The Eiffel Tower - the Symbol of France

The Eiffel Tower is an iron tower built beside the riverproblem with tall structures. But, the engineering is so
Seine in Paris. Originally intended as a structure towell-thought out that the strongest winds cause no
commemorate the French Revolution, nobody couldmore than five inches of deflection.
have guessed that 100 years later The Eiffel TowerIn the beginning The Eiffel Tower met a lot of
would become the symbol of Paris itself.resistance, there were widespread petitions to have it
The Eiffel Tower has its name after the engineertorn down by some who considered it ugly and
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. For two years, 1887-1889,intrusive. That might have succeeded if it hadn't been in
three hundred steel workers struggled to join togetheruse as an antenna for the then-leading-edge
18038 pieces of steel by using 2,5 million steel bolts.technology of telegraphy. In 1909 a permanent
When thinking about safety-measurements in the 19thunderground radio center was built and since 1957 it's
century it is remarkable that only one worker diedbeen used as a transmission tower for both FM radio
during the construction of the tower.and television. The tower has even been part of
In all they used 7300 tons of steel to form the tower'sscientific research. In 1910, Wulf used it to make
three distinct levels. Those levels currently house twomeasurements that resulted in the discovery of
restaurants and a snackbar. Altitude 95 is one the firstcosmic rays.
level, the Jules Verne restaurant on the second levelThe Eiffel Tower was the world's tallest structure until
and the snackbar on the third level. The Jules Verne1930, the record was then overtaken by The Chrysler
Restaurant even has one star in the Michelin guide.Building in New York.
The Eiffel Tower is 300 metres high, without the 21A visit to Paris is not complete without a visit to The
metre antenna which is mounted on the top, and inEiffel Tower, it is a must. From the top visitors can se
order to get to the top visitors must climb 1665 steps.67 km into the French landscape, it is truly a
The number of steps has varied over the years withremarkable sight. If it is not appealing to stand in the
different renovations. Luckily visitors can use one oflong line , which you must do in order to enter the
the many elevators in order to get to the top.tower, it is very nice just to stand beside or beneath
By far the tallest structure in Paris, the tip may bendthe tower and enjoy it. It is also a good idea to take a
away from the vertical by as much as 18cm (7in) duepicnic in the nearby park.
to expansion of its 7,300 metric tons of iron becauseTo visit the tower, take the Metro - the Paris subway -
of heat from the sun. Warming by the sun heats oneto the Trocadero station. Then, walk from the Palais
side more than the other. That's all the morede Chaillot to the Seine. From there you can't miss it.
remarkable since wind shear is usually the major