The iconic Eiffel Tower – you can't miss it 04 Nov 2017
About this photo
The Eiffel Tower was built according to plans by architect Gustave Eiffel. It was constructed between January 1887 and March 1889 for the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1889. At the time of its construction, the tower was intended to stand for only 20 years. Initially, the reception was frosty at best. However, the advent of radio and the tower’s use as a site for an antennae helped secure its future. Even so, it survived a lightning strike in 1902, being ‘sold’ twice for scrap by a con artist in 1925 and a demolition order from Hitler as the Allies neared Paris in 1944. It has also been ravaged by corrosion over time: tons of rust were removed during its 100th birthday facelift. The tower has been repainted 19 times throughout its lifetime, each time requiring 60 tonnes of paint and taking around 18 months. Visit the iconic Eiffel Tower on any of Insight Guides' Paris trips.
This article was originally published on March 15, 2016
