Who Built The Eiffel Tower In Paris ?
If a person mentions the city of Paris, immediately visions of the Eiffel Tower come to mind. It goes without saying that the tower has become synonymous with Paris all over the world. Ironically, this iron structure was ridiculed by the people when it was inaugurated in the year 1889. They did not think it was a artistic structure and the designer and builder of the tower drew a lot of flak and criticism from people. This brings us to the next question, who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris. |
The credit for building the Eiffel Tower goes to a French architect named Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. He was born in Cote d'Or in France on December 15th, 1832 and graduated from the prestigious Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in the year 1855. It was after he completed his graduation that Eiffel became interested in building structures from metal, mainly bridges and railway buildings.
After graduating, Eiffel secured his first job. He became a project manager for a bridge construction that was being built across Garonne Rive in the Bordeaux. It was during this tenure that his hardworking nature and eye for details became apparent. So, Charles Nepveu, Eiffel's employer, kept placing him in supervisory positions for several railway building and bridge projects. Finally, in the year 1864, Eiffel separated from his employer in order to start his own business, which concentrated just on building structures made from metals.
Eiffel's earliest successful project involved constructing a railway bridge measuring 525 feet to reduce the traveling time between Porto and Lisbon in Portugal. As a result of the bridge, commuters could avoid taking a 7.5-mile detour. The bridge was built across Douro River and at a height of 60 meters.
As time went by, Eiffel became well-known for his innovative techniques. He was responsible for building the Garabit viaduct in the year 1884 and also designing the world famous Statue of Liberty, which was gifted to the US by France as a sign of international friendship and unity.
When France declared that it would be hosting the World Fair in 1889, proposals were sort from people. One of the proposals was that of Eiffel and as we all know that it was accepted. He started construction the Eiffel Tower in the year 1887 and took into account wind pressure. The tower was constructed using 18,038 pieces of puddle iron and around 3 million rivets. The way the tower was designed and built by Eiffel ensured that it could face wind without toppling over. On 31st March 1889, the Eiffel Tower completed. Eiffel was honored with the Legion d'Honneur for his architectural design and creativity. He died on December 27, 1923, but his legacy lives on through the Eiffel Tower and several other creations in Europe and the US.
More Articles :
WiseGeek: Who Built The Eiffel Tower
https://www.wisegeek.com/who-built-the-eiffel-tower.htm
|
The moment anyone talks about the Eiffel Tower, immediate scenes of romantic Paris come into mind. The Tower, also known as the La dame de fer, which means the Iron Lady in French, has an interesting history. Today what we know as the iconic symbol of Paris and France was not really appreciated when it was built.