With its current 330-meter height, three storeys, total weight of 10,100 tons and brown color, it is the pride of many French people and attracts thousands of tourists every year, eager to admire the one many nickname the Iron Lady. As you may have guessed, I'm talking about the Eiffel Tower.
And this technical and architectural feat hides many secrets. Did you know, for example, that the Eiffel Tower has had 7 different colors since its birth, starting out as " Venice red "? This first color, chosen by Gustave Eiffel to combat corrosion, was applied directly in the French engineer's workshop in Levallois-Perret. This " Venice red " was visible during the assembly of the Eiffel Tower in 1887 and 1888. But it didn't last long, as in 1889 this " Venice red " color was transformed into " red brown " with a light gradation.
Then, in 1892, the Eiffel Tower was once again covered with a layer of " brown ochre ", this time before changing again and opting, in 1899, for theExposition Universelle of 1900, for a pretty gradation of five colors ranging from yellow-orange at the base to light yellow at the top.
In 1907, Gustave Eiffel finally chose " yellow-brown " to perpetuate the Eiffel Tower. This color was retained for 47 years. 1954 saw a subtle return to the original shades, with a " reddish-brown " color, slightly different from the " reddish-brown " of 1889.
A further change came in 1968, with the arrival of the famous " Tour Eiffel brown " with which we are all familiar; a color " specially designed for the Iron Lady " and " chosen for its harmony with the Parisian landscape ", explains the Eiffel Tower website.
For the record, in the 134 years of its existence, the Eiffel Tower has been repainted a total of 19 times, an average of every 7 years.
Location
Eiffel Tower
5, avenue Anatole-France
75007 Paris 7
Access
Metro and RER: Line 6 or 9 "Trocadéro" station Line 6 "Bir-Hakeim" station RER C "Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel" station
Official website
www.toureiffel.paris
