The Eiffel Tower: History, Engineering Specs, and Visitor Guide

The Eiffel Tower is a 330-meter-tall wrought-iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. Constructed between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), it stands as a global cultural icon of France and an architectural masterpiece. Named after civil engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the monument, the Eiffel Tower remains one of the most visited paid monuments in the world, welcoming nearly seven million people each year.

Who Built the Eiffel Tower and When Was It Completed?

Although named after Gustave Eiffel, the structure was primarily designed by two senior engineers working for Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel: Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier. In May 1884, Koechlin drew the initial sketch of a grand 300-meter tower designed to showcase French industrial capability. Architect Stephen Sauvestre later refined the design, adding decorative arches, glass pavilions, and aesthetic enhancements to secure public approval.

Construction began on January 28, 1887. Workers assembled 18,038 prefabricated wrought-iron pieces using 2.5 million rivets. The project required precise mathematical calculations to ensure structural stability against wind forces. The tower was completed in record time on March 31, 1889, taking exactly two years, two months, and five days to construct without a single construction-related fatality during assembly on site.

Key Dimensions and Technical Specifications

The Eiffel Tower features unique architectural and engineering metrics that highlight nineteenth-century technological achievements.

Upon its opening in 1889, the monument reached 300 meters, surpassing the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world—a record it held for 41 years until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York City in 1930. Recent antenna installations in 2022 increased its height to 330 meters.

Why Was the Eiffel Tower Built and How Was It Saved?

The French government commissioned the Eiffel Tower to mark the centennial of the French Revolution and to highlight France’s technological prowess during the 1889 World’s Fair. Initially, public reaction was mixed; prominent artists and writers, including Guy de Maupassant and Alexandre Dumas fils, signed a protest petition describing the tower as a monstrous iron giant.

Under the original contract, Gustave Eiffel held a permit allowing the tower to stand for 20 years, after which ownership would revert to the City of Paris for dismantling in 1909. Eiffel saved his creation by championing its practical utility in scientific research. He established a meteorological station, conducted aerodynamic experiments, and installed military telegraph equipment on the top. In 1903, the French military successfully tested wireless telegraphy from the tower, making it indispensable for national communications and military transmission, particularly during World War I.

What Are the Eiffel Tower’s Visiting Levels?

The monument features three accessible levels for tourists, each offering distinct vantage points, historical exhibits, and services:

• First Level (57 meters): Features transparent glass floor sections, historic displays, an interactive museum, and the Madame Brasserie restaurant.
• Second Level (115 meters): Offers clear panoramic views across Paris, observation decks, shops, and the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Jules Verne. Visitors can reach this level via stairs or elevators.
• Summit (276 meters): The highest accessible observation platform in the European Union. Accessible only by elevator, it contains a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel’s private office featuring wax figures of Eiffel, his daughter Claire, and inventor Thomas Edison.

How Does Thermal Expansion Affect the Eiffel Tower?

Because the monument consists almost entirely of puddled iron, it is highly sensitive to ambient temperature changes. During the summer, solar radiation heats the side facing the sun, causing that side to expand faster than the shaded sides. This thermal expansion causes the top of the tower to tilt away from the sun by up to 15 centimeters (5.9 inches).

Conversely, during severe winter cold, the iron contracts, reducing the tower’s height by up to 10 centimeters. Additionally, strong atmospheric winds cause the summit to sway slightly, though structural engineers designed the curved legs specifically to minimize wind resistance and ensure stability during storms.

How Is the Eiffel Tower Maintained and Illuminated?

To prevent rust and structural degradation, maintenance teams repaint the tower entirely by hand every seven years, applying roughly 60 tonnes of paint across 250,000 square meters of surface area. Since 1907, the tower has been painted in a custom shade known as Eiffel Tower Brown, which is applied in three graded tones—darkest at the base and lightest at the top—to maintain a visually uniform appearance against the Parisian sky.

At night, the tower transforms through sophisticated lighting systems. In 1985, yellow-gold sodium lamps were installed inside the structure to illuminate its frame. In 2000, 20,000 sparkling lightbulbs were added, flashing for five minutes at the start of every hour after dusk until midnight. A rotating beacon at the summit projects twin light beams visible up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many steps are in the Eiffel Tower?

The Eiffel Tower contains 1,665 steps from the ground to the summit. However, stairs are only accessible to the public up to the second level (674 steps). Access from the second level to the summit is strictly limited to elevators for safety reasons.

Why does the Eiffel Tower change height throughout the year?

The Eiffel Tower changes height due to thermal expansion. Built from puddled iron, the metal expands when heated by summer sun, increasing its height by up to 15 centimeters and causing it to tilt slightly. In winter cold, the metal contracts, shrinking the tower by up to 10 centimeters.

Can you go inside Gustave Eiffel's apartment at the top?

Visitors cannot enter inside Gustave Eiffel's private apartment on the summit, but they can view it through glass windows. The restored room contains original furniture and life-sized wax models depicting Gustave Eiffel, his daughter Claire, and American inventor Thomas Edison, who visited in 1889.

Is it illegal to take photos of the Eiffel Tower at night?

Taking photographs of the Eiffel Tower at night is legal for personal use. However, commercial publishing of nighttime photos requires permission from the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), as the custom nocturnal lighting design created in 1985 is protected under French copyright law.