Any mention of France, and Paris in particular, will surely conjure up an image of the most iconic of icons, a symbol of romance and geometrical elegance. The Eiffel Tower in Paris (or Tour Eiffel de Paris, as it is called in French)which celebrates its 130th anniversary on March 31st, 2019. With nearly 7 million people visiting each year and 250 million visitors in total since its inauguration in 1889, the Eiffel Tower is one of the world’s most popular attractions. But not many people know the history behind it, or how the Iron Lady has managed to stay standing for so long. Here are some interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower to enhance your visit!

 

France Just For You Eiffel Tower Exposition Universelle Paris tours 130th anniversary

Antique postcard of the Eiffel Tower

 

Interesting facts you probably didn't know about the eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was envisioned as the centerpiece for the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1889 to mark the centenary of the French Revolution. Engineer Gustave Eiffel and his unsung collaborators, engineers and architects Maurice Koechlin, Émile Nouguier and Stephen Sauvestre, developed and patented the design, and the Eiffel Tower opened to the public on March 31st, 1889.



France Just For You Eiffel Tower construction Koechlin Nouguier Sauvestre.jpg

Not everyone was in favor of it though, and opinions about the Eiffel Tower remain divided even today. At the time, an impassioned petition signed by a number of prominent French artists was published in Le Temps, a prestigious daily newspaper in Paris. Here is a brief extract, which shows the strength of feeling against the tower: "We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all our strength... against the erection… of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower."

The construction was, however, approved and the Eiffel Tower opened to the public on March 31st, 1889. It became the world's tallest structure, standing at 300 meters, until the 319-meter Chrysler Building in New York City was completed in 1930. Today, it doesn’t even figure in the world’s 100 tallest structures.



France Just For You Eiffel Tower construction Paris tours 130th anniversary

The construction of the Eiffel Tower

The Tower was only intended to stand for 20 years and was almost pulled down in 1909. Luckily it had become the perfect place to erect radio and communications transmitters, and it was this use which ultimately saved the tower.

The Eiffel Tower was originally painted a deep red color, which was thought to be more protective against rust. It has since been repainted a total of 19 times, approximately every seven years, and its color has changed from red-brown to yellow ochre to chestnut brown and is today a bronze ‘Eiffel Tower Brown’. The next painting schedule is due to begin in October 2018, and we are waiting to find out if the color will remain the same or will possibly return to its original red color to mark the 130th anniversary.



France Just For You Eiffel Tower Paris tours

Eiffel Tower anniversary: at 130 years old, the Eiffel Tower remains an important icon - ©FJFY

 

Visit Paris with France Just For You

We would love to craft a unique itinerary for you to visit the best of our wonderful capital! We will introduce you to Paris’ best-kept secrets that most tourists don’t know about, so you can get a truly authentic feel for Paris. We will also book skip-the-line tickets for Paris' most popular tourist attractions (including the Eiffel Tower!). 

Peruse our Paris tours and contact us to tell us about your Paris wishlist!

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Sharon & Bob
We couldn't recommend France Just For You highly enough. After visiting various parts of Europe on our own we were delighted to have someone else attend to all the details. Emilie was a joy to work with and couldn't have chosen better B&B's, tours and day trips to meet our needs. I can't wait to call upon her services again!
Chuck
Emilie was a great help in planning our trip and the accommodations and recommendations were excellent and well thought out. Unless you speak French and know the countryside, this is the best company for you to use to have a superb vacation and I would use them again anytime. They give you options so you can do what you like, but help with the …
Andre & Family from South Africa
"France Just For You" is the BEST way to visit France If you want to go on a tailor made self drive holiday to France, there is no better way, but to ask Emilie and Laura from France Just For You, to arrange it for you. We have traveled overseas a couple of times already, but then you have to do a lot of homework before hand, and you never know …
Margaret & Rob
We would like to add our names to everyone else here who have had a truly excellent experience when using Emilie's, France Just For You company. We drove 2800 km on a recent holiday, and it was all arranged by Emilie. Everything she organized was perfect. We stayed in B and Bs and although we know a little French, all of our hosts spoke fluent …
Don
We heard about Emilie from a friend who used her travel services twice. They spoke so highly of her we figured we had to visit France just to meet her. We traveled to the Loire Valley with another couple and she interviewed us separately to understand what we wanted to see and do and what we didn’t want to do. As a result, she designed a perfect …
Marjorie
My husband and I found France Just For You on the internet, while trying to plan a trip to France. We knew, given our desire to see both Normandy and the south of France, that we would spend hours deliberating about the details. We provided Emily with a budget, the duration of our vacation and a few must-sees and she provided us with a three-week …