Eiffel Tower - a symbol of Paris, its silhouette is visible almost everywhere. Every day thousands of tourists seek here. But it was not always so.

Steel Tower on the Champ de Mars - a monument to the daring of the XIX century. In the second half of the century France, demonstrating its technological leadership, he held a number of world exhibitions. The exhibition in 1889 decided to build in the center of Paris, unseen, the world's tallest building.

The competition has been put forward 107 projects. The winner was presented by engineer Gustave Eiffel: elegant metal design height of over 300 meters, inscribed on the ground in a square with a side of 125 meters. It is fair to say that the original design of the tower developed by engineers and Emil Maurice Kёhlin Nuge, the Eifel also bought their patent. However, his talent is put on the appearance of buildings indelible imprint.

Construction lasted two years, the number of workers on the construction site never exceeds two hundred and fifty. Factories produced more than 18 thousand forged iron parts for their assembly took more than a million special rivets. During construction killed one worker - decided to show the bride how great it keeps a balance on the ball.

A steel tower weighing 7000 tons was the highlight of the World Expo in 1889: in the first week, is not yet a lift, about 30 thousand people rose to the height of the foot trёhsotmetrovuyu. In those days there were registered two million visitors. However, at the end of the exhibition of interest to the tower fell, revived only after the Second World War.

Erection of the steel monster in the capital has caused an unusually sharp negative reaction of the French intelligentsia. In 1887, Alexander Dumas, Charles Gounod, Sully Prudhomme - fifty artists who glorified France - publicly opposed the "useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower." Maupassant dubbed her "skeleton."

But disputes gradually subsided. As for the benefits, it is the Eiffel Tower in 1898 began experimenting with wireless communication. During the First World then he worked as strategically important for the French transmitter 1920 gained access to the tower and civilian radio. Five years later here it started an experimental television broadcasts. Now the tower - one of the biggest European antennas, signal is delivered to 10 million people.

The unique silhouette of the Tour Eiffel was captured in the paintings of Rousseau, Signac, Marquet, Utrillo, Chagall. In 1925, a crook, taking advantage of press reports about the possible demolition of the tower, managed to sell it to an unsuspecting buyer "for spare parts." In 1944, an American fighter pilot, William Overstreet in his "Mustang" went under the steel arches, and brought down the Nazi "Messer". In 1996, a climber Alain Robert, without any adaptations of steel rose to the top of the mountain.

The tower has become a romantic legend, lovers tend to her, with her lookouts clearly visible leisurely Seine, magnificent palaces, boiling life neighborhoods. And there is in Paris a Parisian space than the Eiffel Tower.