Eiffel Tower is built on the Champ de Mars beside River Seine in Paris.

Eiffel Tower being tallest structure in Paris is among most recognized symbols of France.

Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, it is a premier tourist destination, with over 5.5 million visitors per year.

The Eiffel Tower stands 300 m high. Including the 24-m antenna, the Eiffel structure is 324 m high. At the time of Eiffel Tower construction in 1889, the tower was the tallest structure in the world, a title it retained until 1930, when New York City's Chrysler Building (319 m tall) was completed (although the tower was still taller if the respective spires of the two structures were excluded). The tower is the second-highest structure in France, after the 350-m Allouis longwave transmitter, built in 1939.

The Eiffel Tower metal structure weighs 7,300 tonnes, and the total weight is 10,100 tonnes. The number of steps to the summit has varied over the history of the tower, through various renovations: at the time of construction in 1889, there were 1710 steps to the summit platform at 300.65 m; after renovation in the early 1980s, there were 1920 steps; and today there are 1665 steps.

Depending on the ambient temperature, the top of the Eiffel Tower may shift away from the sun by up to 8 cm, due to expansion of the metal on the side facing the sun. Maintenance on the Eiffel Tower includes applying 50 tonnes of three graded tones of paint every seven years to protect it from rust. On occasion, the colour of the paint is changed — the tower is currently painted a shade of brown. On the first floor, there are interactive consoles hosting a poll for the colour to use for a future session of painting.

The Eiffel Tower was built between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle, a World's Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. The tower was inaugurated on 31 March 1889, and opened on 6 May. Three hundred workers joined together 18,038 pieces of puddled iron, using two and a half million rivets, in a structural design by Maurice Koechlin.

The risk of accident was great, for unlike modern skyscrapers the Eiffel tower is an open frame without any intermediate floors except the two platforms. Yet because Eiffel took good care of his workers with movable stagings, guard-rails and screens, only one man died, during the installation of Otis Elevator's lifts. The Eiffel Tower was met with resistance from the public when it was built, many thinking it an eyesore. Today, it is widely considered to be one of the most striking pieces of structural art in the world.

From the third platform of Eiffel Tower opens unbelievable panorama and on the clear day can be seen over 65 kilometers ahead.

Eiffel Tower Pictures

Eiffel Tower Picture - Travel Paris

Eiffel Tower is built on the Champ de Mars beside River Seine in Paris.

Eiffel Tower Pictures