Definition of Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of the city of Paris and the most visited monument in France. Despite its worldwide fame, there are certain facts that are not so well known. Until 1930 it was the edification highest in the world. When it began to be built, many Parisians opposed it, considering that it was a building unsightly that was opposed to the characteristic style of the city. Contrary to popular belief, Gustavo Eiffel was not the chief engineer, but rather Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier.

In its beginnings, there were no lifts that exist today, so to access the top it was necessary to climb 1710 steps to be precise. Inaugurated on March 31, 1889, it opened its experience to the general public a month later, on May 6, thirty thousand people attended the event.

For its construction, it was necessary the work of more than 300 specialized workers, who used about 18,000 pieces of wrought iron and about two million rivets.

It was originally erected to celebrate the

Exposition Universal and, in principle, the idea was had that the tower would remain standing for 20 years, but the government The French began to use it as a telecommunications base and this circumstance made the initial plans change.

The Eiffel Tower is not only a tourist monument, but inside there are other facilities: a press office, a scientific laboratory, a theater, a post office and the first level is transformed into an ice rink during the winter. The Eiffel Tower is visited by more than 7 million tourists a year. Its construction lasted for two years and two months.

False urban legend that circulates that aims to give a historical brushstroke on the background of its construction

A false story is spread on the networks, like so many others, and that in this case has as its protagonist the origins of this icon, and that describes that the engineer Gustavo Eiffel presented his draft to the political leaders of the city of Barcelona, ​​but they rejected the proposal considering that it was a very strange construction and with a very high cost. There are many sites that reproduce this curiosity as true, for this reason it has become a strong chain.

Supposedly, after this initial failure, the engineer presented the project to those responsible for the city council of Paris, who understood that it was a good idea for Paris to offer the world an image of modernity.

The debate among Parisians

When the Eiffel Tower project was approved, some sectors of the population they were shocked, as they understood that the new construction was too modern an iron hulk for a Renaissance city like Paris. With "the world" against it, this work broke the standards to become a revolution today.

Photos: Fotolia - jovannig / andreykr

Themes in Eiffel Tower