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⚫ frhigh-power ]s were installed on the tower. Since then the light show has become a nightly event. The searchlights on top of the tower make it a beacon in Paris' night sky.
]

The '''Eiffel Tower''' (] {{IPA|/ˌaɪfəl 'taʊɚ/}}; ]: ''La Tour Eiffel'', pronounced {{IPA|/tuʀ efɛl/}}) is an ] ] built on the '']'' beside the River ] in ]. It is the ] and among the most recognized symbols in the world. Named after its designer, engineer ], it is a premier ].
==Statistics==
]
], with the ] (Montparnasse Tower) in the distance.]]
The tower stands 300 m (986 ft) high, which is about 75 stories. Including the 24-m (72-ft) antenna, the structure is 324 m (1058 ft) high which is about 81 stories. At the time of its construction in ], the tower was the ], a title it retained until ], when ]'s ] (319 m/1046 ft tall) was completed (although the tower was still taller if the respective spires of the two structures were excluded). The tower is the second-highest structure in France, after the 350-m ], built in ]. The Eiffel tower is the highest structure in Paris. The second-highest structure in Paris is the ] (Montparnasse Tower), at 209 m.

The metal structure of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 ]s, and the total weight is 10,100 tonnes. The number of ] to the summit has varied over the history of the tower, through various renovations: at the time of construction in 1889, there were 1710 steps to the summit platform at 300.65 m; after renovation in the early 1980s, there were 1920 steps; and today there are 1665 steps (although it is not possible for the public to reach the summit via the stairs—elevators are required beyond the second platform).

Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the tower may shift away from the sun by up to 8 cm (3.25 inches), due to ] on the side facing the sun.

Maintenance of the tower includes applying 50 tonnes of three graded tones of paint every seven years to protect it from ]. On occasion, the colour of the paint is changed — the tower is currently painted a shade of brown. On the first floor, there are interactive consoles hosting a poll for the colour to use for a future session of painting.
] seen from the ] with the Eiffel Tower to the right.]]

==Background==
]
]]]
The structure was built between ] and ] as the entrance arch for the ], a ] marking the centennial celebration of the ]. It is located at ] {{coor dms|48|51|29|N|2|17|40|E|region:FR_type:landmark}}. The tower was inaugurated on ] ], and opened on ]. Three hundred workers joined together 18,038 pieces of ] (a very pure form of structural iron), using two and a half million ]s, in a structural design by ]. The risk of accident was great, for unlike modern skyscrapers the tower is an open frame without any intermediate floors except the two platforms. Yet because Eiffel took good care of his workers with movable stagings, guard-rails and screens, only one man died, during the installation of ]'s ]s.

The tower was met with resistance from the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore (Novelist ] ate at a restaurant at the tower regularly, because it was the one place in Paris he was sure he wouldn't see it). Today, it is widely considered to be one of the most striking pieces of structural art in the world.

One of the great ] movie clichés is that the view from a Parisian window always includes the tower. In reality, since zoning restrictions limit the height of most buildings in Paris to a few stories, only the very few taller buildings have a clear view of the tower.

Originally, Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years (when ownership of it would revert to the City of Paris, who had originally planned to tear it down; part of the original contest rules for designing a tower was that it could be easily torn down), more than recouping his expenses, but as it later proved valuable for communication purposes, it was allowed to remain after the expiry of the permit. The military used it to dispatch Parisian taxis to the front line of the Marne, and it therefore became a victory statue of that battle. It was also used to catch the infamous "]", and after this, its demolition became unthinkable to the French population.

==Installations ==
]
Since the beginning of the ], the tower has been used for ] transmission. Until the 1950s, an occasionally modified set of antenna wires ran from the summit to anchors on the ] and ]. They were connected to long-wave transmitters in small bunkers; in ], a permanent underground radio center was built near the south pillar and still exists today. Since ], the tower has been used for transmission of ] and ].

The tower has : '']'', on the first floor (95 m above ]); and the '']'', an expensive ] restaurant on the second floor, with a private elevator. This restaurant has one star in the ].

== Events ==
]
]
]
] ] in ] took observations of ] radiating at the top and bottom of the tower, discovering at the top more than was expected, and thereby detecting what are today known as ]s.

In ], the con artist ] twice "sold" the tower for scrap.

In ], the tower lost the title of the world's tallest structure when the ] was completed in ].

From ] to ], illuminated signs for ] adorned three of the tower's four sides, making it the tallest billboard in the world at the time.

Upon the ] of ] in ], the lift cables were cut by the French so that ] would have to climb the steps to the summit. The parts to repair them were allegedly impossible to obtain because of ], though they were working again within hours of the ] of the Nazis. Soldiers had to climb all the way to the top to hoist the ] from the top, but the flag was so large it blew away just a few hours later, and they had to go back up again with a smaller one. Hitler chose to stay on the ground. A Frenchman scaled the tower during the German occupation to hang the ]. In August ], when the ] were nearing Paris, Hitler ordered General ], the military governor of Paris, to demolish the tower along with the rest of the city. He disobeyed the order.

On ] ], a fire damaged the top of the tower.

In ] the present radio antenna was added to the top.

In the ] an old restaurant and its supporting iron scaffolding midway up the tower was dismantled; it was purchased and reconstructed in ], originally as the Tour Eiffel Restaurant, known more recently as the Red Room.

⚫ In ], flashing lights and four high-power ]s were installed on the tower. Since then the light show has become a nightly event. The searchlights on top of the tower make it a beacon in Paris' night sky.


The tower received its 200,000,000th guest on ] ]. The tower received its 200,000,000th guest on ] ].

Revision as of 15:19, 12 July 2006

frhigh-power searchlights were installed on the tower.  Since then the light show has become a nightly event. The searchlights on top of the tower make it a beacon in Paris' night sky.

The tower received its 200,000,000th guest on 28 November 2002.

At 7:20 p.m. on 22 July 2003, a fire occurred at the top of the tower in the broadcasting equipment room. The entire tower was evacuated; the fire was extinguished after 40 minutes, and there were no reports of injuries.

The 72 names

File:Eiffel.trocadero.arp.750pix.jpg
View to the northwest from the tower, across the River Seine, showing the Trocadéro gardens and the Palais de Chaillot. A pleasure boat cruises on the river.
Main article: The 72 names on the Eiffel Tower

The names of 72 French scientists and engineers are engraved on the tower in recognition of their contributions. This engraving was painted over at the beginning of the 20th century and restored in 1986 by SNTE ("Société Nouvelle d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel"), the company contracted by the City of Paris to operate the tower.

Image copyright

The Eiffel Tower is made from 18,038 pieces of puddled iron.

Images of the tower have long been in the public domain; however, in 2003 SNTE installed a new lighting display on the tower. The effect was to put any night-time image of the tower under copyright. As a result, it was no longer legal to publish contemporary photographs of the tower at night without permission.

The imposition of copyright has been controversial. The Director of Documentation for SNTE, Stéphane Dieu, commented in January 2005, "It is really just a way to manage commercial use of the image, so that it isn't used in ways we don't approve." However, it also potentially has the effect of prohibiting tourist photographs of the tower at night from being published .

In a recent decision, the Court of Cassation ruled that copyright could not be claimed over images including a copyrighted building if the photograph encompassed a larger area. This seems to indicate that SNTE cannot claim copyright on photographs of Paris incorporating the lit tower.

Location

In pop culture

As an instantly recognisable structure and landmark, the Eiffel Tower often appears in films and computer games as a target of attacks.

Eiffel Tower in pop culture

Imitations and reproductions

The tower and gardens.

Many reproductions/models of the tower (often smaller-scale) exist.

Imitations (similar towers, not scale models)

In order of decreasing height:

The Tour métallique de Fourvière in Lyon
File:IMG 1296.JPG
The Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada

Reproductions

In order of decreasing height:

Scale models

The Heller company sells an unassembled 1:650 scale plastic model of the Tower under reference 81201; it is about 49 cm (19 inches) tall when assembled.

Paper scale model by Paperlandmarks is 36 cm (14 inches) tall when assembled.

Access

___ Located near the Métro stations: Trocadéro and Bir-Hakeim.

References

  • Frémy, Dominique, Quid de la Tour Eiffel, Robert Lafont, Paris (1989) — out of print

External links

Tourism in Paris
Landmarks
Museums
(list)
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Hôtels particuliers
and palaces
Bridges, streets,
areas, squares
and waterways
Parks and gardens
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Culture and events
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Related
Supertall structures
Italics indicate structures under construction
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Electricity pylons
Wind turbines
Oil platforms

48°51′29″N 02°17′40″E / 48.85806°N 2.29444°E / 48.85806; 2.29444

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