Who doesn’t know about the Eiffel Tower located in Paris? It is one of the most iconic constructions of the world; and a dream destination for tourists from all over the world. There are numerous fascinating facts about this construction; some are known, some are known only to very few people. Do you wish to discover all the secrets about the world’s most iconic building Eiffel Tower Paris; let’s discuss some of them here!
What made Eiffel Tower Paris so famous?
This wrought-iron lattice tower, known as the Eiffel Tower Paris across the world, is called ‘La tour Eiffel’ by the French and is named after the architect Gustav Eiffel, the company’s owner. It was designed and contrasted by Eiffel’s company as a centrepiece for the World’s Fair in Paris in 1989. It was supposed to memorialize the centennial of the French Revolution. It represented the modern mechanical French expertise on a global platform.
Time taken for building Eifel Tower
The entire Gustave Eiffel’s civil engineering team took two years, two months, and five days to complete this building using 7500 tons of wrought iron and 2,5 million bolts. The hard work of the entire team resulted in this skyline Eiffel Tower, replicas of which are emulating in popular places like Las Vegas, China, Greece, and Texas. Despite being the most visited sight of the world with around seven million visitors each year, the Eiffel Tower still holds many secrets about it.
Actual designer of Eiffel Tower
Although this masterpiece is named after the company’s owner Gustave Eiffel, it wasn’t designed by him. The original design was introduced by two company workers, Emile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin. This group of two engineers teamed up with Stephen Sauvestre, a French architect, for planning, and building the monument. They also planned to enter the contest to get elected for the main storage World’s Fair.
Eiffel Tower was supposed to be demolished
The Eiffel Tower Paris was built to show the French industrial expertise in the world’s Fair but it was planned to demolish it after 20 years of its introduction. The builders of the tower smartly installed an antenna and wireless telegraph transmitter in the Tower, and the government finally decided that it was too beneficial to demolish.
Hitler ordered for demolishing Eiffel Tower
After the German occupation of the French during World War II, Adolf Hitler ordered to demolish the Eiffel Tower, but his order was never followed through. The Tower’s elevator cable was cut by the French resistant fighters so that Hitler’s army was forced to climb the stairs for hoisting their flag.
Eiffel Tower has a post office
There’s a small post office tucked into the first floor of the tower, just next to the gifts shop. Pick up any postcard and a stamp from the gift shop and mail it from the Eiffel Tower Paris it will be delivered with a unique postmark. Wouldn’t anybody want to do that?
The Tower’s Lab
There’s a meteorological lab on the third floor of the tower built by Mr. Gustave Eiffel. This lab was a room for performing experiments on physics, aerodynamics, and wind tunnel. Mr. Eiffel also allowed other scientists to work in his lab for performing experiments. The cosmic rays were discovered in this lab only.
Names of scientists on Eiffel Tower
There was so much hard work and effort by the French scientists and engineers in building the Eiffel Tower Paris that cannot be foreseen. There are many inventions and discoveries of the French scientists that are unforgettable. These French scientists and engineers have lent their names to the streets of Paris. 72 French scientists who have contributed to inventions have their names engraved on the Eiffel Tower. With time these names faded out, but they are restored because of maintenance. They are visible again; eagle-eyed visitors can read a few names like Dumas, Foucault, Perrier, etc engraved in iron.
What is underneath the Eiffel Tower?
Eiffel Tower
Most people are unaware of the military bunker present underneath the Tower. This secret military bunker connects to the close by Ecole Militaire through a long tunnel. This bunker has now been converted into a small museum for tourists to visit and explore.
What’s at the top of the tower?
A Champagne bar! Yes, if you have enough guts to reach the top of the tower, you can reward yourself with a glass of champagne and a spectacular 360-degree view of Paris. Just imagine how exciting it will be.
As already stated earlier, every year around 7 million tourists visit the Eiffel Tower Paris; so it is necessary to keep it looking good. It takes a lot of effort to keep the Eiffel Tower in perfect condition. Each year around 60 tons of paint is applied to the tower to prevent the iron from rusting and keep the Iron Lady (La dame de fer) looking perfect.
Do you know more interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower Paris, that are not mentioned here let us know in the comments?
