Paris is the European capital home to the Eiffel Tower, completed for the 1889 World's Fair.
The tower was designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel's company and built between 1887 and 1889 on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine. It marked the centennial of the French Revolution and served as the entrance arch to the exposition.
The structure was controversial when proposed: many prominent French artists and writers objected to its industrial appearance. Despite those complaints, it became a celebrated landmark and remained the world's tallest man-made structure until 1930.
The Eiffel Tower was initially intended to be temporary, with a planned 20-year concession. Its usefulness as a radio-telegraph station helped preserve it. It is often confused with Paris's Arc de Triomphe, which is a separate monument on the Champs-Élysées.