Facts About the Eiffel Tower

One of the most impressive facts about the Eiffel Tower is that it is more than 1,000 feet tall (its exact height is 1062.99 feet, which is 324 meters). The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world until 1930, when the Chrysler Building was built in New York City.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris, which was on the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The tower was designed by Gustav Eiffel, and took about 300 workers to build it over the course of three years.

The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited monument that charges an entrance fee, not just in France, but in the world. Every day, people line up for hours to get inside the tower both in order to say they've been to the top as well as to get a truly panoramic view of Paris.

One of the many facts about the Eiffel Tower that shocks people nowadays is that when it was built, many people thought it was incredibly ugly. While the French agreed that it was a feat of architecture, they questioned the artistic value of the tower and the designer's judgment, as well as the City of Paris allowing its construction to take place.

When visiting the Eiffel Tower, you can choose to climb the stairs up to the second level or take one of the elevators to the second level (more expensive entrance fee applies). If you want to go all the way to the top, you'll have to take the elevator that goes to the top, where the best views of Paris are.

The Eiffel Tower has to be painted every seven years in order to stay looking sharp. Painting the tower takes about 18 months to complete, and requires 25 workers, 1,500 paint brushes, and 60 tons of paint!

It is only fitting that the signature monument of Paris, the City of Light, be well lit. The Eiffel Tower has 20,000 lights built onto the exterior of the structure; these lights can either give a steady glow, or a flashing light on special occasions.

Gustave Eiffel is most well known for the tower that bears his name; however, it is also interesting to note that he designed the structure of the Statue of Liberty as well.

As the most-visited monument in the world, the Eiffel Tower boasts more than 30 replicas of it around the globe. Without a doubt, the Eiffel Tower is number one on virtually anyone's list of the most famous French monuments.