Why the Eiffel Tower will grow a few centimeters in the coming weeks
Opened on March 31, 1889, it is the most visited paid monument in the world. We will tell you some interesting facts about the most famous tower.
If you have ever been to Paris, we are sure that you have visited the famous Eiffel Tower. This is probably the most visited monument of the French capital, the construction of which began on January 28, 1887 and was opened on March 31, 1889, for this reason, Eiffel Tower Day is celebrated annually on March 31.
It was designed by the engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier and then built by the French engineer Gustave Eiffel and his staff for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, and is a complex structure made of polished iron, the height of which is 324 meters. Initially, this tower was called the “300-meter iron tower”, but soon after its creator, it was renamed the “Eiffel Tower”, and then simply the “Eiffel Tower”.
But did you know that in winter the Eiffel Tower shrinks by 4-8 cm? When the temperature rises, it returns to its original dimensions, and in hot weather, the expansion of the metal causes the monument to move, reaching a record tilt of 18 cm in 1976. Thus, over the next few weeks, it will grow a few centimeters. If you happen to visit her, take a close look to see if you can see the difference... difficult, but you never know.
This is not the only curious fact about the famous Parisian tower. Here are a few more that will surely surprise you too:
The first people to visit the Eiffel Tower were some members of the British royal family during their stay in Paris in 1889, even before it opened.
Even before its completion, it was heavily criticized by the intellectuals of the time, such as Charles Garnier. It received reviews such as "big giraffe, all pierced."
Since its construction, the tower has been painted once every seven years, and the Eiffel Tower contains the equivalent of 350 tons of paint, having been painted a whopping 19 times. In 2019, it was proposed to remove this paint and thus keep the monument safe. The color of the Eiffel Tower is intentionally changed from darker to lighter to highlight the vanishing point.
At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, behind the western column, there is a chimney. This is a brick tower, hidden in the park among the bushes, built in the same year that the construction of the Eiffel Tower began, that is, in 1887. It had an industrial function, as it was connected to the engine room located under the southern column. It is a brick tower hidden in the park among the bushes, built in the same year that the construction of the Eiffel Tower began, that is, in 1887. It performed an industrial function, as it was connected to the engine room located under the southern column.
The Eiffel Tower is visited annually by an average of 7 million people (75% foreigners), making it the most visited paid monument in the world. In 2007, she was nominated for the title of one of the 7 wonders of the world, but was not chosen by voting.
Despite the fact that it was not built to last and was supposed to stand for 20 years, thanks to scientific experiments and, above all, the first radio transmissions and telecommunications, the Eiffel Tower stood all this time.