The history of the Eiffel Tower

Hello, cherries! I think everyone has heard about such an attraction as the Eiffel Tower at least once in their life. And if you haven't heard, I'll tell you about this wonderful place in my post. Sit back, enjoy reading!

The Eiffel Tower is a metal tower in the center of Paris, its most recognizable architectural landmark. It is named after chief designer Gustave Eiffel. The construction of the tower was timed to coincide with the 1889 World's Fair and the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. It originally served as an arch at the entrance to the World's Fair. The Eiffel Tower is considered the most visited paid and most photographed landmark in the world. It is visited by 6-7 million tourists annually, and more than 250 million people have visited it throughout its history.

The tower is 330 meters (1,083 ft) tall, about the height of an 81-story building, and it is the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, with a side of 125 meters (410 ft). During construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed The Washington Monument became the tallest man-made structure in the world. She held this title for 41 years, until the construction was completed in 1930. The Chrysler Building in New York. It was the first building in the world, the height of which exceeded 200 and 300 meters. Due to the addition of an antenna at the top of the tower in 1957, it became 5.2 meters (17 ft) taller than the Chrysler Building. Excluding the transmitters, the Eiffel Tower is the second tallest freestanding structure in France after the Millau Viaduct.  

The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The upper platform on the upper level is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground, making it the highest viewing platform available to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased for climbing stairs or by elevator to the first and second levels. The ascent from the first floor to the second floor takes more than 300 steps, as well as the ascent from the second floor to the third, so the entire ascent takes 600 steps. Although there is a staircase leading to the top floor, it is usually only accessible by elevator. On the upper, third floor, there is a private apartment built for Gustave Eiffel's personal use. He furnished it with Jean Lachaise furniture and invited friends such as Thomas Edison.  

The proposed tower became the subject of controversy and criticism from those who did not believe it was possible and those who objected on aesthetic grounds. Before the Eiffel Tower was built, no structure reached a height of 300 m or even 200 m, for that matter, and many people considered this impossible. These objections were an expression of a long-standing dispute in France about the relationship between architecture and engineering. The situation escalated when work began on the Champ de Mars: a "Committee of Three Hundred" was formed (one member for each meter of tower height) under the direction of the outstanding architect Charles Garnier and with the participation of some of the most prominent artists such as William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Guy de Maupassant, Charles Gounod and Jules Massenet. A petition entitled "Artists against the Eiffel Tower" was sent to the Minister of Public Works and Commissioner of the Exhibition, Adolphe Alphand, and published in Le Temps on February 14, 1887.

Gustave Eiffel engraved the names of 72 French scientists, engineers and mathematicians on the tower in recognition of their contributions. Eiffel chose this "call to science" because of his concern about the artists' protest. At the beginning of the 20th century, the engravings were painted over, but in 1986-1987 they were restored by the Société Nouvelle d'exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, which manages the tower.

  As one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Eiffel Tower has served as the inspiration for the creation of many replicas and similar towers. One of the earliest examples is the Blackpool Tower in England. The mayor of Blackpool, Sir John Bickerstaff, was so impressed when he saw the Eiffel Tower at the 1889 exhibition that he commissioned the construction of a similar tower in his city. It was opened in 1894 and has a height of 158.1 m (519 ft). Tokyo Tower in Japan, built in 1958 as a TV tower, was also inspired by the Eiffel Tower.  The Petrshin Observation Tower in Prague. 

A replica of the Eiffel Tower in a hotel in the USA

I hope my post was not too tedious and very informative. 1-2 more posts are planned today, let's look at the circumstances) See you soon for new cherry meetings!