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