France gave the world the Eiffel Tower as the centerpiece of the 1889 Paris Exposition.
The tower was built to mark the centennial of the French Revolution and to demonstrate France’s industrial and engineering capabilities. Engineer Gustave Eiffel’s company designed and constructed the iron monument, working from plans associated with engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier and architect Stephen Sauvestre.
Construction began in 1887 and finished in 1889. The structure reached about 300 meters at completion, making it the tallest man-made structure in the world at the time. A later antenna increased its height. More than 18,000 individual iron parts and millions of rivets were used in the original construction.
Many artists initially criticized the tower’s appearance, but it became a lasting symbol of Paris and France. It was intended to be temporary, yet its usefulness for radio transmission helped preserve it. Today, the Eiffel Tower is among the world’s most visited paid monuments and is repainted periodically to protect its ironwork.