Eiffel Tower
Gustave Eiffel · Paris, France · 1889
The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. Designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel's company and built between 1887 and 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 Exposition Universelle marking the centennial of the French Revolution, it was the world's tallest man-made structure for 41 years until the Chrysler Building was completed in 1930. Standing 330 metres (1,083 ft) tall including antennas, the puddle-iron structure weighs roughly 10,100 tonnes and rests on four curved legs joined by latticed girders. Initially criticised by leading French artists and intellectuals as an industrial eyesore, it was nearly dismantled in 1909 but saved for its value as a radiotelegraph mast. Today it is one of the most recognisable structures in the world and the most-visited paid monument, welcoming nearly seven million visitors each year.