Pride of Paris
- POSTED ON: 15 Dec, 2023
- TOTAL VIEWS: 156 Views
- POSTED BY: Nimi Kurian | Text by Rohini Ramakrishnan
- ARTICLE POINTS: 150 Points
Towering over the Paris skyline with its iconic lattice structure is the Eiffel Tower. When completed, it was the tallest building in the world at that time. Today, the Eiffel Tower attracts millions of tourists. In 1991, the UNESCO inscribed it on its World Heritage Site list.
To celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution in 1889, a world fair was proposed. The French authorities wanted to unveil a centrepiece at the fair. The initial design was created by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, engineers who worked for the Compagnie des Establishments Eiffel and refined by Stephen Sauvestre, the head of the company’s architectural department. Later, Gustave Eiffel, who owned the company, bought the patent.
Construction of the tower began on January 2, 1887, and was completed in March 1889. On March 31, Eiffel escorted a group of government officials and members of the press to the top of the tower. The ascent took over an hour, as the lifts had not yet been installed. Once they reached the top, a flag was hoisted and a 25-gun salute was fired at the first level.
One of the things that Eiffel was very particular about was painting the tower with a thick layer of protective paint every seven years to guard against the corrosive effect of the weather. The French government has followed this strictly; one of the reasons why the Eiffel Tower has been so well maintained. Originally reddish-brown, the tower had been painted in different colours. In 1968, a special shade called “Eiffel Tower Brown was adopted and continues to be in use. In 2024, the tower will be painted golden to commemorate the 2024 Summer Olympics to be held in Paris.