Which structure was the world’s tallest when it opened in Paris in 1889?

The Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest structure when it opened in Paris in 1889.

Gustave Eiffel’s company built the iron tower for the Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair celebrating the centenary of the French Revolution. Construction began in 1887, and the tower was completed in time for the fair’s opening on 31 March 1889. It reached about 300 metres, far exceeding the previous tallest structures.

The tower was initially intended to be temporary and attracted strong criticism from some artists and writers. Its usefulness as a radio and communications structure helped preserve it beyond the planned period. Today, including its antennas, it stands at about 330 metres.

The Eiffel Tower lost the title of world’s tallest structure to New York’s Chrysler Building in 1930. It remains one of France’s most recognisable landmarks and is sometimes mistakenly described as a skyscraper; technically, it is a wrought-iron lattice tower rather than a conventional building.