This initiative was launched jointly by the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (OEEB), in which the metropolitan municipality holds 99% of the shares, and the Association of the Descendants of Gustave Eiffel, which has more than fifty people. It should be noted that this approach coincided with the “anniversary” of its most famous creation. The tower that bears his name turned 133 on March 31.Built in 1889 for the Universal Exhibition in Paris in order to demonstrate to the whole world the “industrial genius” of the host country, it was not to last more than 20 years, then to be scrapped, which many inhabitants of the city insisted on. metropolis. .Even prominent Parisians of the time like Guy de Maupassant, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas-fils were horrified by her and demanded the demolition of the “hated monster” which cast an “ugly shadow” over the city.Gustave Eiffel himself saved the Iron Lady. On the one hand, due to the fact that he managed to pre-purchase the land on which the tower was erected, and on the other hand, having shown exceptional diplomatic talent, he was able to secure the support influential personalities from the town hall of Paris.Well, when World War I broke out, they found a very specific use for the tower. It began to be actively used for telegraph and radio communications between the General Staff and the front, as well as for “wiretapping” messages from the German command.
Over time, the tower, and its height, given the many antennas installed at the top, i.e. 324 meters, has become a symbol of Paris. And so popular that Eiffel himself once admitted, probably jokingly, that he “envy her”, because she became “more famous than him”.Without any exaggeration, Gustav Eiffel can be called a man who possessed not only a real engineering genius, but also a remarkable business activity. According to his calculations, railway stations were built in Hungarian Budapest, in Santiago (Chile), bridges, both in France and in Portugal, in China, in Vietnam, in Bolivia, in Moldova and another – a railway in Georgia. The design of the frame and supports of the Statue of Liberty in New York is also his work.Events in honor of Eiffel will begin next month. At the foot of the tower, under the aegis of UNESCO, an exhibition will open with the very telling title: “Eiffel: take to the skies!”.Visitors to the Parisian attraction, and there were 6.2 million last year, will have the opportunity to “revive” Gustave Eiffel himself thanks to QR codes on their smartphones at different points of the tower, telling certain episodes related to his life and his creations. An enchanting show using digital technologies and electronic music is also planned. It will take place at the end of the year.
Since then, the Eiffel creation, remaining itself, has continued to transform. Who would have thought that the tower was frankly red in the first years of its existence, because Gustav Eiffel believed that it was this paint that resisted rust best. What after was simply not: the color of ocher, yellow, yellow-brown, until at the end of the 60s of the last century a special persistent color was chosen – “brown Eiffel”. Additionally, there are three shades – darker for the lower tier and two lighter for the upper ones, to give the structure a skyward look. Note that the tower is repainted every seven years, which requires 60 tons of paint, which is done by three dozen virtuoso painters who have trained as mountaineers. Photo: AFP/Christophe ARCHAMBAULT
