Things to know about the Eiffel Tower

With Paris marking the anniversary at the famed monument with a light show, the Eiffel Tower has recently celebrated its 130th birthday in the city. The tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair, and is still seen attracting nearly seven million visitors each year. In the years, this iconic landmartk has undergone severe calls for its demolition after the exhibition took place, but surmounting all of that and emerging victorious, it soon became the most exquisite feature on the skyline of Paris. It is also the most visited monument of France. Do you know that last year, a section of stairs from the tower had recently been sold for almost 170,000 Euros? Surprised right?! Well, there is a lot more you still don’t know.

Here are 12 things that you probably didn't know about the Eiffel Tower...

1. With construction beginning in the year 1887, it took exactly two years, two months and five days for the Eiffel Tower to be built.

2. It cost a total of 7,799,401.31 in French gold Francs in order for the monument to be built. Well it sure does sound like a lot for back in the late 1880s, even though we are unsure of what the equivalent must be in Euros.

3.The height of the Eiffel Tower is approximately 324 metres (1,063 feet), including its antenna at the top.

4.The tower grows about seven inches in the sun. Yes when the Eiffel Tower gets hot, it grows, and in the cold it shrinks. Although it is hard to see with the naked eye.

Also,read things to know before traveling to Paris.

5.The Iron Lady weighs about10,000 tonnes.

6.The Eiffel Tower was originally designed to last for about 20 years. Gustave Eiffel built it in order to show off France’s industrial might and commemorate the French Revolution. After 20 years, it wasmeant to be pulled down by the removal men, but it appears that Eiffel persuaded them to have a change of heart. It was made fairly useful and was saved from the wrecking ball due to the fact that its tower could be used as a wireless telegraph transmitter.

7. The number of times the iron lady has been repainted over the years is about 18 in total! So hypothetically, it will take about 60 tonnes of paint for a mammoth to give it a first coat. Phew! Clearly not a job for the faint hearted.

8. The Eiffel Tower was considered the tallest building in the world for about 41 years. This was before its mantle was stolen by the Chrysler Building in New York which came along later on.

9. Over the years, about 250 million people have paid a visit to the Eiffel Tower. Let me guess, were you one of them too?

10. The Eiffel Tower could have been pulled down in the year 1944. The German military governor of France was ordered by Hitler to tear it down, but he refused.

11. The Eiffel Tower sways in the wind at the amount of 13 centimetres. Eh no no, don’t let that put you off from going up there.

12. A section of the tower's stairs were auctioned for about €523,800 in November 2016. And did you know that this price was over ten times the estimate of sale before auction?

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Source: DoTravel