Eiffel Tower facts and history

Eiffel Tower detailed construction history

It was not Gustave Eiffel who came up with the idea for this tower which now symbolizes Paris, but two engineers from his team, Émile Nouguier and Maurice Koechlin. Responding to a call for projects launched on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889, they proposed a 300 m high tower, based on the same principle as the piles of bridges that the company had built in Douro, Portugal, and Garabit, France. Their project was selected among 107 projects, The construction employed 150 workers, and required 18,000 parts and 2,500,000 rivets. The tower was completed in two years, two months and five days,The project was not unanimous: an open letter to the construction manager was published in the newspaper Le Temps. It was signed by the most famous intellectuals of the time and artists such as Charles Gounod, Alexandre Dumas fils or Guy de Maupassant. Despite the controversy, the tower has enjoyed unabated success. It received 2 million visitors during the Universal Exhibition of 1889. It inspired Apollinaire or Aragon, was painted by Seurat, the Douanier Rousseau or Chagall. It appeared very quickly in the cinema. In advertising, it was associated with fashion, luxury, perfumes because it is in itself the symbol of Paris.

The tower consists of a pyramid with curved faces. 50 engineers and designers took part in its design and executed 5,300 drawings. Gustave Eiffel published some of these drawings. The 18,000 different parts were manufactured in the Eiffel factory in Levallois-Perret, close to the city. Only the assembly was provided on site by 132 workers.

The feet rest on solid foundations, to which they are attached and anchored by strong bolts. To build the foundations, 48,000 m3 of earth must have been moved entirely with a shovel. The excavated material was evacuated by horse-drawn wagons and by steam locomobiles. 14,000 m3 of masonry must have been used. The construction of the pillars on the Champ-de-Mars side was easy. On the Seine side, on the other hand, the pillars required compressed air foundations using sheet metal boxes driven 5 m underwater. The deepest foundations of the tower do not exceed 15 m.

From the feet of the tower rise four arches with an opening of 80 m and a height of 80 m, covered with decorations and ornaments representing currencies and the heroes of duty. To assemble the first floor, the uprights must have been placed in a cantilevered inclined position so that they meet the horizontal beams of the first floor. Engineers used hydraulic jacks that ensured the movement of each foot and set up an original scaffolding device topped with sand boxes that emptied to adjust the inclination of the uprights. On the first floor (56 m), a large glazed gallery surrounds the building, forming an esplanade of 4,200 m2, allowing the installation of cafes and restaurants. The floor of the first floor is composed of large hollow tiles or hollow slabs 0.60 to 0.70 in length by 0.20 to 0.25 m in width. These slabs are enclosed between iron rails and sealed in plaster.

On Sunday April 29, 1888, it was a party on the first floor floor. Gustave Eiffel gathered his collaborators, engineers, foremen and workers there, after having made them climb 345 steps to thank them, and announce to the staff that the 2% deduction made on the salary for insurance costs against accidents and care given to patients was now abolished. This removal constituted a large salary increase and was welcomed. The weather was beautiful ; some guests were invited by Mr. Eiffel to a lunch. From this platform, the view of Paris was already exceptional.

At a height of 115 m, there is a second room of around 1000 m2; at the top, a dome with an exterior balcony, from which the view extends almost to infinity. The second floor was raised with the help of cranes which used the elevator path. Organized like a mechanic, this exceptional site did not have the slightest accident. The monument was inaugurated on March 31, 1889. On that day, Gustave Eiffel climbed the 1710 steps of the tower to plant the tricolor at its summit. In his ascent, he was followed by members of the Council of Paris, including Mr. Chautemps, president of the Municipal Council of Paris. The Eiffel Tower remained the tallest building in the world until 1930, when it was supplanted by the Chrysler building (319 m) in New York.

Paris Olympics Eiffel Tower competition venue

In 2024, the Champ-de-Mars, the park located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in the centre of Paris, will become a temporary outdoor arena. Its configuration and location will enable spectators, television audiences and athletes to enjoy an exceptional setting between the Eiffel Tower and the Ecole Militaire.

For Parisians, the Champ de Mars is a place to meet up and celebrate, regularly attracting thousands of people to share in events together, from the traditional 14 July firework displays to a Football World Cup Final. On a daily basis, people meet up there to enjoy some sport, take in the views or simply walk around the vast alleyways and lawns of this magnificent site, which is now one of Paris’ most iconic public gardens. To stage the beach volleyball and blind football events, a temporary outdoor arena will be built in 2024, enabling everyone to enjoy this venue’s magical setting.

Between the Ecole Militaire’s impressive facade to the south and the equally impressive Eiffel Tower on the River Seine side, the Champ de Mars will once again be a community space for meeting up during the Paris 2024 Games. It will be a key venue for the Paris 2024 Games, because, alongside the Eiffel Tower Stadium’s overlay arena, it will host other events in the Grand Palais Overlay, a temporary structure set up on Place Joffre to the south of the site since 2021.

Capacity: 12,860 spectators. Beach Volleyball (women’s / men’s). Paralympic Games. Blind Football (men’s)

Paris Olympics 2024