Post Overview: Interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower
If you’re looking for interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower you’ve come to the right place.
The Eiffel Tower is a point of inspiration for millions of folks all across the globe. However it wasn’t born an icon. And during more than one point in history its future seemed less than certain.
Some facts about the Eiffel Tower will leave you stunned and inspired while others you have to see to believe. Over its 136 year history the Iron Lady has been witness to a changing world, and it has a few stories to tell.
Although I’ve visited Paris four times it feels like there’s no shortage of facts about the Eiffel Tower that make me want to visit again and again. I decided to share my excitement by writing this post and sharing the best facts about the Eiffel Tower I’ve picked up throughout my years of traveling to the French capital.
There are so many facts about the Eiffel Tower that warrant mentioning. But let’s be honest, most tidbits will slip your mind when you’re standing at the food of the iron giant, jaw-dropped and dumbfounded.
Instead of just writing a laundry-list I instead opted to round up 15 memorable facts about the Eiffel Tower. Hopefully they will leave an impression! But hey, let’s cut the small talk and get to the good stuff!
The (short) History of the Eiffel Tower
Before diving into facts about the Eiffel Tower, allow me to share the short-history of the beloved landmark.
The genesis: The Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889 to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of the French Revolution. 1889 also happened to be the same year Paris was hosting the Exposition Universelle (the World Fair).
The World Fair at the time was akin to the Olympics. Hosted by a different country every few years, it served as an opportunity for nations to parade their successes in technology, engineering and culture.
The only issue was that France was struggling economically and spirits were low. But they didn’t give up that easy. In an effort to boost morale they set out to build the tallest building in the world and showcase it at the World Fair.
Not only did they succeed, the Eiffel Tower ended up being twice the height of the previous tallest structure at the time (the Washington Monument). Talk about being an overachiever!
The Eiffel Tower brought in so many visitors that Paris was able to thrive thanks to the influx of tourists. That’s still true to this day, too. Ask any visitor what they plan on doing in Paris and one of the first answers will be visiting the Eiffel Tower.
The structure was not only ahead of its time, but it completely changed the world and what was considered possible from that moment on. The Eiffel Tower inspired countless imaginations for generations, and may it long continue to do so!
The key player behind the building of the Eiffel Tower
Gustave Eiffel, a civil engineer, is credited for the design of the tower (and clearly its name too). The amount of thought and calculation that went into conceiving such a masterpiece was not only impressive, it was unmatched.
There was nothing remotely close to the Eiffel Tower structurally at the time. Gustave Eiffel’s talent and structural breakthrough went on to be the future blueprint for many other long-standing buildings (like the Tokyo Tower, The AWA Tower in Australia and of course the Las Vegas Eiffel Tower).
How long did it take to build the Eiffel Tower?
The thought of building the world’s tallest structure brewed for years before there was any actual construction taking place. The first sketches were drawn in 1884, and in 1886 they were finally proposed and accepted.
Construction began in earnest on January 26th, 1887 and was completed on March 31st, 1889. In total it took two years, two months and five days to build the Eiffel Tower.
Considering the age and lack of modern tools, that’s blazing fast. It took 300 workers, 18,000+ pieces of iron and 2.5 million rivets to construct the Parisian landmark.
Facts About The Eiffel Tower
#15. The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be demolished after 20 years
It’s hard to imagine the iconic Paris skyline without the magnificent Eiffel Tower looming over the city — but at one point that was the plan!
One of the most unbelievable facts about the Eiffel Tower is that it was built on a 20 year lease. It was only supposed to be a temporary fixture in the French capital. Intended to be destroyed and sold for parts by 1909, the Iron Lady is not just beautiful, she’s a survivor.
Gustave Eiffel had the ingenious idea of giving the tower a scientific purpose in order to save it from destruction. He started working in conjunction with the military and began experimenting using the tower as an antenna.
By adding an extra 6 meters of height to the structure they were able to outfit the Eiffel Tower with a radio antenna. The military saw this as a win-win situation and allowed the landmark to stay, permanently.
An additional fun fact about the Eiffel Tower is that the antenna is still in use today for radio and television transmissions.
#14. Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower (at first)
Now this is one of the facts about the Eiffel Tower that surprised me the most during my research: When the Eiffel Tower was being built Parisians were angry and hated everything about it. They proclaimed it to be an eyesore and a monstrosity (color me shocked).
Parisians thought it ruined the romance of the city and felt like they couldn’t escape the sight of it since it was so tall. Some folks hated it so much that they would dine under the tower (daily) to avoid looking at it!
That sounds so dramatic given that the Eiffel Tower now stands as the symbol of Paris, but I guess it was an acquired taste. 😉
Today the Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous and instantly recognizable buildings ever to be created. Currently there are over 50 replicas located throughout the world, how’s that for fun facts about the Eiffel Tower!
#13. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world
Before the Eiffel Tower was constructed the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world measuring an impressive 555 feet tall. With France’s sight set on breaking the record, Gustave Eiffel had a lot of pressure on his shoulders to create something giant.
And in true Gustave Eiffel fashion not only did he break the record, he doubled it! At first, the Eiffel Tower stood at a staggering 984 feet tall (It was originally called the 300m Tower). And when the antenna was added to the top, the tower hit a remarkable 1,083 feet tall.
One of the most incredible facts about the Eiffel Tower is that for 41 years it held the crown as the tallest building in the world. It wasn’t until 1930 when the Chrysler Building in New York made an appearance that it lost the title.
But here’s some more fun facts about the Eiffel Tower, as of 1957 (when a new antenna was added), the Eiffel Tower now stands 17 feet taller than the Chrysler Building — ha! Take that New York.
And although there are now buildings twice as tall the Eiffel Tower, it’s an iconic landmark none the less.
#12. It’s illegal to take photos of the Eiffel Tower lit up
If any of these facts about the Eiffel Tower sound fake to you, trust me, you‘re not alone. The amount of times I had to do a double and triple fact check is astonishing. But alas this shocking fact about the Eiffel Tower is true:
If you’ve been on your phone in the last decade, chances are you’ve seen footage of the Eiffel Tower lit up at night, sparkling over the city. Cheery folks can’t help but whip out their phones for selfies and boomerangs, sharing with their followers just how romantic their life is.
Little do they know, they’re breaking the law. Taking photos of the Eiffel Tower itself is not illegal, but taking photos of its twinkling lights is.
Europe has a copyright law where monuments are protected until the legal creator passes, plus an additional 70 years.
Since Gustave Eiffel died in 1923, enough time has passed where the tower has become a part of public domain and is fair game. However, the lights were only installed in 1985 so we still have some years to go.
But before I scare you too much, hear me out. If you’re taking photos and posting them on Instagram or Facebook, odds are you’ll be fine. It would be too much of a hassle to go after the everyday social media user.
This law is only really enforced if photos/videos are being used for commercial purposes or being sold. So bear this fact about the Eiffel Tower in mind when snapping your photos, you international fugitive. 😉
#11. There’s a secret apartment at the top of the tower
Located just below the tip of the tower, Gustave Eiffel made sure to create something for his own personal enjoyment when creating the Eiffel Tower. A room, roughly 1,000 square feet, sits almost 1,000 ft in the air.
The space was large enough to have a kitchen, bathroom and small living room. Some folks believe Eiffel lived up there, but with no bedroom around it’s safe to assume he used the private living quarters more like an office than an apartment.
Eiffel also conducted various science experiments and research studies in the room, and hosted notable guests such as Thomas Edison. I wonder if Eiffel gave Edison the inside scoop on some of the best facts about the Eiffel Tower?
The apartment is still there and is now open to the public. And before you start searching for it on Air BnB, it is not available for an overnight stay. 😉
You can’t even go inside the apartment and explore, but there are glass windows that give you an idea of what it would’ve been like inside. You’ll find life-like wax figures of Eiffel, his daughter Claire and Thomas Edison.
Facts about the Eiffel Tower like this really give you a deeper appreciation for the depth and detail behind the famous wrought iron building. They help you realize it was so much more than just a tall structure.
#10. The Eiffel Tower is wind resistant
I know what you’re thinking, why is the Iron Lady being wind resistant an interesting fact about the Eiffel Tower?
Well for starters, the amount of brainpower and technique that went into the structure of the tower is not to be overlooked. And secondly, what a lot of folks don’t realize is that the Eiffel Tower sways.
Gustave Eiffel changed the world by creating a system of criss-cross beams that allowed wind to pass through and the triangular shape of the structure allows wind to flow around rather than through.
#9. Depending on the weather, the Eiffel Tower will grow or shrink
In the wintertime the height of the Eiffel Tower is reduced by six inches and in the summertime the height grows up to six inches. The reason? The tower is made of iron!
Depending on the weather and temperatures outside, iron will expand with heat and shrink when cold.
Although the height change isn’t noticeable to the naked eye, maybe you were wondering why the tower looked different from the last time you saw it. 😉
This is one of the facts about the Eiffel Tower that’s fun to share with friends, so I hope you’re writing it down!
#8. Every couple of years, the color of the Eiffel Tower changes
The Eiffel Tower is an impressive feat of engineering, visited by more than 300 million visitors since it was first built. Therefore you may be wondering, how the hell does the tower stay in pristine condition?
It’s a fair question and up until I did my research looking up facts about the Eiffel Tower I too was curious. To my surprise I discovered the Eiffel Tower gets re-painted every seven years.
This helps to maintain the beauty of the structure and it protects it from rusting.
What’s even more interesting is that since the tower is made of iron and weighs about 10,000 tons — it takes roughly 60 tons of paint to coat the entire tower! And did I mention it’s mostly done by hand?
The tower has been painted 19 times since being built (that’s a lot of man power!). Today, the Eiffel Tower is painted in three sections, with three different tones. Starting at the bottom with the darkest shade all the way to the top with the lightest shade, it’s meant to mimic the Parisian skyline.
More fun facts about the Eiffel Tower: When first created, the Eiffel Tower was actually painted red. It then went on to be painted yellow and eventually landed on the brownish/bronze color it is today. It’s also rumored it will be painted gold for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris!
#7. Someone married the Eiffel Tower (yes, really!)
Of all the unbelievable facts about the Eiffel Tower, I think it’s safe to assume this one is by far the strangest. In 2004, Erika Eiffel (formerly, LaBrie) visited the Eiffel Tower and claimed to have felt an automatic attraction.
She went on to say she felt a deep connection with the structure and she felt empowered by it.
Fast forward to 2007, in a commitment ceremony, Erika went on to marry the Eiffel Tower. She even went as far as to change her name legally to Erika Eiffel.
I mean talk about commitment! There were few facts about the Eiffel Tower that stunned me as much as this one.
#6. There was once a tiny post office in the tower
The Eiffel Tower is home to many things like champagne bars, restaurants and even a secret apartment. But one of the least known facts about the Eiffel Tower is that at one point it was home to a tiny post office too.
Located on the first floor of the tower, the small post office was fully functioning and deemed one of the tiniest and prettiest post offices in all of Paris.
Stamp collectors adored the office and would go out of their way to mail themselves something just to receive the charming stamp of an illustrated Eiffel Tower.
I mean talk about the perfect souvenir huh? Imagine sending yourself a postcard from the one and only Eiffel Tower and coming home to the exclusive stamp! It’s a shame it’s no longer around.
#5. At one point, the Eiffel Tower was the largest billboard in the world
Although the odds of this ever happening again are basically slim to none, at one point in time (1925 to be exact) Citroën, a car company in Paris, rented the Eiffel Tower for advertising space.
For nine years the brands name was plastered (in 125,000 lights) on three sides of the tower. The signage was so large and visible it could be seen from 20 miles away.
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably wondering how much does the electrical bill for something like that go? Well friends, I regret to inform you that while doing research for these facts about the Eiffel Tower I wasn’t able to find an exact number.
However, I was able to discover that in 1934, Citroën filed for bankruptcy. This was partially due to them not being able to keep up with payments for the bill (oh the irony!).
#4. In the 1940’s, the Eiffel Tower elevators were purposely destroyed
History time folks! Some of the most mind-blowing facts about the Eiffel Tower take place during the two World Wars.
During the first World War the Eiffel Tower was outfitted with a radio transmitter at the top that jammed German radios. This, along with the brave defense by the Allied Forces, prevented the fall of Paris.
But that’s only one of the wildest facts about the Eiffel Tower during the World Wars. During WWII, when Paris fell to Germany and the Axis Powers, French Resistance fighters purposely cut the cables to the elevators in the tower.
This way, if Hitler wanted to hang a swastika from the beloved French icon he’d have to climb the 1,655 steps to do so. And he did try, but the flag was so large it was blown away and the Nazis had to climb it again and replace with a smaller one.
It wouldn’t be until August of 1944 that the Nazi flag was replaced with a French one made of scraps of fabric by a firefighter platoon who bravely climbed the Eiffel Tower under German fire.
After the war the elevators wouldn’t be fixed until 1946. Luckily they’re fully functioning now, saving your lungs from the 1,655 steps to the top.
#3. There are 72 names engraved on the sides of the tower
If you take a close look at the first floor of the Eiffel Tower you may notice a handful of names wrapped around it. There are 72 names written in gold letters encircling the building. They’re even large enough to be seen from the ground.
During the original planning of the Eiffel Tower, Gustave Eiffel had the names of French scientists and scholars inscribed into the lower level permanently. This was his way of showing his respect and admiration to world of science and the folks who explored it.
The list of names are those of scientists, civil engineers and railway specialists. All of names inscribed are people Eiffel acknowledged and believed paved the way for the future he got to live in.
But choosing which names made the cut was no easy task. Eiffel had a unique criteria that stopped a few names from making the list: names could not be longer than 12 letter due to limited spacing.
#2. Gustave Eiffel had a hand in building another pretty iconic structure
If you’re taking anything away from this list of interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower, let it be that Gustave Eiffel was an impressive guy.
Prior to his work on the Eiffel Tower in 1889, Eiffel lent a helping hand to French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and created the framework for *drumroll*…the Statue of Liberty!
Originally the job went to Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, but unfortunately he passed away before construction began. It was at this point Eiffel was asked to help. And while he admired the work of Viollet-le-Duc, he wanted to take a more modern approach to building the skeleton.
Relying on his sophisticated mathematical designs, Eiffel always found a way to create structures that were both light and strong. The interior “boning” of the Statue of Liberty is similar to the structure of the Eiffel Tower (a little foreshadowing maybe?).
#1. Someone died jumping off the tower testing their own design
One thing Gustave Eiffel did inadvertently while building the Eiffel Tower was inspire countless people. With all his odes to science and breaking of records, folks took the Eiffel Tower as a symbol of hope and felt unstoppable.
Unfortunately, one person took “believe in yourself” a little too literal and it cost them their life. In 1912 Franz Reichelt (an inventor and parachuting pioneer… see where this is going?) wanted to create a parachute so that in the event of an accident a pilot could eject and survive the crash.
Having used prototypes and dummies, Reichelt did have a few successful attempts at showcasing his invention. He even ran a few trials off of his fifth floor apartment building. The issue was Reichelt felt he needed a higher starting point to get more successful attempts.
He pleaded with the Parisian police and they finally allowed him to test his theory on the Eiffel Tower. Only problem was that they were under the impression it would be with a dummy.
It wasn’t until the day of that Reichelt told folks he’d be conducting the experiment himself. Despite the efforts of folks begging him to reconsider, Reichelt took the jump. His parachute failed to deploy causing him to jump 187 ft to his own death.
Interesting Facts About The Eiffel Tower (Post Summary)
- Someone died jumping off the tower in their own design
- The creator of the Eiffel Tower had a hand in another iconic structure
- There are 72 names engraved on the sides of the tower
- In the 1940’s the elevator shafts were purposely destroyed
- The Eiffel Tower was the worlds largest billboard
- There was once a tiny post office in the tower
- Someone got married to the Eiffel Tower
- Every seven years, the tower gets repainted
- The Eiffel Tower can grow or shrink
- The Eiffel Tower is wind resistant
- There is a secret apartment at the top of the tower
- It’s illegal to photograph the tower at night
- For 41 years, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world
- Parisians hated the Eiffel Tower (at first)
- The Eiffel Tower was only supposed to be up temporarily
And there you have it folks! 15 interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower, you probably didn’t know. Let me know if any of these Eiffel Tower facts surprised you or if there are any you think I missed.
Cheers!
What do you think?