The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris and probably the best-known Parisian monument in the world: endless queues form outside the lifts.
And yet, when it was first erected against the skies of Paris in 1889, numerous artists made vigorous protests against the engineer, Gustave Eiffel, who was disfiguring Paris: Maupassant, Charles Garnier, Gounod signed a petition to bring the blight to an end. But its success was immediate and beyond all appeal, from the moment of its inauguration. It is true that it was almost dismantled at the expiry of the concession in 1909, but the TSF saved the tower, which successively housed the international time service, transoceanic wireless telephone communications, French radio broadcasting, television and a meteorological and air traffic centre.
The structure weighs 7,000 tonnes but its weight is less than that of the cylinder of air which encloses it. It exerts a pressure of 4 kilos per sq cm on the ground, equivalent to that of a seated man. It now reaches a height of 1,000 feet.
The Tower permits innumerable visitors to discover a panorama which, from the third level stretches away for 45 miles on a clear day. Paris is laid out like a map and display boards help you to identify the sights. A small museum (on the first level) with an audiovisual display traces the history of the tower, while on the third level you can see the office that Gustave Eiffel had built for himself.
Gabriel built the Ecole Militaire (military academy) and a parade ground or Champ-de-Mars (where the Eiffel Tower stands) on the location of vegetable gardens to be found between the new buildings and the banks of the River Seine. The Champ-de-Mars was the scene of many national festivals under the Revolution. During the 19th century, it was the site of several World Fairs. The present day garden, the work of J.-C. Formigé, dates back to 1923. Nowadays, it is the backdrop for concerts where huge crowds gather around giant screens.
The Wall for Peace, a transparent structure thought up by Clara Halter and freely inspired by the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, has been temporarily erected at the bottom of the Champ-de-Mars. Executed by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the Wall for Peace will shortly be moved to its final home in front of the Unesco headquarters in the Place de Fontenoy.
The Trocadero Gardens. Like the Trocadero palace, they were laid out for the 1937 Fair. On both sides of the central pond livened by powerful fountains which, in summer, make it a magnet for those in search of cool air, there are two statues: La Jeunesse, by Pierre Loison and La Joie de vivre, by Léon Divier, between which masters of the skateboard and roller skates manoeuvre.
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