The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is located on the Left Bank of the river Seine, at the extreme of the Parc du Champ de Mars. The four pillars supporting the tower are aligned to the points of the compass. The area of the tower is in the seventh district of Paris, also the home of the National Assembly, the Prime Minister’s palace, and the Hotel des Invalides.
It was built in Paris by Gustave Eiffel, a French engineer specialized in revolutionary steel constructions, for the 1889 world exhibition. The tower originally had no practical use. The intent was just to demonstrate the capabilities of modern engineering. A daring engineer's dream, the Eiffel Tower weighs 7000 tons, but the pressure it applies on the ground is only equivalent to that of a chair with a man seated on it! Each one of the about 12,000 iron pieces were designed separately to give them exactly the shape needed. All pieces were prefabricated and fit together using approx. 7 million nails.
It caused a violent polemic, meeting nearly unanimous hostility from the Parisian artistic world. Once the Tower was finished the criticism burnt itself out in the presence of the completed masterpiece, and in the light of the enormous popular success with which it was greeted. It received two million visitors during the World's Fair of 1889.
At 300 meters, it remained the world highest building until the construction of the Chrysler building in New York City in 1929. Now 320 m. high with its television antennas, it still incredibly towers above Paris, a city almost free from skyscrapers. Open air elevators bring visitors up to the first (57m. high), the second (115m. high) and the third level (276m. high). Each one provides different and interesting views of Paris and the surrounding Ile de France region.
On the Ground: The machinery of the 1899 elevator. Every visitor with a ticket to visit the monument can watch the machinery of the corresponding elevator in operation in the East and West pillars. This voyage underground, in an atmosphere which evokes Jules Verne, lets the visitors discover the imposing hydraulic machines designed by Gustave Eiffel. This machinery is still used after being restored and computerized.
First level: 57.63 meters (189 feet). Observatory from which to study the movements of the Eiffel Tower's summit. Kiosk presentation about the mythic painting of the Tower.
Space Cineiffel: offers an exceptional panorama of sights from the Tower. Souvenir shops. Restaurant. Post office, with special stamps "Tour Eiffel Paris".
Second level: 115.73 meters (379 feet, 8 inches). Panorama of Paris. Telescopes, shops. Animated displays on the operation of the elevators. Jules Verne Restaurant (extremely expensive, reservations absolutely necessary; phone 33 1 45 55 61 44).
Third level: 276.13 meters (905 feet, 11 inches). Exceptional panoramic views, day or night, of Paris and its surroundings. Recently restored office of Gustave Eiffel, showing him welcoming Thomas Edison. Panoramic guide displays to aid orientation. Dioramas presenting the history of this platform.
Consistently modern, the Tower makes a special effort to surprise visitors. Do not miss the latest futurist, interactive attraction — the Eiffel Tower Visitors Galaxy — where you take part in the construction of a virtual Tower. In conjunction with the Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques et des Sites, the Tower offers groups a series of conference tours, highlighting the history of the monument in its time, its contribution to modern metal architecture, and all the scientific and technical applications experimented on the Tower.
Address
Champ de Mars Paris
How to get there ?
Metro 6 : Bir Hakeim
Bus: 42, 69, 72, 82
RER C : Champs de Mars