The Eiffel Tower is the Symbol of Paris.

It is affectionately called “The Iron Lady.”

– Why was the Eiffel Tower built?

– Who was the genius behind it?

World’s Fair 1889
It was built for World’s Fair and to
celebrate the centennial of the
French Revolution.

The tower officially opened May 5,

1889.

“The Iron Lady” was the star

attraction with 2 million visitors.

It symbolizes ideals of ingenuity,

progress, and beauty.

It was the tallest structure in the

world until 1930.
 Gustave Eiffel
Born December 15, 1832, in Dijon, France
Died December 28, 1923, in Paris

An engineer, Gustave Eiffel designed

100’s of lattice-like metal structures of all
kinds and sizes:

• Bridges
• Viaducts

• Infrastructure of The
Statue of Liberty, 1876

• The Eiffel Tower,

1889, his crowning
achievement
 Oh là là! Quelle Grandeur!
•Took 2 years, 2 months, 5 days to
build

• 5,300 blue prints

•18,038 parts
•2,500,000 rivets

•Weighs 10,000 tons

•Measures 324 meters high

•50 engineers
•125 workmen on site
•100 iron workers

•1665 steps

•Cost $1.5 million

 The Iron Lady is Kept Beautiful!
“We will most likely never
realize the full importance of
painting the Tower, that it
is the essential element in
the conservation of metal
works and the more meticulous
the paint job, the longer the
Tower shall endure.”
Gustave Eiffel

• Painted every 7 years to preserve the

iron and steel structure.

• Takes 14 months to paint from top to

bottom.

• Takes 60 tons of paint.

• 25 painters kept busy.

 “The Iron Lady” Shines for All!
Lampposts – Gas - Incandescent lamps—Neon—Sodium lamps—Electricity

May, 1889
Lampposts were used to illuminate the tower.

1937
André Grasset created the largest chandelier in
the world to hang under the first platform.

1985
352 thousand watt projectors equipped with
sodium lamps lighted the tower from inside.

2000
2000 electric beams light the tower
to celebrate the new millennium!
“THE GUARDIAN OF PARIS”

1914 “The tower radiotelegraphy center intercepts

enemy messages. …[and] the infamous Mata Hari
spy is caught.”

1927 “Lindbergh used the lighted tower to guide

him to the end of his daring voyage.”

1940-45 World War II : All the elevator and

electrical cables are cut to prevent the Occupational
(German) forces from using the tower.

1889-2002 Tourist attraction: The tower is the

most famous monument in the world with 6 million
visitors a year.
Par un étudiant inconnu
 Works Cited

http://www.paris.org/Monuments/Eiffel/info.html
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/home_nuit.html

http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/documentation/dossiers/page/gustave eiffel.html

http://www.artday.com/http://www.artday.com/

Blume, Eli, and Stein, Gail. French Two Years, New Edition, AMSCO School
Publications, Inc., 1998. Pages 511-513.

Magi, Giovanna. All Paris, Bonechi. 1990