The Eiffel Tower is the iconic monument of Paris and one of the most visited. It stands 300 meters tall and has a wrought iron structure designed by civil engineers. This Parisian landmark is located on the banks of the Seine River and attracts around 7,1 million tourists annually . It has many impressive facts and curiosities, but do you know what happens to the Eiffel Tower in the summer?
One of the interesting facts we can already point out is that this massive iron structure was built in just two years and two months. It was used in army tests around 1900 as a communications antenna, and today it also serves as a radio and television broadcasting tower.
Do you know what happens to the Eiffel Tower in summer?
This interesting fact is easy to understand, given that iron changes its structure in summer due to expansion. We can observe this in this great superstructure, as the Eiffel Tower in Paris grows in height by no less than 12 to 15 centimeters during the summer.
This large tower is constructed from wrought iron, a material highly sensitive to temperature but also resistant. The succession of high and low temperatures throughout the year causes its structure to fluctuate.
When it's cold, iron contracts, and when it's hot, iron expands , producing these changes in size. Consequently, when summer arrives and the heat comes, iron is susceptible to expansion, causing it to grow by 15 centimeters.
Another interesting fact is that the sun's heat causes this tower to tilt slightly to one side , especially towards the side opposite where the sun's rays strike one of its faces. This tilt isn't very pronounced and isn't noticeable to the naked eye, just like its height, but it's something that professionals study in depth.
Other curious facts that you didn't know about the Eiffel Tower
This structure was created in 1887 for the 1889 Universal Exposition . It measures 300 meters and took two years, two months, and five days to build. A total of 18.038 iron pieces were used , giving it a total weight of 10.100 tons.
It's designed with materials that are highly resistant to harsh weather. But when a storm hits, or conditions are similar or worse, you can see it sway slightly.
The Eiffel Tower is named after Gustave Eiffel , but it was actually designed by two engineers working for his company: Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier . The French architect Stephen Sauvestre also contributed his expertise to create a more artistic and robust structure.
Gustave Eiffel later purchased the patent for the tower, having provided most of the funding. Interestingly, Gustave maintained a private room at the very top , where he used to spend hours locked away conducting experiments or receiving visits from important celebrities. This room is not open to the public today.
This tower served its purpose during World War I thanks to the radio transmitter located at its summit. It is even believed to have played a significant role in the Allied victory at the First Battle of the Marne, as it intercepted enemy signals emanating from Berlin.
Another interesting fact is that Hitler had his chance to destroy Paris and its Eiffel Tower. This happened in 1944, when the Allies were poised to liberate Paris. Hitler ordered the city's destruction at all costs, along with all its monuments. One of the officers, von Choltitz, had to deal with and intervene in this tragedy, as he considered it an absolute outrage. Ultimately, Paris was left intact.
The Eiffel Tower is composed of 20.000 LED bulbs, a spectacular idea to illuminate this Parisian monument. The result is a beautiful twinkling effect, with each bulb using 6W of power and flashing in rapid synchronization. This effect can be seen every hour for 5 minutes, from sunset until 1 a.m.
Although it might not seem like much, you can't actually photograph the Eiffel Tower. According to European copyright law, this monument is protected for the lifetime of its creator. It entered the public domain in 1993, with lights installed by Pierre Bideau that weren't switched on until 1985. Under one of the applicable laws, the tower is protected by copyright , and anyone who wants to use a photo of it will have to pay for the rights and properly credit the artist. Therefore, you could face a fine if you take a photo and post it on social media.
