10 Amazing Eiffel Tower Facts

10 Amazing Eiffel Tower Facts

Paris would not be the city we know and love without the Eiffel Tower – the  incredible iron lacework tower named after its engineer and creator Gustave Eiffel. Monsieur Eiffel was an extraordinary engineer, but the initial approval for, and the building of the tower was not always easy.

The full story of the man and his tower is an incredible read, and the best book I’ve read so far is Eiffel’s Tower: A Historical Story. Filled with the historical facts, but written in an gripping story style, this book is a must-read. A full book review can be read here – Eiffel’s Tower: A Historical Story, or you buy your own copy now from Amazon.

The Eiffel Tower was the result of a competition launched in 1886 for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, the date that marked the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. 

“The first digging work started on the 26th January 1887. On the 31st March 1889, the Tower had been finished in record time – 2 years, 2 months and 5 days – and was established as a veritable technical feat.” – Tour Eiffel Paris website

The tower has taken on a female persona and her birth date has been declared as being on the day of completion, the 31st March 1889.

Now here’s our 10 amazing Eiffel Tower facts:

1.  There are 30 replica Eiffel Towers around the world.

2.  Inventor Franz Reichelt died by jumping from the Tower when testing a parachute that he had designed.

3. The Eiffel Tower is the most visited of all the paid monuments in the world.

4.  It was built as a temporary structure for the 1889 Exposition Universalle and was meant to be taken down at the conclusion of the Exposition.

5.  It would take 40 years before another building topped the 1,000 foot high Tower.  In 1929 the Chrysler Building in New York became the tallest building in the world.

6.  During WWII the lift cables were cut so that Hitler had to climb the stairs if he wanted to reach the top.

7.  Gustave Eiffel hosted a party for 50 friends in his luxurious apartment at the top of the Tower on the last evening of the Paris World Fair. He often slept and held office in his apartment during the construction stage.

8.  1665 steps are needed to climb all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

9.  300 workers, 18,038 pieces of wrought iron and 2.5 million rivets were needed to build the Tower.

10.  The height of the Tower varies by as much as 15cm due to temperature changes.

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