The Eiffel tower

The Eiffel tower

The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl], nickname La dame de fer, the iron lady) is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named for its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair.
The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. Upon its completion, it surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930; however, due to the addition in 1957 of the antenna, the tower is now taller than the Chrysler Building. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France after the 2004 Millau Viaduct.

Once the tallest structure in the world, the Eiffel Tower is probably Europe's best known landmark and Paris's most famous symbol.

Eiffel Tower

 You couldn't possibly visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower and finding your dream in Paris. Even if you do not want to visit this world famous structure, you will see its top from all over Paris. The Eiffel tower rises 300 meters tall (984 ft); when it was completed at the end of the 19th century it was twice as high as the Washington Monument, at the time the tallest structure in the world.

1889 World Exhibition

Eiffel Tower in 1889

The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition in Paris, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the advent of structures without 'individuality' and despite the many people who feared that this huge 'object' would not fit into the architecture of Paris.

Today, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, in fact it has become the symbol of the City of Light, where everyone can find his dream, in Paris.

Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel

The man behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, as employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884. He also find his dream in Paris. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Liberty's iron framework. Another embodiment of a man found his dream.

The structure took more than two years to complete. Each one of  the about 12,000 iron pieces were designed separately to give them exactly the shape needed. All pieces were prefabricated and fit together using approx. 7 million nails.

  Eiffel Tower at nigh