Gustave Eiffel's company, that was located in Levallois Perret, very near Paris, France, also built the metal framework for another world-famous monument: the Statue of Liberty New York, United States , designed by Auguste Bartholdi and offered to the United States as a gift from France to celebrate the th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence in The Eiffel Tower is made of iron, not steel.
The puddle iron that makes up the Eiffel Tower's structure came from the Pompey forges East of France. The iron plates and beams produced through the puddling process were then preassembled in the Eiffel factories in Levallois Perret using rivets. Finally, these pieces where taken to the Eiffel Tower construction site to be mounted.
The prefab system is what allowed them to build the Eiffel Tower in a record time of 2 years, 2 months and 5 days. The iron used to build the Eiffel Tower went through a refining process called puddling which eliminated the excess carbon when the ore was melted. Following this process, you obtain almost pure iron, which was, according to Gustave Eiffel at that time, the best and most robust of materials. To protect it from corrosion, the iron is covered with a thick coat of paint that has to be renewed every 7 years.
This repainting schedule was recommended by Gustave Eiffel himself and is still respected to date. That year, the World's Fair covered the entire Champ de Mars in Paris and its focus was the vast constructions in iron and steel that were the great industrial advancement of that time.
First called the meter Tower, it soon took the name of the man who built it, Gustave Eiffel. The Tower opened to the public the same day as the World's Fair, on May 15, Controversy over the Tower raged in the art world before and during its construction, but thanks to the audacity of its architecture and design, visitors and Parisians immediately fell under its charm and more than 2 million people toured it in the first year.
General view of World's Fair of Paris, Its height and unique silhouette floating above the Paris landscape quickly made the Eiffel Tower one of the most popular attractions in Paris.
The Tower's destiny is closely linked to that of the city of Paris, the capital of France and the Eiffel Tower's owner.
Since the beginning, the Eiffel Tower drew attention and served as the theatre for numerous events in the life of Paris and France: the grandiose fireworks on July 14 "Bastille Day" , national-level events and large-scale sporting events. The Tower can be seen from many and various points around Paris and its suburbs.
It is photographed, drawn, filmed, and replicated in all kinds of circumstances. It is the monument photographed by all visitors to Paris. It naturally slipped into the role of symbolizing France in the collective imagination, in movies and graphic arts but also in literature and poetry.
For years, the Eiffel Tower has been a powerful and distinctive symbol of the city of Paris, and by extension, of France. At first, when it was built for the World's Fair, it impressed the entire world by its stature and daring design, and symbolized French know-how and industrial genius. A monument known around the world and a unique tourist attraction, the Eiffel Tower has loyally accompanied the people of Paris and its suburbs in their daily life.
Rising to a height of meters, it can be seen from all over Paris, and beyond, day and night until 1 am thanks to its lighting, the twinkling illumination at fixed times and its beacon that reaches out to 80 km, at degrees. The Eiffel Tower has witnessed and sometimes been an actor in important events, both sumptuous and tragic, in France's history.
In its early years the Eiffel Tower was a productive laboratory for scientific experiments, in particular for wireless telegraphy, which saved it from destruction after the initially scheduled period of 20 years. At the end of the 19th century, from the s, Europe entered the industrial era. The United States had entered shortly before. In the North of France the factories multiply, we discover the driving force of steam and, later, electricity.
The United Kingdom used its domineering fleet, France its colonial empire. Engineers discovering metal as a building material is embarking on more and more crazy challenges. That of building a foot tower becomes a gamble spread around the world. The country that will achieve this tour de force will undeniably be considered technologically advanced, and it is France that succeeds first, thanks to Gustave Eiffel.
Its 1,foot m tower is a technological feat that shows the entire world the technological power of France. It was built solely for that purpose, to serve as an entrance gate to the World's Fair. The innovative techniques that were used were subsequently used in other buildings, particularly the principle of not building only pieces that, once assembled, could be moved by only two men.
He has also implemented a multi-year project monitoring from conception to delivery. Moreover, his calculations were corroborated by the English who tried to build another tower, larger, almost identical. The project was not completed, it was abandoned before waiting for the first floor, but the engineers were up to change their plan, initially octagonal, in square plan to stick to the Eiffel Tower, proof of the effectiveness of the calculations of the Parisian tower.
This symbol of the Eiffel Tower is related to the previous symbols: The Eiffel Tower is representative of France, and it magnifies the French genius. By extension, it becomes the symbol of the greatness of France. This is confirmed by its popularity, both in France and in foreign countries, and by its presence in Paris, very pregnant.
It's more surprising, but the fact that it happened 60 years ago does not mean it's been forgotten. The Eiffel Tower is a symbol of the conquest of Paris by German troops in , then the liberation of Paris in When Germany conquered Paris there were some symbols of this decision, photos that we have from that time: German soldiers marching on the Champs Elysees, but also Hitler in front of the Eiffel Tower. This photo does not seem to be a propaganda company, it looks more like a simple photo without any real meaning.
Yet it is symbolic of German power over Europe in In a happier way for the French, the Eiffel Tower is also the symbol of the liberation of Paris.
This act of heroism was greeted by the installation, much later, of a commemorative plaque on the 3rd floor of the Eiffel Tower. For the anecdote, you should know that this flag, which was to be large, was made in a hurry by roughly sewing three sheets of different colors. The popularity of the Eiffel Tower in the World makes this monument sometimes used to please a host country, during a treaty, an important meeting, or for a special occasion.
We have seen the Eiffel Tower adorn many different colors for a lot of reasons. The Eiffel Tower has been illuminated with the colors of different countries. This was the case in on the occasion of the Chinese New Year during which the Parisians saw the red tower, the color of China. The illumination took place from January 24th to 29th and stayed on all nights during this period. Note the presence in France of the Chinese Minister of Culture, who participated in the festivities. In took place the season of Turkey in France, from June to March On this occasion the Eiffel Tower was illuminated in Turkish colors between 5 and 11 October.
She had red on the lower part and white on the heights. In October took place the celebration of the th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and South Korea. Also to please our guests the Eiffel Tower has illuminated the colors of Korea, during a sound and light show on pop music.
Shortly afterwards, the November attacks took place in Paris. On this occasion, the Eiffel Tower has a blue-white-red color as a tribute to France's victims. These attacks allowed the French to reclaim their national colors, and their presence on the Eiffel Tower was welcome. Unfortunately in March terrorism is again striking, in Belgium this time. The day after the Eiffel Tower is adorned with the colors of the country in memory of the victims.
Pleasing the guests of France is good, but the Eiffel Tower has also served to highlight particular causes. So she became a symbol of the fight against cancer the time of an evening. When Germany occupied France during the second World War, Hitler ordered that the Eiffel Tower be torn down , but the order was never followed through.
Before the Eiffel Tower was built, Eiffel's firm was asked to design the internal frame for the Statue of Liberty, a task assigned to his trusted employee, Maurice Koechlin. They proved their iron handiwork with Lady Liberty first. Tucked into the first floor of the Tower next to the gift shops, there is a tiny post office.
Eiffel opened the doors of the laboratory to other scientists to use for the experiments, too, and cosmic rays were discovered there. The massive iron structure is wind resistant and will sway during a storm.
If the weather is bad enough, it can even move. French scientists and engineers working in the 19th century were not forgotten by history—not only did they lend their names to Parisian streets, but 72 of their names are also engraved on the Eiffel Tower.
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