Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower ( French : La Tour Eiffel) is a monument in Paris and one of the best known and most visited sites of France . He stands on the left bank of the Seine in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris and is seen by many as one of the non-classical world wonders .

The tower was designed by the engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, two employees of Gustave Eiffel . The tower now receives more than six million visitors, making it the most visited monument in the world. [1] [2] On 28 November 2002, the Eiffel Tower welcomed its 200 millionth guest.

At first platform is an exhibition on the Eiffel Tower with photos, paintings and information. The elevator is possible to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower (the stairs above the second platform is not open to the public). Information panels indicate which buildings are seen from the Eiffel Tower. There is a unique view over Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is 317 meters high to the top of the flagpole, not counting the TV antennas. With television antennas, the tower is 324 meters high. Depending on the ambient temperature can alter the tower 15 inches in height by the expansion and contraction of the metal. [3] The tower has four legs; platforms are located at different levels. The tower weighs 7300 tons (excluding the base). After construction of the Eiffel Tower was the world's tallest tower and he is still the highest in Europe if one does not count the TV towers.

From nine to twelve o'clock at night the lights go up the Eiffel Tower every hour a few minutes flash. This was first done on New Year's Eve 2000 . Because this beautiful was found, this happens every night.

Content

 * 1 History
 * 1.1 Construction
 * 1.1.1 Construction in picture
 * 1.2 The First World War
 * 1.3 Around 1937
 * 1.4 From World War II
 * 2 Floors
 * 2.1 Basic
 * 2.2 First floor
 * 2.3 Second floor
 * 2.4 Third floor
 * 3 72 names on the Eiffel Tower
 * 4 Visitors
 * 4.1 Each year, visitors from the Eiffel Tower
 * 4.2 Suicide Attempts
 * 5 Images
 * 6 See also
 * 7 External links

History
The Eiffel Tower was built between 1887 and 1889 on the occasion of the World Exhibition of 1889 ; the Eiffel Tower would be the monumental entrance to the exhibition.The year 1889 was not chosen by chance: it was the centenary of the French Revolution . The Eiffel Tower was on March 31, 1889 and inaugurated on May 6 officially opened. In total, 250 steel workers on the construction. It was for that time remarkable that no worker was killed during construction (it crashed only a worker outside working hours with his fiancee climbed the tower).

The population of Paris was, during the first years that the tower stood, not happy with the monument. To many, it was a metal contraption. Today, the Eiffel Tower, however, considered an architectural masterpiece. A special feature is the multitude of intricate ornaments (forging) mounted on the tower, a feat Eiffel nicknamed iron magician.

Originally it was intended that the Eiffel Tower would be demolished after twenty years, but as the tower proved valuable for communication purposes should he remain longer. On 12 January 1908, the first long-distance radio message was sent from the tower.

On January 3, 1956 a fire damaged the top of the tower. A year later, the current antenna was placed on top.

In the eighties, an old restaurant and its supporting scaffolding were dismantled and removed from the Eiffel Tower. The property was sold and rebuilt in New Orleans .Nowadays there are two restaurants in the tower:. Altitude 95 on the first floor and the Le Jules Verne restaurant at 125 meters altitude Le Jules Verne has one Michelin star .

In 2000 we installed numerous lights and powerful search lights on the tower. Every night there is a light show, and search lights at the top make the night of the Eiffel Tower a beacon in the Parisian skyline. Every year on quatorze juillet, July 14, the French national holiday, around the Eiffel Tower is a grand fireworks in honor of the anniversary of the French Revolution.

On the occasion of the 120th anniversary in 2009, the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel 's monument a makeover with a structural intervention at the top off the deskSerero Architectes de Paris . The surgery came down to placing a platform with a web-shaped flared transparent structure that can carry 1,700 visitors per hour. From theKevlar -made web, ultra lightweight and composed of carbon fibers, is secured to the top of the tower, such as the wings are attached to the fuselage of an aircraft.

Construction
Initially Gustave Eiffel - at that time master of architecture with wrought iron - thought to be twelve months working on the construction. In reality, however, the construction lasted twice as long. The construction phase, which began on January 28, 1887, only ended late in March 1889, but that was still on time for the official opening of theWorld Fair of 1889 . The monument has a total of 1.5 million francs cost more than initially expected.

At the construction site, the workforce has never been above 250. The reason is that a large part of the work was previously done in the factories of Eiffel, in Levallois-Perret . Of the 2.5 million rivets in the tower, there are only placed at the construction site 1,050,846, about 42% of the total. Most parts are assembled on the ground in the factories in Levallois-Perret, by chunks of five meters, with a provisional bolts. On the building site the screws were then replaced by rivets.

For the design fifty engineers spent two years with the signing of 5300 drawings of details of the Eiffel Tower. Each of the 18,038 pieces of wrought iron Eiffel Tower is a sketch.

By choosing wrought iron as a building material, the tower can withstand weather conditions and fatigue, and some would even centuries to come along. [4]

At the construction site were, as a first step, four base concrete pieces placed in support of the four legs. This was necessary in order to distribute the pressure on the ground.

The assembly of the metal began on 1 July 1887. The men responsible for this giant " Meccano lesson vaulters are called. " They were led by Jean Compagnon . Up to 30 meters height the pieces using a crane were raised. Between 30 and 45 meters high was built using 12 wooden scaffolding . Over 45 meters high new jetties were built, which were attached to beams of 70 tons for the first floor. And then followed to connect the huge beams with the four edges, for the first floor. This connection is completed on 7 December 1887. For the construction of the second floor had to re scaffolds are made.

In September 1888, when the second floor was already built, the workers went on strike . They disagreed with the working time in the winter and 9 hours per day in the summer 12 hours a day, and they loved the wages too low against the risks. Eiffel gave this that the risks are not otherwise at a height of over 50 meters at a height of 200 meters. And although the workers were already better paid than the average at the time, the requirement of the salary increase was granted. Three months later broke again a strike, but this time the leadership held its heels and refused any negotiations.

When the building was finished, there was a provision to be made in order to visit the third floor. The lifts of Backmann that were originally planned in the draft that was submitted for the competition in May 1886, were rejected by the jury. Eiffel therefore used three new vendors: Roux et Combaluzier Lepape, the American company Otis andLeon Edoux .

Construction image

 * July 18, 1887: Construction of the metal legs
 * December 7, 1887: The installation of a mainstay for the construction of the first floor
 * March 20, 1888: Construction of the horizontal bars for the middle scaffolding
 * May 15, 1888: The installation of the pillars above the first floor
 * August 21, 1888: Construction of the second floor
 * December 26, 1888: Construction of the section between the second and third floor
 * March 15, 1889: The assembly of the third floor
 * End of March 1889: The results of the work

Until the First World War
On May 6, 1889, the Eiffel Tower opened its doors to the public, in honor of the World Exhibition of that year . As of May 15, the public was allowed to climb the tower. Although the tower during construction was criticized by, among others, some of the most famous artists of the time, he was a quick success. In the first week, when the elevators were not yet in use, 28 922 people have climbed the tower to the top. About 32 million visitors have visited the tower for the world.

The monument was, until the construction of the Chrysler Building in New York (1930), the world's tallest building.

After the World was over, the interest decreased and thus the number of visitors soon. In 1899 there were only 149 580 visitors. There was begun to exploit commercially the tower, by lowering the price of the tickets; However, with barely visible results. At the World Exhibition of 1900, which again in Paris was more than a million tickets were sold, more than ten years before. But in 1901, the decline was even greater because many people had already seen the tower in 1889.

The decrease in the number of visitors ensured that the future of the tower was not sure anymore after December 31, 1909, at the expiration of the license. Some even thought that the tower would be demolished after that date. The scammer Victor Lustig played handy on those rumors in and clears the tower at a scrap dealer to sell.

Around 1937
The tower underwent a modernization following the Great Exhibition of 1937 . The modernization consisted of removing the old decorations of the first floor and adding new lighting on the whole tower.

From World War II
In 1944 escaped the tower to arson by the German occupiers. The attack was claimed by the Wehrmacht .

In the early sixties, it started to grow international tourism. This had a direct impact on the number of visitors to the tower. This number increased significantly and later came even close to six million visitors per year.(In 1998, this record was first removed.) A new renovation of the tower was needed. The renovation focused on the following points: For this purpose, the tower was stripped of 1340 tons superfluous material and re-painted and treated against corrosion . The elevators for the third floor were replaced and the restaurant Le Jules Verne was opened.
 * Streamlining the structure of the building
 * The total reconstruction of elevators and stairs
 * Creating safety adapted to the popularity of the Eiffel Tower

From the seventies, the Eiffel Tower has become increasingly popular, world famous and one of the most famous symbols of France .

On December 26, 1978 began, thanks to Thierry Sabine, the first Paris-Dakar rally at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Several concerts are also held in this place: Jean Michel Jarre in 1995 and Johnny Hallyday in 2000.

In 2002 the milestone of 200 million tickets has been reached and in 2004 was the fifth in the most visited monuments in Île-de-France .

Currently there are 25 painters in the service for the maintenance of the tower and to prevent rust. Painting takes about seven years, then the old coat worn and one starts again.

Floors
This is a list of the important elements of the Eiffel Tower. [5] [6] The information below describes the main technical data on each floor, and the main attractions for visitors. [7] [8]

Basis
The tower is located in a square of 125 x 125 meters, according to the rules of the contest in 1886. The tower has a height of 325 meters, with 116 antennas. The tower is 33.5 meters above sea level .
 * The foundation
 * The foundation consists of a layer of concrete of two feet resting on a layer of gravel of seven meters. The bottom of the foundation itself is below the level of the Seine .
 * The employees worked in a metal caisson, conceived by Jacques Triger . Sixteen solid foundations supporting each edge of the four legs and huge anchoring of 7.8 meters.


 * The legs
 * Each of the four legs moves with the wind . The base of each leg is a thick concrete layer. The stairs are open to the public, The southern leg has a lift for the staff and customers of the restaurant Le Jules-Verneon the second floor.


 * The arches
 * Between the legs are four arches, 39 feet above the ground and have a diameter of 74 meters. While they are on the sketches of Stephen Sauvestre are richly decorated, they are now less.

First floor
At 57 meters above the ground is the first floor with an area of 4200 m 2 and calculated on 3000 people.

The first floor offers magnificent views over Paris and the Parisian monuments. On the outside, the 72 names of French scientists, engineers and other persons from the 18th and 19th centuries placed.

On the first floor there is also the restaurant Altitude 95, which extends over two levels. It offers panoramic views of Paris and the inside of the tower. The name is derived from the height of the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, which is 95 meters above sea level.

It is also possible to see the remains that have to do with the history of the Eiffel Tower, including a portion of a spiral staircase that was originally designed for climbing to the top. This staircase was demolished in 1986, during the renovation of the tower. 21 of the 22 parts of this staircase were auctioned, with most were bought by American collectors.

On the occasion of the 125th anniversary was applied in 2014 to 4 on the first floor, a glass floor. In addition, four solar panels were installed and opened new stores, a new restaurant and a museum. [9]

Second floor
At 115 meters above the ground is the second floor with an area of 1650 m 2 and calculated at 1600 people.

On this floor is the view of Paris the best, it is the optimal height relative to the lower buildings. On the third floor of the buildings are less visible. If the weather is clear, the approximate distance to where you can see to the south 55 kilometers to the north 60 km, 65 km to the east and to the west 70 km.

Windows are placed in the floor, which make it possible to view the field below. The metal fences prevent any jump down: like suicide or skydiving .

The restaurant Le Jules Verne-is a restaurant with a capacity of 95 seats. The restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star . The decor of this restaurant stood gloomy and has been unchanged since its opening in 1983. The restaurant has views of the structure of the tower and Paris. The restaurant works thirty chefs and 60 other staff.

Third floor
275 meters above the ground is the third floor with an area of ​​350 square meters and calculated 400 people.

To get to the third floor, one must take the elevator because the stairs from the second floor is forbidden to the public. From the third floor, it is possible even to take a few steps to a platform outside, sometimes (erroneously) called the fourth floor.

On this floor is a reconstruction of the Musee Grevin see, that was created from an idea by Eiffel. It seems as if this Eiffel used as an office. However, the historical reality is different. In fact, the place used for meteorological research, by Gustave Ferrié in 1910. For these experiments, wireless telegraphy used.

At the top of the tower was in 1957 placed a television mast until 1959. This was used for about 10 million households. On January 17, 2005 is the first antenna placed for digital television, the addition of the 116th antenna has ensured that the tower is now 325 m high, instead of 324 m. In 2014, however, new measurements were done, which showed that the construction has shrunk to 320 meters.

72 names on the Eiffel Tower
In golden letters are 72 names on the Eiffel Tower made of French scientists, engineers and other notable people in recognition of their contributions to Eiffel. The names are located at the edge of the first floor. The engraved names were in the early twentieth century were overpainted in 1986-1987 and restored.

Every year visitors from the Eiffel Tower
The first table shows the actual number of visitors per year from 1889, with the periods that the tower was closed to the public between 1915 and 1918 ( World War I ), and between 1940 and 1945 ( World War II ).There have been about 243 376 000 people since the opening of the Eiffel Tower (mid-May 8, 2009) [10]

Suicide Attempts
Since 1911, when the first person committed suicide at the Eiffel Tower, [11] [12] is the tower one of the most popular suicide sites in France: commit there, in an average year, four people suicide. [13] In total, about having 350 400 people are deprived of life here. [14] Suicide is predominantly suspension on the steel beams or by jumping from the tower. There are only two known cases where anyone survived the suicide attempt, both from the first floor of the tower: the first time the wind blew a man on a truss of a building, the other time was a woman on the roof of a car.