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 the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "La dame de fer" ("Iron Lady") for its use of wrought iron, it was constructed as the centrepiece of the 1889 World's Fair and to crown the centennial anniversary of the French Revolution.

Some of France's leading artists and intellectuals first criticised its design. Since then, it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The tower received 5,889,000 visitors in 2022. It is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world, and 6.91 million people went up it in 2015. It was designated a monument historique in 1964, and in 1991 it was named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site ("Paris, Banks of the Seine").

The tower is 330 metres (1,083 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building, and is the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125 metres (410 ft) on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become by far the tallest human-made structure in the world. It held 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 surpass both the 200-metre and 300-metre marks in height. Because a broadcasting aerial was added to the top in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 11 metres (36 ft). Excluding transmitters, it is the second tallest free-standing structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level's upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground, making it the highest public observation deck in the European Union. Visitors can buy tickets to go up by stairs or by lift to the first and second levels. The climb from the ground to the first level is over 300 steps, and the climb from the first level to the second is also over 300, making the full ascent a 600-step climb. On the top level is a private apartment that was built for Gustave Eiffel, who 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 working for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel. It was planned as a centrepiece for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world's fair to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Stephen Sauvestre later 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 work went ahead. Construction on the foundations began on 28 January 1887, and 18,038 pieces were joined using 2.5 million rivets. Today, the tower is widely considered a remarkable piece of structural art, and it is often featured in films and literature.

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

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 the metal were melted down, it would fill the square base to a depth of only 6.25 cm (2.46 in). The top of the tower may move away from the sun by up to 18 cm (7 in), depending on the ambient temperature, because the metal expands in the heat (thermal expansion). When it was built, Eiffel was accused of making something artistic without caring about engineering. However, he and his team were experienced bridge builders. He said that wind resistance was the main thing he had to consider, 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, but it was removed because it was too heavy and was causing the tower to sag. Gustave Eiffel also engraved 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, and 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, and these 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, which 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, which 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 terrestrial television (DTT) 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, as the chart below shows.

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 topped out.

The tower also lost its title as the world's tallest tower to the Tokyo Tower in 1958. It is still the tallest freestanding (non-guyed) structure in France.

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, and the nearest RER station is Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel. The tower is located where the quai Branly meets the Pont d'Iéna.

More than 300 million people have visited the tower since it was completed in 1889. In 2015, there were 6.91 million visitors, and it is the most-visited paid monument in the world. On average, 25,000 people climb the tower every day, which can mean long queues.

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. However, in June 1990, a French court ruled that a special lighting display on the tower in 1989, which marked the tower's 100th anniversary, was an "original visual creation" protected by copyright. The Court of Cassation, France's highest court, upheld this ruling 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 rare to find night images or videos of the lit tower on stock image sites, and media 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, but commercial uses of night photos of the tower may need permission. French law allows pictures that include a copyrighted work when it is only incidental, a idea 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 when he saw 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, built as a communications tower in 1958, 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 speculated that a full-size replica of the tower would cost about US$480 million to build, more than ten times the cost of the original.