Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is a lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built it from 1887 to 1889. People sometimes call it "La dame de fer" ("Iron Lady") because it is made of wrought iron. It was built as the main attraction of the 1889 World's Fair and to celebrate 100 years since the French Revolution.

Some of France's leading artists and thinkers did not like the design at first. Today, the tower is a famous symbol of France and one of the most recognisable buildings in the world. In 2022, the tower welcomed 5,889,000 visitors. It is the most visited monument in the world that charges an entrance fee. In 1964, it was named a monument historique, and in 1991 it became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site ("Paris, Banks of the Seine").

The tower is 330 metres (1,083 ft) tall, about as tall as an 81-storey building. It is the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, with each side measuring 125 metres (410 ft). When it was built, the Eiffel Tower passed the Washington Monument and became the tallest human-made structure in the world by a large margin. It kept this title for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930. It was the first structure in the world to be taller than both 200 metres and 300 metres. In 1957, a broadcasting aerial was added to the top, so it is now 11 metres (36 ft) taller than the Chrysler Building. Not counting transmitters, it is the second tallest free-standing structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

The tower has three levels for visitors, and restaurants are on the first and second levels. The top platform is 276 metres (906 ft) above the ground. This makes it the highest public observation deck in the European Union. Visitors can buy tickets to climb the stairs or take a lift to the first and second levels. Climbing from the ground to the first level takes over 300 steps, and climbing from the first level to the second takes another 300-plus steps, so the full climb is about 600 steps. At the top, there is a private apartment that was built for Gustave Eiffel. He invited friends such as Thomas Edison to visit it.

History

The design of the Eiffel Tower is credited to Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers who worked for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel. It was planned as the main attraction for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world's fair that celebrated the hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution. Later, Stephen Sauvestre added decorative arches and other details. A contract to build the tower was signed on 8 January 1887. Some artists protested that the tower was ugly and could not be built safely, but the work went ahead. Construction of the foundations began on 28 January 1887. Workers joined 18,038 pieces together using 2.5 million rivets. Today, many people see the tower as a remarkable piece of structural art. It often appears in films and books.

The main structural work was finished at the end of March 1889. The tower opened to the public nine days after the exposition opened on 6 May. It was an instant success. Nearly 30,000 visitors climbed to the top before the lifts began running on 26 May. Famous visitors included the Prince of Wales, Sarah Bernhardt and Thomas Edison. The tower was first built as a temporary structure, but it was kept because it proved useful for radio telegraphy. In 1910, it became an important part of the International Time Service.

Design

The puddle iron (wrought iron) of the Eiffel Tower weighs 7,300 tonnes. With lifts, shops and antennae, the total weight is about 10,100 tonnes. If all the metal were melted down, it would cover the square base only 6.25 cm (2.46 in) deep. The top of the tower may move away from the sun by up to 18 cm (7 in), depending on the ambient temperature. This happens because the metal grows a little in the heat (thermal expansion). When it was built, some people said Eiffel had made something artistic without caring about engineering. However, he and his team were experienced bridge builders. He said that wind was the main thing he had to think about, and the curved outer edges were meant to look strong and beautiful. The tower sways by up to 9 cm (3+1⁄2 in) in the wind.

Visitors can reach the first and second floors by lift or stairs, and the top floor by lift. The first floor once had three restaurants, and the second floor has the restaurant Le Jules Verne. A restaurant near the top operated from 1937 until 1981. It was removed because it was too heavy and was causing the tower to sag. Gustave Eiffel also carved the names of 72 French scientists, engineers and mathematicians on the tower to honour their work. The tower is painted in shades that get darker towards the bottom. It is repainted from time to time to prevent rusting. Lead paint was used until 2001, when the practice was stopped out of concern for the environment.

Main article: List of the 72 names on the Eiffel Tower

Communications

The tower has been used to send radio signals since the early 1900s. Until the 1950s, sets of wires ran from the cupola to anchors on the Avenue de Suffren and Champ de Mars. These wires were connected to longwave transmitters in small bunkers. In 1909, a permanent underground radio centre was built near the south pillar, and it still exists today. On 20 November 1913, the Paris Observatory used the Eiffel Tower as an aerial to exchange wireless signals with the United States Naval Observatory. That observatory used an aerial in Arlington County, Virginia. The goal was to measure the difference in longitude between Paris and Washington, D.C. Today, radio and digital television signals are sent from the tower.

A television antenna was first installed on the tower in 1957. It added 18.7 m (61 ft) to its height. Work carried out in 2000 added another 5.3 m (17 ft), giving a total height of 324 m (1,063 ft). Analogue television signals from the tower stopped on 8 March 2011.

Since 31 March 2005, digital television has been broadcast from the Eiffel Tower.

Frequency	kW	Service
87.8 MHz	10	France Inter
89.0 MHz	10	RFI
89.9 MHz	10	TSF Jazz
90.4 MHz	10	Nostalgie
90.9 MHz	4	Chante France
91.3 MHz	10	Chérie 25
91.7 MHz	10	France Musique
91.2 MHz	10	Mouv'
93.5 MHz	10	France Culture
94.3 MHz	4	Radio Orient
96.0 MHz	10	Skyrock
96.4 MHz	4	BFM Business
96.9 MHz	4	Voltage
97.4 MHz	10	Rire & Chansons
99.9 MHz	4	Sud Radio
100.3 MHz	10	NRJ
100.7 MHz	10	Radio Notre Dame
101.1 MHz	10	Radio Classique
101.5 MHz	10	Radio Nova
101.9 MHz	10	Fun Radio
102.3 MHz	4	Oüi FM
102.7 MHz	10	M Radio
103.1 MHz	10	RMC
103.5 MHz	10	Europe 2
103.9 MHz	10	RFM
104.3 MHz	10	RTL
104.7 MHz	10	Europe 1
105.9 MHz	10	RTL2
105.1 MHz	10	FIP
107.1 MHz	10	Ici Paris Île-de-France

Frequency	VHF	UHF	kW	Service
182.25 MHz	6	—N/a	100	Canal+
479.25 MHz	—N/a	22	500	France 2
503.25 MHz	—N/a	25	500	TF1
527.25 MHz	—N/a	28	500	France 3
543.25 MHz	—N/a	30	100	France 5
567.25 MHz	—N/a	33	100	M6

Dimensions

The height of the top of the Eiffel Tower has changed several times over the years. The chart below shows how.

Panorama of Paris and its suburbs from the top of the Eiffel Tower

From	To	Height (m)	Height (ft)	Type of addition	Remarks
1889	1956	312.27	1,025	Flagpole	Architectural height of 300 m (980 ft) Tallest freestanding structure in the world until surpassed by the Chrysler Building in 1930. Tallest tower in the world until surpassed by the KCTV Broadcast Tower in 1956.
1957	1991	320.75	1,052	Antenna	Broadcast antenna added in 1957 which made it the tallest tower in the world until the Tokyo Tower was completed the following year in 1958.
1991	1994	317.96	1,043	Antenna change
1994	2000	318.7	1,046
2000	2022	324	1,063
2022	Current	330	1,083		Digital radio antenna hoisted on March 15, 2022.

Taller structures

The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world when it was completed in 1889. It kept that title until 1929, when the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished.

In 1958, the Tokyo Tower became the world's tallest tower. The Eiffel Tower is still the tallest freestanding structure in France, meaning it stands on its own without guy wires.

Lattice towers taller than the Eiffel Tower

Further information: List of tallest towers in the world, Lattice tower, and Observation deck

Structures in France taller than the Eiffel Tower

Further information: List of tallest structures in France

Name	Pinnacle height	Year	Country	Town
Tokyo Skytree	634 m (2,080 ft)	2011	Japan	Tokyo
Kyiv TV Tower	385 m (1,263 ft)	1973	Ukraine	Kyiv
Dragon Tower	336 m (1,102 ft)	2000	China	Harbin
Tokyo Tower	333 m (1,093 ft)	1958	Japan	Tokyo
WITI TV Tower	329.4 m (1,081 ft)	1962	United States	Shorewood, Wisconsin
St. Petersburg TV Tower	326 m (1,070 ft)	1962	Russia	Saint Petersburg

Name	Pinnacle height	Year	Structure type	Town	Remarks
Longwave transmitter Allouis	350 m (1,150 ft)	1974	Guyed mast	Allouis
HWU transmitter	350 m (1,150 ft)	1971	Guyed mast	Rosnay	Military VLF transmitter; multiple masts
Viaduc de Millau	343 m (1,125 ft)	2004	Bridge pillar	Millau
TV Mast Niort-Maisonnay	330 m (1,080 ft)	1978	Guyed mast	Niort
Transmitter Le Mans-Mayet	342 m (1,122 ft)	1993	Guyed mast	Mayet
La Regine transmitter	330 m (1,080 ft)	1973	Guyed mast	Saissac	Military VLF transmitter
Transmitter Roumoules	330 m (1,080 ft)	1974	Guyed mast	Roumoules	Spare transmission mast for longwave; insulated against ground

Tourism

The nearest Paris Metro station is Bir-Hakeim. The nearest RER station is Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel. The tower is where the quai Branly meets the Pont d'Iéna.

More than 300 million people have visited the tower since it was finished in 1889. It is the most-visited paid monument in the world. Many people climb the tower every day, so the lines can be long.

Illumination copyright

Further information: Freedom of panorama § France

The tower and its image have been in the public domain since 1993, 70 years after Eiffel's death. But in June 1990, a French court said that a special light show on the tower in 1989 was an "original visual creation" protected by copyright. The light show marked the tower's 100th birthday. The Court of Cassation, France's highest court, agreed with this decision in March 1992. The company that runs the tower, SETE, now treats any lighting of the tower as a separate work of art under copyright. Because of this, it is often hard to find night pictures or videos of the lit tower on stock image sites, and news outlets rarely show them.

Many people have criticised this copyright claim. In 2005, SNTE's Director of Documentation said it was a way to control commercial use of the image. SNTE made over €1 million from copyright fees in 2002. The claim has never been tested in court. However, commercial uses of night photos of the tower may need permission. French law allows pictures that include a copyrighted work when that work is only a small, incidental part of the picture. This is similar to the de minimis rule, so photos of Paris that happen to show the lit tower may be allowed.

Main article: List of Eiffel Tower replicas

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, so it has inspired many copies and similar towers. An early example is Blackpool Tower in England. The mayor of Blackpool, Sir John Bickerstaffe, was so impressed by the Eiffel Tower at the 1889 exposition that he had a similar tower built in his town. It opened in 1894 and is 158.1 m (519 ft) tall. Tokyo Tower in Japan was built in 1958 as a communications tower and was also inspired by the Eiffel Tower. The Petřín Lookout Tower in Prague is another well-known example.

There are many scale models of the tower in the United States. These include a half-scale version at the Paris Las Vegas in Nevada, and one in Paris, Texas, built in 1993. Two 1:3 scale models stand at Kings Island, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Kings Dominion, in Richmond, Virginia. These amusement parks opened in 1972 and 1975 respectively. Two 1:3 scale models can be found in China, one in Durango, Mexico that was donated by the local French community, and several across Europe. In 2011, the TV show Pricing the Priceless on the National Geographic Channel guessed that a full-size copy of the tower would cost about US$480 million to build. That is more than ten times the cost of the original.