the Eiffel Tower was transformed at night into an enormous illuminated advertisement for the French car manufacturer Citroën. Around 250,000 coloured light bulbs spelled out the brand’s name on three sides of the tower. The glowing sign could be seen from as far as 40 kilometres away.

Occupation: After the German occupation of Paris in June 1940, the Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors and used by the German army for radio communications. The lifts remained out of service during the occupation after their cables had been cut before the German invasion. Adolf Hitler visited Paris in June 1940 and was photographed at the Trocadéro in front of the Eiffel Tower, but he did not climb the tower. During the occupation, the Germans also used the tower’s broadcasting facilities for radio and television. After the liberation of Paris in August 1944, the lifts were repaired and the Eiffel Tower reopened.

The heaviest visitor: On 4 July 1948, the Bouglione circus attracted attention with an unusual stunt at the Eiffel Tower. Its female elephant Mary was taken up to the tower’s first floor, where she was even given champagne. Contemporary reports disagree on the details, however. Some say Mary climbed the stairs, while others say she used the lift. Accounts of her age and the exact amount of champagne she received are also not clearly documented.

Current use: The Eiffel Tower remains an important broadcasting site for radio and television. On 15 March 2022, a six-metre-high antenna for the DAB+ digital radio system was installed at its summit. This increased the tower’s height from 324 metres to its current total height of 330 metres.

Light show: After dark, the Eiffel Tower is illuminated in gold every evening. At the beginning of every hour, 20,000 small lights make the entire structure sparkle for five minutes. This effect was first used for New Year 1999/2000 and was permanently installed in 2003. At the same time, a beacon rotates at the summit, with its beams visible from up to 80 kilometres away in clear conditions. The tower’s night-time illumination and sparkling lights are protected by copyright. Private individuals may take and share their own images. Professional use, however, requires permission, and fees may apply depending on how the images are used.

French National Day: Every year on French National Day, the Eiffel Tower becomes the backdrop for one of Paris’s biggest celebrations. The “Concert de Paris”, featuring classical music, traditionally takes place on the Champ de Mars, followed by a major fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower. The show combines fireworks, music and changing visual effects. In 2026, the concert and fireworks were exceptionally held on 13 July so that the victims of the Nice attack of 14 July 2016 could be commemorated the following day.

2024 Olympic Games: The Eiffel Tower played a special role during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During the opening ceremony, the athletes travelled through Paris along the Seine on boats. At the end of the ceremony, Céline Dion sang Édith Piaf’s “Hymne à l’amour” from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. The medals were also directly connected to the landmark. Each Olympic and Paralympic medal contained an 18-gram piece of original iron from the Eiffel Tower. The metal came from sections of the structure that had been removed during earlier renovation work and kept in storage.

Deadly stunts: The Eiffel Tower has repeatedly been the scene of dangerous stunts that ended in death. On 12 February 1912, tailor and inventor Franz Reichelt jumped from the first floor to test a parachute suit he had designed himself. The device failed to open as intended, and Reichelt died after falling from a height of about 57 metres. In 1926, French pilot Léon Collot attempted to fly his aircraft beneath the Eiffel Tower. The plane became caught in antenna cables hanging from the tower and crashed. Collot was killed in the accident.

Replicas: The Eiffel Tower has inspired numerous replicas around the world. The tallest known copy has stood in Las Vegas since 1999 and, at 165 metres, reaches about half the height of the original. In Tianducheng near Hangzhou in China, an approximately 108-metre-high replica rises in a district modelled on Paris. A particularly unusual version stands in Paris in the US state of Texas. The nearly 20-metre-high replica wears a large red cowboy hat, combining its Parisian inspiration with a typically Texan symbol.

Film location: The Eiffel Tower has appeared in numerous international films. One of its best-known appearances is in the 1985 James Bond film *A View to a Kill*. In the film, James Bond, played by Roger Moore, chases May Day, played by Grace Jones, through the Eiffel Tower before she parachutes from the structure. The scenes were actually filmed on location.