Facts You Didn't Know About the Eiffel Tower

Fun Facts About The Eiffel Tower

     

     The famous Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris and one of the world's most famous structures. Over 200 million people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889, including 6,719,200 in 2006, making it the most visited paid monument in the world. Including the 24 m (79 feet) high antenna, the structure has been 325 m (1,063 ft) high since 2000, which is the same as a conventional 81-story building. 

Here are About The Eiffel Tower Facts You Didn't Know

1. There are secret apartments.
When the engineer Gustave Eiffel was designing the tower, he built a private apartment at the top of the tower. With this place, Gustave Eiffel, whose name was used as the name of the tower, is known to host many famous figures in the apartment, one of which is the inventor of the incandescent light bulb from the United States (US), Thomas Alva Edison. Now tourists can also see the apartment, because it is open to the public and is usually shown during a tour of the Eiffel Tower.

2. Gustave Eiffel didn't design the tower.

For what was the Eiffel Tower built? Gustave Eiffel is reportedly not making the original design. According to Live Science, there were two men who worked at the company that drew the original designs, namely Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier. The two engineers worked with French architect Stephen Sauvestre to create a design for the monument which was then entered into a contest to select the main attractions at the World's Fair.

3. There is a post office at the Eiffel Tower

There is a small post office at the Eiffel Tower. It's located on the first floor, right next to the gift shop. If you send a package from the post office at the Eiffel Tower, the package will be sent with a unique postmark.

4. The Eiffel Tower is moving!

As a tall, large and wind-resistant tower, the Eiffel Tower can also sway during a storm. Even if the weather is really bad, the tower can move. Besides the wind, the sun's heat also affects the Eiffel Tower. The heat causes the iron in the Eiffel Tower to expand and shrink by 7 inches or about 17 centimeters.

5. Eiffel Tower was once yellow

The Eiffel Tower is said to have been painted yellow to follow the trend at that time. For some time, the appearance of the Eiffel tower was changed by the application of the paint color spectrum. When it opened in 1889, the Eiffel Tower had a reddish-brown hue. Then, a decade later, the tower was painted a yellow color. The tower was also once yellow-brown and chestnut brown, before being "Eiffel Tower Brown". It's also worth noting that the tower is painted in three colors to enrich its silhouette to match the Parisian skyline. (history)

6. The Eiffel Tower Should Only Have Been Standing For 20 Years

When was the Eiffel Tower built? The Eiffel Tower was designed and constructed by Gustave Eiffel's company, Compagnie des tablissemen Eiffel. This tower was built to be the center of attention at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris.

This tower was supposed to be torn down in 1909 or 20 years after its establishment. But because this tower has a useful radio antenna, the Paris government has abandoned its intention to dismantle the Eiffel Tower.

7.There's a secret bunker under the Eiffel Tower. 

There's a secret bunker under the south pillar of the tower. Reportedly the bunker is connected to the Ecole Military, a complex of buildings in Paris that houses various military training facilities, via a long tunnel. Today the bunker has been transformed into a small museum that tourists like you can see, if you take a tour.

The Rules for Photographing the Eiffel Tower at Night

The Eiffel Tower is officially managed by the Societe d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE).

SETE stated that photographing the Eiffel Tower at night was not illegal. This means that it is okay for travelers to take pictures and share them on social media. However, the case is different if the tower image is taken by a professional group for commercial purposes.

Especially for shooting for commercial purposes, the photographer or videographer must first obtain permission from SETE as the official manager before being able to get the beautiful moment of the Eiffel Tower at night.

Not only a permit, taking photos of the Eiffel Tower at night for commercial purposes also allows for a number of fees to be paid.

This prohibition is based on copyright law owned by the French state. The regulation gives the creator of an object the exclusive right to sell it.

In the European Union, copyright laws are in effect for 70 years after the creator's death.

Gustave Eiffel, held the copyright for the Eiffel tower until he died in 1923. That is, in 1923 or 70 years after Eiffel's death, the rule is no longer valid, if it is based on European Union copyright laws.