It attracts millions of tourists every year (7 million in 2011) and is a major source of revenue for the French capital. It is a metal tower located on the Field of Mars and was built in 1889 by the French engineer Gistave Eiffel (1823 - 1923), after whom it is named: Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel in French)
The rapid advances in technology in the 19th century had captured the imagination of engineers. The idea of building a 300-metre-high tower first appeared in 1833 in England, was revisited around 1874 in the United States, but in both cases the plans were completely vague and did not proceed.
French engineer Gistave Eiffel, who at the time was building railway bridges with arches over deep gorges, had devoted himself to the study of high-rise metal towers to support bridge spans. When he completed the study of the foundations of the Garabie Bridge, two of his closest collaborators, engineers Emile Nugier and Maurice Kesslain, pitched the idea of building a 300-metre-high tower.
The first design was drawn up by Kesslain on 6 June 1884, and although it differed considerably from Eiffel's later creation, it included several of its key features. In 1886 Eiffel returned to the idea of the 300-metre tower. He presented the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Edouard Locroix, with a plan, which was approved on 12 June 1886.
The contract for the construction of the monument was signed on 8 January 1887 and work began without delay, to be ready in time for the spring of 1889, when the International Exhibition would open its doors and France would celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution. On 26 January, excavation of the foundations began, which was completed in June 1887, and construction of the metal frame began immediately and was finished in March 1889. Installation of the tower began on July 1, 1887. The first floor was completed on April 1, 1888, the second on August 14, 1888 and the third on February 24, 1889. During an official ceremony on 31 March 1889, Eiffel raised the French flag atop the monument for the first time.
The imposing monument would astonish visitors to the International Exhibition, as it was the tallest building in the world, and would hold that title until 30 April 1931, when it would be taken away by the Chrysler skyscraper in New York (319 metres). It still remains, however, the tallest building in Paris.
The Eiffel Tower is made of iron and weighs 7,175 tons. Its construction study involved the preparation of more than 5,300 drawings showing the details of its 18,038 different components. 1 050 846 nails were used in its assembly. It is shaped like a square pyramid with hollow domes and has three storeys: the first is 57.63 metres above the ground, the second 115.73 metres and the third 276.13 metres.
This last storey bears the dome, which is its crowning glory, and a lighthouse installed in 1889 at a height of 300.51 metres.
This last storey bears the dome, which is its crowning glory, and a lighthouse installed in 1889 at a height of 300.51 metres. This height has increased to 320.755 metres since the installation of a radio and television antenna (1959) and now stands at 324 metres. The hydraulic lifts in the tower allow visitors to ascend to the different floors.
Source: sansimera
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