The Eiffel tower became popular because it was a modern, artistic design that was considered unusual at the time of construction. It stood as the world’s tallest structure for over forty years, until the Chrysler Building in New York was created in 1930.

Designed for the World Fair in Paris in 1889, the Eiffel tower was meant to be taken down and moved within 20 years. Its design and beauty, especially as it glows after dark has made it one of the most visited monuments in the world.

The Eiffel tower is not only an icon but also became a symbol of love for many couples from all over the world as thousands of marriage proposals are made under the tower every year.

On a clear day, you can see for hundreds of kilometres, allowing you to take in the sights of Paris such as the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, La Défense and the Champs Élysées.

10 Interesting Facts About the Eiffel tower

• The Eiffel tower is known by the French as La Dame de Fer or ‘The Iron Lady’
• The Eiffel tower is painted every seven years in 60 tons of paint
• The tower is painted in three different shades of ‘Eiffel Brown’ that get lighter the higher up it goes
• The Eiffel tower grows and shrinks by as much as six inches in the sun
• There are 20 thousand lights on the Eiffel tower
• The Eiffel tower was once used as a giant billboard, with the company Citroën illuminating their brand name in lights between 1925 and 1936
• The inventor of the parachute died leaping from the Eiffel tower in 1912
• Gustave Eiffel also created the internal frame for the Statue of Liberty
• Over 250 million have visited the Eiffel tower since its opening, with around 7 million people visiting every year
• The Eiffel tower sways slightly in the wind which is an engineering design to help protect the structure.