Hotel Paris Eiffel Tower

In 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed, it was the tallest building in the world at 300m. The Eiffel Tower was originally built as a temporary structure to commemorate the centenary of the Revolution. Ever since, the Eiffel Tower has become an enduring symbol of the city of Paris. The tower was originally built for the 1889 Exposition. This steel construction defied all traditional rules in architecture. It is now the television transmitter for the Ile de France region.

The tower has been selected by a competition which was won by Gustave Eiffel, an engineer who had experience in constructing high-level railway viaducts. In the public eye, the tower was a controversial matter, celebrated and loathed in equal measure. Throughout its construction, the residents became convinced that it would collapse and Eiffel had to personally assure them. The author Guy de Maupassant left Paris permanently to avoid looking at its 'metallic carcass' but others who espoused more self-consciously modern views championed the tower: Seurat and Douanier Rousseau were among the first to paint it, in 1889 and 1890 respectively. On a clear day, it is possible to see Chartres Cathedral from the high viewing platform.

The Tower

There are three floors. The first is at 57m., the second at 115m., and the third at 276m. The top of the aerial is at 320m. above the ground. On a nice day, you can see the whole of Paris and even the distant suburbs from the top of the platform.

The 12,000 steel girders are held together by 2,500,000 rivets to produce a smooth, curving profile. Its functional elegance heralded the dawn of industrial art and has met with many sarcastic comments from conservative observers ever since it was finished in 1889.

In 1986 the external floodlighting was replaced by a system of illumination from within the tower's superstructure, so that it now looks at its magical best after dark.