The Eiffel Tower was inaugurated in Paris in 1889.
Engineer Gustave Eiffel’s company built the iron lattice tower for the Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair held in Paris to celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution. Construction began in 1887 and the tower was completed in time for the fair’s opening on 6 May 1889.
At 300 metres, the tower became the tallest human-made structure in the world when it opened. Its height later increased with antennas, and it remained a global symbol of modern engineering and Paris. The structure was initially intended to be temporary, but its usefulness for radio communications helped preserve it.
Some artists and intellectuals criticized the design before completion, while visitors quickly embraced its spectacular views. The Eiffel Tower stands on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine, near the Trocadéro district.