Why did the French save the Eiffel Tower?

Originally intended as a temporary exhibit, the Eiffel Tower was almost torn down and scrapped in 1909. City officials opted to save it after recognizing its value as a radiotelegraph station.



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For 130 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 1889 World's Fair, it impressed the entire world by its stature and daring design, and symbolized French know-how and industrial genius.

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However, the lights on the Eiffel Tower were installed in 1985, by Pierre Bideau, meaning that any photo or video that shows the monument at a time when the lights are visible (ie, at night) is a violation of copyright law.

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Eiffel won an open competition to design the Eiffel Tower, which was to be the crowning glory during the Paris World Fair of 1889.
  • It Took 22 Months to Complete.
  • The Eiffel Tower Is Made of Iron.
  • The Eiffel Tower Has Three Floors.
  • The Eiffel Tower Has to be Repainted Every 7 Years.


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The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down after 20 years. The tower was built with the intent of showing off France's industrial prowess during the World's Fair, but the plan was to tear it down after 20 years.

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In fact, the Tower has been repainted for over 130 years, about once every 7 years. So if it is repainted, the Eiffel Tower can last... forever.

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Financing of the Eiffel Tower: the Franco-Egyptian Bank enters the scene. In 1888, the cost of building the Eiffel Tower was estimated at 6.5 million francs, with public authorities only being able to cover 1.5 million francs of this cost. Eiffel therefore approached banks to raise the additional 5 million francs.

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Gustave Eiffel Personally Funded Most of the Tower However, to attract investors, Eiffel arranged to keep the tower up for twenty years, during which time he could take all the profits from entry fees and restaurant concessions. Eiffel had all of his debts paid off within a mere six months!

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To understand the value of the Eiffel Tower, we can start with its beginning. It cost $1.5 million (USD) to build the tower in 1889. Adjusting for inflation using the Consumer Price Index (CPI), this comes to $44 million.

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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.

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After climbing the 1,710 steps that led to the top of the Tower, they unfurled the French flag to the sound of a 21-gun salute. Gustave Eiffel wrote on a woman's fan: The French flag is the only one with a 300-metre pole.

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Protests from artists during early construction And after winning the competition, his project was subject to multiple attacks. Firstly, from architects, who were outraged to see an engineer chosen for such a project. Then, the Parisian artistic scene got up in arms when construction began.

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