The Eiffel Tower in Paris: History of Creation

In the summer of 2003, the structure was "dressed" in a new lighting outfit of 20,000 bulbs mounted on 40 km of wires. The new illumination, custom-made, cost the French treasury €4.6 million
The tower's lighting was last upgraded in 2015. To save electricity, the electric lights were replaced by LEDs. At the same time, two wind turbines, heat panels, and rainwater harvesting systems were installed.
On important days for the country or in honor of some public holidays, the Eiffel Tower is decorated with special color illumination. Thus, in 2008 (the year of France's presidency of the EU) it was illuminated for a while by the colors of the EU flag.

The process of building was simplified by availability of detailed drawings, and also by the fact that parts of the future constructions were delivered to the site in the ready form. All the metal parts were made at Eiffel's factory near Paris. The structure used 18,000 metal parts, 2.5 million rivets, two-thirds of which were pre-installed in the right places, which saved time by drilling holes and fitting the parts.
The project involved 300 workers. It took them 26 months to build it: It took five months to lay the foundation and 21 months to assemble the metal parts. In the course of the work were born new equipment and construction equipment. As the guides in Paris say, it is a monument to the great technical achievements of the period.
The Eiffel Tower in Paris proudly towers above the city at 324 meters. Weighing 7,300 tons of metal construction, it clearly demonstrates the audacity of an architectural solution so unusual and unacceptable for its time.

Despite the occasional non-acceptance of the project, construction proceeded as planned. Four 10-meter blocks were installed in a 5-meter excavation under each tower footing. Hydraulic jacks were provided for each of the tower's 16 supports to ensure accurate horizontal level. Initially Eiffel planned to place decorative statues in the corners of the platforms. But then he changed his mind, leaving only openwork arches, which successfully "diluted" the austerity of the construction.

Protests over the construction of the tower
The iron landmark was not always so admired. Immediately after its construction, the tower seemed incongruous and unwieldy to the inhabitants of the French capital. According to the local bohemia represented by writers, sculptors, artists, it violated the original beauty of Paris, suppressing its unique architecture. They were supported by ordinary citizens.

Paul Verlaine, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas-son and other famous personalities advocated that it be removed from the Parisian street. A mass protest signed by many members of the intellectual Parisian elite was sent to the municipality. Guy de Maupassant, while also criticizing the construction, dined daily in the tower restaurant, explaining his behavior as follows: only you cannot see it from here.

Built in 1889, the Eiffel Tower originally served as a temporary structure as an entrance arch to the Paris World's Fair grounds. The project envisioned its 20-year existence, then its dismantling. But its fate, famous and long-lived, was determined by the love of tourists and the commercial component, which contributes a tangible share to the city budget thanks to its continued popularity among travelers.