Ever since, this word has come to represent a beacon of romance – around the world, the moment people hear the name ‘Eiffel’ they immediately think of l’amour à la Parisienne. The bid was won by an engineering company led by Gustave Eiffel who gave the tower his name. Once the tower was actually built, it achieved and held this title for the next 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was completed and overtook it. At that time, this title was held by the Washington Monument in the USA.
They knew it had to be spectacular and immediately, many designers decided it was a great opportunity to compete for the tallest structure in the world. When it was decided the World’s Fair 1889 would be held in Paris, local engineers and architects started to vie for the opportunity to design the centre piece and entrance to the fair.
Nowadays, you won’t find many Parisians around the Eiffel Tower but you will find French out-of-towners and foreign tourists gravitating towards the central structure for beautiful views from the top, the surrounding parklands and many, many selfie opportunities. It is funny to think then, that this wrought iron construction has not always been a proud monument for many French people – indeed, it was met with distaste and much opposition when it was completed in 1889. One of the most instantly-recognisable structures in the world, the Eiffel Tower – or Tour d‘Eiffel – has come to represent France in one simple symbol.