The Eiffel Tower - I don't consider it to be the most beautiful piece of architecture, but I can assure you it is one of the most interesting ones.

Built in 1889 for the International Exhibition of Paris in order to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution, the tower was hardly accepted by many people. The tower was met with resistance from the public when it was built, with many calling it an eyesore.

It is even said that the novelist Guy de Maupassant claimed to hate the tower. Despite that, he usually ate lunch at the Tower's restaurant. When asked why, he answered that it was the one place in Paris where you couldn't see the Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But in time it became part of Parisian life… "During its lifetime, the Eiffel Tower has also witnessed a few strange scenes, including being scaled by a mountaineer in 1954, and parachuted off of in 1984 by two Englishmen. In 1923 a journalist rode a bicycle down from the first level. Some accounts say he rode down the stairs, other accounts suggest the exterior of one of the tower's four legs which slope outward." (paris.org)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But although its birth was a little rough, today it completely accepted and must be listed as one of the symbols of Paris itself and as the most visited monument in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gustave Eiffel about his tower:  

"Now to what phenomenon did I give primary concern in designing the Tower? It was wind resistance. Well then! I hold that the curvature of the monument's four outer edges, which is as mathematical calculation dictated it should be (…) will give a great impression of strength and beauty, for it will reveal to the eyes of the observer the boldness of the design as a whole."

 

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