"PARIS"
ROMANCE CITY" Eiffel Tower, Paris
Once the tallest structure in the world, the Eiffel Tower is probably Europe's best known landmark and Paris's most famous symbol.
You couldn't possibly visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower (7e arrondissement). Even if you do not want to visit it, you will see its top from all over Paris. It rises 300 meters tall and was twice as high as the Washington Monument, at that time the tallest structure in the world.
1889 World Exhibition
The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889, held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the advent of structures without 'individuality' and despite the many people who feared that this huge 'object' would not fit into the architecture of Paris.
Today, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, in fact it has become the symbol of the City of Light.
Gustave Eiffel
The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, as employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884.
