One of the most visited attractions of Paris, this romantic spot actually welcomes almost seven million visitors per year. The tower was completed on March 31st, 1889 and was world’s tallest man made structure with a height of 324 meters, till the completion of Chrysler building, New York in 1930.
This amazing site actually has a lot of fascinating stories and facts behind it and hence, here we are with 12 little known, fascinating facts about the Eiffel Tower
1. Gustav Eiffel
Despite the name of the tower, Eiffel tower was actually designed by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, two engineers at Gustav Eiffel’s company. Later Gustav put most of his investment on the tower and bought the right to patent.
2. Nazi Rule
During the German invasion, the tower was closed for the public. The cables of the lift were also cut and the Nazi soldiers attempted to attach a hakenkreuz on the top and were successful in doing it with a small block of hakenkreuz.
3. Disliked by Population
When the Eiffel Tower was completed, many intellectuals of the day actually protested and hated the design and structure of the tower. They even called it “A Gigantic Black Smokestack” and believed that it would ruin the beauty of Paris.
4. Sold by Con Artist
A umber of famous monuments are tried to be sold by con-men. Eiffel Tower also had to go through the same. Victor Lustig, a con artist, sold the tower for scrap metal, twice.
5. Knocking it Down!
When Allies approached Paris in 1944, Hitler commanded Dietrich von Choltitz, the military governor of Paris to knock the tower down along with other major monuments and buildings of the city. The governor declined this order.
6. Bollywood Connection
It would be huge surprise for you to know that one of the actresses of Indian Cinema actually has a connection with the tower. Kalki Koechlin’s great grandfather Andre Koechlin was related to Maurice Koechlin who was one among the main engineers of the project.
7. Painting the Tower
The maintenance of the tower includes painting it every seven years. The total paint required to paint the tower entirely is 60 tonnes. The painting is actually done by hands.
8. Mrs. Eiffel Tower
An American woman named Erika Aya, who has a paraphilia (a condition where people are attracted to inanimate objects), actually married to the tower in 2007 in a commitment ceremony.
9. Replicas Everywhere
People around the world are so fascinated with the Eiffel tower that there are a number of replicas of it around the world, including one in Las Vegas and in Shenzhen, China.
10. Ice Rink
There is an ice rink on the Eiffel tower that has just been opened recently. The ice rink is functional during the winter months, December to February and is built 200 feet above the ground.
11. Sharing Names
The Eiffel Tower and Margaret Thatcher share the same nickname – La Dame de Fer, translated to “The Iron Lady”.
12. Prohibition to Photograph
You might have seen a number of pictures of the Eiffel tower brightly lit up at the night sky. But it is actually prohibited to take the picture of the amazing 20,000 light bulb show as the government claims that the light show is actually an art work and you can be fined if you take pictures and post it publicly.
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