Eiffel Tower Symbol

Lore & Background

The design is attributed to Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers working for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel. Stephen Sauvestre added decorative arches and a glass pavilion. Eiffel bought the rights to the patent and presented plans to the Société des Ingénieurs Civils on 30 March 1885, saying the tower would symbolise 'not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living, and for which the way was prepared by the great scientific movement of the eighteenth century and by the Revolution of 1789, to which this monument will be built as an expression of France's gratitude.'

Reader's Guide

The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level's upper platform is 276 m above the ground. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first to the second, making the entire ascent a 600-step climb. The top level is usually accessible only by lift.

Did You Know?

• The tower is 330 metres tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building.
• It was the first structure in the world to surpass both the 200-metre and 300-metre mark in height.
• The tower received 5,889,000 visitors in 2022.
• It was designated a monument historique in 1964 and named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.