History of the
Eiffel Tower

From controversial iron skeleton to the most iconic landmark on Earth. The remarkable story of how Gustave Eiffel's “temporary” tower became eternal.

The Vision

Why Gustave Eiffel
Built the Tower

A bold engineering feat conceived for the 1889 World's Fair and the centennial of the French Revolution.

Eiffel Tower from below showing iron lattice structure

The 1889 Exposition Universelle

In 1884, the French government announced plans for a grand World's Fair to be held in Paris in 1889, marking the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The centerpiece needed to be extraordinary — a structure that would demonstrate France's industrial and engineering supremacy to the entire world.

More than 100 proposals were submitted in a design competition, including ideas for a giant guillotine, a massive stone column, and a huge garden sprinkler. The winning design came from the firm of Gustave Eiffel, a 53-year-old civil engineer already renowned for building railway bridges and the internal iron framework of the Statue of Liberty.

The original concept was actually sketched by two of Eiffel's senior engineers, Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, in June 1884. Their initial drawing was refined by architect Stephen Sauvestre, who added the decorative arches at the base, glass pavilions on the first level, and the ornamental cupola at the top. Eiffel purchased the patent rights from his engineers and put the full weight of his reputation behind the project.

Eiffel Tower at golden hour

Eiffel's Personal Gamble

The French state contributed only 1.5 million francs of the total 7.8 million franc budget. Gustave Eiffel personally financed the remaining 6.3 million francs, negotiating a deal that gave him all revenue from the tower during the Fair and for the following twenty years. It was an enormous financial risk, but Eiffel's confidence proved well-founded.

During the six months of the 1889 Fair alone, nearly two million visitors climbed the tower, generating 5.9 million francs in revenue. Eiffel recouped his entire investment before the exposition even closed. The tower was never just an engineering challenge for Eiffel — it was also a shrewd business venture from a man who understood both steel and commerce.

Construction Timeline

Building the Impossible.
1887–1889.

Two years, two months, and five days. 300 workers. 18,038 iron pieces. 2.5 million rivets. Zero room for error.

1887

Foundations Begin

On January 28, 1887, excavation started on the Champ de Mars. The four massive foundation pads required digging 15 meters below ground on the Seine side, where waterlogged soil demanded the use of compressed-air caissons — a technique Eiffel had perfected building bridge piers. Each of the four legs rests on a concrete block approximately 10 meters square, anchored by metal bolts driven 7 meters deep.

1888

The Iron Rises

By March 1888, the first floor platform was complete at 57 meters. The four legs, built at a carefully calculated angle, met with mathematical precision — the error at the junction was less than 7 centimeters. Twelve temporary wooden scaffolds, each 30 meters tall, supported the legs until they could be joined. Sand-filled hydraulic jacks allowed millimeter adjustments. The second floor followed by August 1888.

Mar 1889

Summit Reached

On March 31, 1889, Gustave Eiffel himself climbed the 1,710 steps to plant the French tricolor at the summit, exactly 300 meters above Paris. The tower was the tallest structure ever built by humans, surpassing the Washington Monument's 169 meters. The final structure used 7,300 tons of puddled iron, held together by 2,500,000 rivets, and could sway no more than 12 centimeters in high winds.

May 1889

Open to the World

The Eiffel Tower opened to the public on May 6, 1889. Because the lifts were not yet operational, the first visitors climbed the stairs. Among the early guests was Thomas Edison, who visited Eiffel in his private apartment at the summit and gifted him a phonograph. During the six-month Fair, 1,896,987 visitors ascended the tower — an average of more than 10,000 per day.

Controversy & Opposition

The Tower Paris
Loved to Hate

Before it became a beloved icon, the Eiffel Tower was one of the most despised structures in France.

The Artists' Petition of 1887

On February 14, 1887, just weeks after construction began, a scathing open letter appeared in the newspaper Le Temps. Signed by 300 of France's most prominent artists and intellectuals, it denounced the tower as a "disgraceful skeleton," a "metal asparagus," and a "truly tragic street lamp." The petition declared the tower would disfigure the Paris skyline and bring shame upon the city.

Among the signatories were novelist Guy de Maupassant, composer Charles Gounod, architect Charles Garnier (who designed the Paris Opera), and poet Leconte de Lisle. They called the tower "a black and gigantic factory chimney" that would overwhelm Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and the Arc de Triomphe "in a humiliating dream of iron and steel."

Gustave Eiffel responded with characteristic calm. He argued that the tower's curves were inherently elegant, shaped purely by the mathematics of wind resistance. "Can one think that because we are engineers, beauty does not preoccupy us?" he wrote. He compared the protest to the criticism Gothic cathedrals had received in earlier centuries.

From Mockery to Monument

The irony of the opposition was swift and total. Many of the tower's fiercest critics became its most frequent visitors. Guy de Maupassant reportedly ate lunch at the tower's restaurant regularly — because, he claimed, it was the only place in Paris where he did not have to look at the "hideous construction." Whether apocryphal or not, the story captures the rapid shift in public sentiment.

Within weeks of opening, the tower was a sensation. Visitors lined up for hours. Newspapers that had printed the artists' petition now ran glowing reviews. The tower appeared in paintings, postcards, and poems. By the end of 1889, even Garnier admitted to visiting it multiple times. The public had spoken: the Eiffel Tower was magnificent.

Near Demolition

How Radio
Saved the Tower

The Eiffel Tower was built with a 20-year permit. It was scheduled for dismantlement in 1909.

01

The Demolition Deadline

The original agreement between Gustave Eiffel and the city of Paris stipulated that the tower would be dismantled after 20 years, returning the Champ de Mars to its original state. As 1909 approached, many Parisians — including those who had grown fond of the structure — assumed it would be torn down. Eiffel, however, had other plans.

02

The Radio Experiments

Eiffel began promoting the tower as an invaluable platform for scientific experiments, particularly wireless telegraphy. In 1898, he allowed engineer Eugene Ducretet to conduct radio transmission experiments between the tower and the Pantheon, 4 kilometers away. By 1904, the French military had installed a permanent radio station on the tower, recognizing its unmatched height advantage for broadcasting signals.

03

Military Value Proven

The military's radio operations made the tower strategically indispensable. When the 20-year concession expired in 1909, the city of Paris renewed the permit indefinitely. The tower had transformed from an ornamental fair structure into critical national infrastructure. Eiffel's foresight in pivoting the tower's purpose had saved it from destruction.

04

The Mata Hari Intercept

During World War I, the tower's radio station intercepted a crucial German military transmission that led to the arrest of the spy Mata Hari in 1917. The tower also jammed German radio communications during the Battle of the Marne in 1914, contributing to a decisive Allied victory. Its military value was no longer theoretical — it was proven on the battlefield.

The War Years

The Tower
in Wartime

From strategic military asset in WWI to symbol of resistance during the Nazi occupation.

World War I (1914–1918)

During the First World War, the Eiffel Tower served as a vital military communications hub. Its radio transmitter broadcast signals across the Western Front, coordinating troop movements and intercepting enemy messages. In September 1914, radio signals from the tower helped rally reinforcements for the First Battle of the Marne, where French and British forces halted the German advance on Paris.

The tower was closed to the public throughout the war. A beacon light was installed at the summit to detect approaching enemy aircraft, making it one of the earliest uses of a landmark for air defense. The tower's wartime contributions cemented its place as permanent Parisian infrastructure, ending any remaining talk of demolition.

World War II & the Nazi Occupation

When German forces occupied Paris in June 1940, French resistance fighters cut the elevator cables to the Eiffel Tower. The intent was simple: if Adolf Hitler wanted to hoist a Nazi flag at the summit, German soldiers would have to climb the 1,710 steps. German troops did hang a swastika banner from the tower, but the flag was so large it blew away within hours and was replaced with a smaller one.

Hitler visited Paris on June 23, 1940, but chose not to ascend the tower. He posed for photographs at the Trocadero with the tower in the background instead. In August 1944, as Allied forces approached Paris, Hitler ordered General Dietrich von Choltitz to destroy the city's landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower. Von Choltitz famously defied the order, and when Paris was liberated on August 25, 1944, the French tricolor was once again raised above the summit. The elevator cables were repaired within hours of liberation.

Evolution

Reinventing Itself
Decade After Decade

Renovations, new coats of paint, technological upgrades, and fresh attractions have kept the tower relevant for over 130 years.

Paint

18 Coats of Paint

The Eiffel Tower has been repainted approximately every 7 years, requiring 60 tons of paint each time. It has changed color several times: from reddish-brown at its debut, to yellow-ochre, to chestnut brown, and finally to the custom "Eiffel Tower Brown" used since 1968. Each repainting is done entirely by hand by a team of 25 painters over 18 months, working from top to bottom.

Height

Growing Taller

Originally 300 meters tall, the tower gained height with each new antenna installation. A radio antenna was added in 1957, and subsequent broadcasting equipment has brought the total height to 330 meters. The tower served as Paris's primary television transmitter for decades, broadcasting signals to millions of French households from its summit.

Light

The Golden Glow

In 1985, a new golden lighting system was installed, replacing the old exterior floodlights with 336 sodium lamps placed within the tower's structure itself. This gave the tower its signature warm golden glow at night. In 2000, a sparkling light system of 20,000 bulbs was added for the millennium celebration. The 5-minute sparkle display every hour on the hour became so beloved that it was made permanent.

Glass

First Floor Renovation

A major renovation completed in 2014 added a glass floor to the first level, allowing visitors to look straight down 57 meters to the ground below. The redesign also introduced new interactive exhibits, modernized restaurants, and improved visitor flow. The renovation cost 30 million euros and was designed to give the first floor a distinct identity beyond being merely a stop on the way to the top.

Cultural Impact

Symbol of Paris.
Icon of the World.

How a temporary iron structure became the most recognizable landmark on the planet.

In Art, Film & Literature

The Eiffel Tower has appeared in thousands of films, from the earliest silent movies to modern blockbusters. It served as the dramatic backdrop in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief (1955), was threatened with destruction in James Bond's A View to a Kill (1985), and provided the romantic setting for countless love stories. The tower's silhouette is arguably the most instantly recognizable architectural outline in the world.

In art, the tower inspired entire movements. Robert Delaunay painted it obsessively between 1909 and 1912, creating more than 30 Cubist interpretations. Marc Chagall placed it in dreamlike compositions alongside floating lovers. Henri Riviere produced a series of 36 lithographs deliberately echoing Hokusai's views of Mount Fuji. For painters, the tower was both modern industrial triumph and poetic muse.

Writers from Roland Barthes to Julian Barnes have devoted entire essays and books to the tower's cultural meaning. Barthes called it "a pure sign" — a structure that means everything and nothing simultaneously. It appears in novels by Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and countless other authors who used it as shorthand for romance, adventure, and the spirit of Paris.

Global Symbol & Modern Icon

Today, the Eiffel Tower welcomes approximately 7 million visitors per year, making it the most visited paid monument in the world. It has been replicated in miniature across the globe — from Las Vegas to Tokyo, from Shenzhen to Islamabad. The tower generates an estimated 1.5 billion euros annually for the Parisian economy through tourism, merchandise, and related services.

The tower has also become a powerful symbol of solidarity. After the November 2015 Paris attacks, the Eiffel Tower's image was shared billions of times on social media as a symbol of resilience. It is regularly lit in the colors of nations mourning tragedies, from the rainbow flag for LGBTQ+ rights to the blue and yellow of Ukraine. What Gustave Eiffel built as a temporary exhibition piece has become a permanent emblem of human aspiration.

Key Dates

The Eiffel Tower
Through Time

1884

Design Conceived

Engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier sketch the original design for a 300-meter iron tower. Gustave Eiffel acquires the patent and refines the project with architect Stephen Sauvestre.

1887

Construction Begins

Foundation work starts on January 28. The Artists' Petition is published in Le Temps on February 14, sparking fierce public debate about the tower's aesthetic merit.

1889

Completion & Opening

Eiffel plants the French flag at the summit on March 31. The tower opens to the public on May 6 for the World's Fair. Nearly 2 million visitors ascend during the six-month exposition.

1909

Saved From Demolition

The 20-year permit expires, but the tower's value as a radio transmission platform secures an indefinite reprieve. The French military's wireless station is by now operationally critical.

1930

Loses Tallest Title

After 41 years as the world's tallest man-made structure, the Eiffel Tower is surpassed by the Chrysler Building in New York City, which rises to 319 meters.

1944

Liberation of Paris

Hitler orders the destruction of Paris landmarks, but General von Choltitz refuses. The French tricolor is raised at the summit on August 25 as Allied forces liberate the city.

1985

Golden Illumination

A new internal lighting system of 336 sodium lamps replaces the old floodlights, giving the tower its iconic golden nighttime glow visible across Paris.

2000

Millennium Sparkle

Twenty thousand sparkling lights are installed for the Year 2000 celebration. The hourly sparkle display becomes so popular it is made a permanent feature of the tower.

Essential Facts

Key Historical
Facts & Figures

Original Height

300 meters (984 ft) when completed in 1889, making it the tallest man-made structure in the world. Now stands at 330 meters (1,083 ft) with modern antennas.

Construction Stats

18,038 pieces of puddled iron. 2,500,000 rivets. 7,300 tons of iron. 300 workers on-site. Only 1 fatality during the entire build — a remarkable safety record for the 1880s.

Cost & Financing

Total cost: 7.8 million francs (roughly €40 million today). Gustave Eiffel personally financed 6.3 million. He recouped his investment during the 1889 Fair alone through ticket sales.

The Paint Job

Repainted approximately every 7 years using 60 tons of paint. A team of 25 painters works by hand for 18 months each cycle. The tower has been painted 18+ times since 1889.

Visitor Numbers

Over 300 million visitors since opening. Approximately 7 million per year today. It is the most visited paid monument in the world, ahead of the Colosseum and the Great Wall.

Eiffel's Secret Apartment

Gustave Eiffel maintained a private apartment at the summit, furnished with wallpaper, wooden cabinets, a piano, and scientific instruments. He entertained guests including Thomas Edison. The apartment is now open to visitors.

Common Questions

Eiffel Tower History
FAQ

Who built the Eiffel Tower?

The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel's engineering company, Compagnie des Etablissements Eiffel. The structural design was created by engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, with architect Stephen Sauvestre adding the decorative elements. Gustave Eiffel oversaw the project and financed the majority of the construction costs himself.

When was the Eiffel Tower built?

Construction began on January 28, 1887, and was completed on March 31, 1889, taking 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days. The tower opened to the public on May 6, 1889, as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) celebrating the centennial of the French Revolution.

Why was the Eiffel Tower built?

It was built as the centerpiece and entrance arch of the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The French government wanted a spectacular structure to showcase France's engineering and industrial capabilities to the world. It was originally intended to be temporary.

Was the Eiffel Tower supposed to be torn down?

Yes. The original permit allowed the tower to stand for only 20 years, with demolition scheduled for 1909. Gustave Eiffel saved it by demonstrating its value for radio transmission and scientific research. The French military's use of the tower for wireless telegraphy made it strategically indispensable, and the demolition was permanently cancelled.

How many workers built the Eiffel Tower?

Approximately 300 workers were on-site during construction. They assembled 18,038 individual iron pieces using 2.5 million rivets. The pieces were pre-fabricated at Eiffel's factory in Levallois-Perret with such precision that on-site drilling was rarely needed. Only one worker died during construction — an extraordinary safety record for a major 19th-century construction project.

How tall is the Eiffel Tower?

The Eiffel Tower was originally 300 meters (984 feet) tall when completed in 1889. With the addition of modern broadcasting antennas, it now stands at 330 meters (1,083 feet). It was the tallest man-made structure in the world for 41 years, from 1889 until the Chrysler Building was completed in New York in 1930.

Plan Your Visit

Experience the Tower
for Yourself

Now that you know the history, see it in person. Over 130 years of stories are waiting at every level.

← Back to Home