The Eiffel
tower was built in Paris by Gustave Eiffel, a French engineer specialized
in revolutionary steel constructions, for the 1889 world exhibition.
The tower originally had no practical use. The intent was just to
demonstrate the capabilities of modern engineering. A daring engineer's
dream, the Eiffel tower weights 7000 tons, but the pressure it applies
on the ground is only equivalent to that of a chair with a man seated
on it!
At 300 meters,
it remained the world highest building until the construction of
the Chrysler building in New York city in 1929. Now 320 meters high
with its television antennas, it still incredibly towers above Paris,
a city almost free from skyscrapers. Open air elevators bring you
up to the first (57 meters high), the second (115 meters high) and
the third floor (276 meters high). Each one provides different and
interesting views on Paris and the surrounding Ile de France region.