The Eiffel Tower, which has long become a symbol of Paris, is one of the most visited tourist sites in France, the most visited state in the world by foreigners. This makes it one of the most famous sights of the world, and if you suddenly brought to Paris, the city of all lovers, here you should definitely look.
This famous Parisian landmark is entirely made of steel, almost not subject to corrosion. The architect Eiffel who built it called her simply “the 300-meter tower”, and the rumor called her the Eiffel Tower later. Its height, by the way, is not 300 meters, but 324 thanks to a new antenna installed in 2010. But at the time of construction, its height was 300 meters 65 centimeters. A number of sources call the Eiffel Tower the most photographed attraction of the whole world, as well as the most visited among the toll. Every year 6-7 million tourists visit the Eiffel Tower, and throughout its history more than 250 million people visited it. When it was first built, many Parisians said that it spoils the appearance of the city, and even demanded to demolish it. Fortunately, in the end, it was decided to save the Eiffel Tower.
In the Ukrainian city of Kharkov there is a replica of the Eiffel Tower reduced by 30 times. Initially, the Parisian tower was supposed to serve as an entrance arch to the World Exhibition of 1889, and it was assumed that 20 years after the completion of the exhibition it was dismantled. The Eiffel Tower consists of 18038 elements fastened together by more than 2.5 million rivets. About 2 tons of paper are spent daily to print the required number of tickets for the Eiffel Tower.
Such famous writers as Guy de Maupassant and Alexandre Dumas (son) demanded the authorities to demolish the tower, claiming that it was “monstrous and useless”. The total area of all elements of the Eiffel Tower reaches 250 thousand square meters. Once in 7 years the tower is completely repainted. The procedure costs Paris about 4 million euros. The brown color of the Eiffel Tower is obtained by mixing three brown shades, and this color never changes.
For all the time of its existence, about 400 people committed suicide by jumping down from the observation deck of the tower. The mass of the Eiffel Tower is only about 10.1 thousand tons (of which the tower itself has 7.3 thousand tons), which is very small for a 324-meter structure. The French authorities estimate the cost of the Eiffel Tower at about 435 million euros. From 1889 to 1930, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building on Earth. Despite the presence of elevators, a staircase leads to the top of the tower. True, there are 1710 steps in it.
When in 1944 the German army left occupied Paris, Adolf Hitler ordered to destroy the Eiffel Tower during the retreat, but the German commander who received this order violated it and did not touch the sight. Over the years, the Eiffel Tower was painted in different colors, from yellow to red-brown. The architect Eiffel, in order to achieve sponsorship of the project for the construction of the tower, assured his fortune that the tower would be ready in time for the exhibition to start. He kept his promise. All the costs of building the Eiffel Tower paid off thanks to tourists already within 10 months after its opening for visitors.
The total weight of paint covering it reaches 57 tons. Initially, Eifel intended to build his tower in the Spanish city of Barcelona, but the city authorities abandoned his project, calling it too fanciful and expensive. The Eiffel Tower, thanks to its “lattice” successfully resists even the most powerful hurricane wind. When a monstrous hurricane hit Paris, the wind speed reached 180 km / h, while the top of the tower deviated to the side just 12 centimeters.
