Topic Page: Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)

Transcription

1 Topic Page: Eiffel Tower (Paris, France) Definition: Eif f el Tower from The Columbia Encyclopedia structure designed by A. G. Eiffel and erected in the Champ-de-Mars for the Paris exposition of The tower is 984 ft (300 m) high and consists of an iron framework supported on four masonry piers, from which rise four columns uniting to form one shaft. Three platforms at different heights (the intermediate platform just above the junction of the columns is 644 ft/196 m high) are reached by stairs and elevators. On the top of the tower are a meteorological station, a wireless station, and a television transmission antenna. Summary Article: Eif f el Tower from Eye Witness Travel Guide: Paris Image from: Tourist boats on the River Seine, Paris... in France and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History Originally built to impress visitors to the 1889 Universal Exhibition, the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) was meant to be a temporary addition to the Paris skyline. Designed by the engineer Gustave Eiffel, it was fiercely decried by 19th-century aesthetes. The author Guy de Maupassant lunched there to avoid seeing it. The world s tallest building until 1931, when New York s Empire State Building was completed, the tower is now the symbol of Paris. Freshly painted every 7 years, with a light show that plays every night on the hour, the Tour Eiffel has never looked better.

2 Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro The Tower in Figures the top (including the antennae) is 324 m (1,063 ft) high the top can move in a curve of 18 cm (7 in) under the effect of heat 1,665 steps to the third level

3 2.5 million rivets hold the tower together never sways more than 7 cm (2.5 in) 10,100 tonnes in weight 60 tonnes of paint are used every seven years The Daring and the Deluded The tower has inspired many crazy stunts. It has been climbed by mountaineers, cycled down by a journalist, and used by trapeze artists and as a launch pad by parachutists. In 1912 an Austrian tailor, Franz Reichelt, attempted to fly from the parapet with only a modified cape for wings. He plunged to his death in front of a large crowd. According to the autopsy, he died of a heart attack before even touching the ground. Visit ors checklist Champ de Mars. Tel Metro station Bir Hakeim. Bus route 42, 69, 72, 82, 87 to Champ de Mars. Regional railway station Champ de Mars. Batobus boarding point Tour Eiffel. Parking on site. Open Sep mid-jun: 9.30am 11.45pm daily (6.30pm for stairs); mid-jun Aug: 9am 0.45am (last adm 45 mins before, last lift to top 1 hr 15 mins before). Admission charge Photography Wheelchair access limited. Restaurant Shop Films.

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5 Viewing Gallery On a clear day it is possible to see for 72 km (45 miles), including a distant view of Chartres Cathedral.

6 Double-Decker Lifts During the tourist season, the limited capacity of the lifts means that it can take up to a couple of hours to reach the top. Queuing for the lifts requires patience and a good head for heights.

7 Eiffel Bust Eiffel s ( ) achievement was crowned with the Légion d Honneur in Another honour was the bust by Antoine Bourdelle, placed beneath the tower in 1929.

8 Hydraulic Lift Mechanism Still in working order, this part of the original 1900 mechanism was automated in 1986.

9 Champ-de-Mars The gardens of this former parade ground stretch from the base of the tower to the École Militaire.

10 Lift Engine Room Eiffel emphasized safety over speed when choosing the lifts for the tower.

11 Ironwork Pattern According to Eiffel, the complex pattern of wrought-iron girders came from the need to stabilize the tower in strong winds. But Eiffel s design quickly won admirers for its pleasing symmetry. Star features Hydraulic Lift Mechanism Viewing Gallery Eiffel Bust 2012 Dorling Kindersley Limited

12 APA Eiffel Tower. (2012). In Eyewitness travel guides: Paris. London, UK: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Retrieved from Chicago "Eiffel Tower." In Eye Witness Travel Guide: Paris. Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., Harvard Eiffel Tower. (2012). In Eyewitness travel guides: Paris. [Online]. London: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Available from: [Accessed 26 December 2017]. MLA "Eiffel Tower." Eye Witness Travel Guide: Paris, Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc., 1st edition, Credo Reference, Accessed 26 Dec 2017.