Skip to content Skip to footer

March 31, 1889 - Inauguration of the Eiffel Tower

On March 31, 1889, Gustave Eiffel's 300-meter Tower was inaugurated.

A monumental gateway to the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1889, the Iron Lady attracted over 2 million visitors in just under 6 months. As the world's tallest tower, the Dame de Fer showed France's power to the world. The 300-metre target was reached.

Yet its construction was fraught with difficulties. Indeed, the Eiffel Tower was the subject of controversy, with detractors on all sides. All they wanted was for the Tower to be destroyed.

A petition was signed by the most famous artists. These included Alexandre Dumas fils, Guy De Maupassant, architect Charles Garnier and others. The Eiffel Tower was considered "an odious column of bolted sheet metal" or "useless and monstrous".

In fact, the 300-metre tower was originally scheduled to last just 20 years. It was originally scheduled for demolition in 1909. But that was without counting on Gustave Eiffel's genius. Installing a wide range of scientific equipment, carrying out meteorological and astronomical studies, Gustave Eiffel invited the most famous scientists to work on the Tower.

Erected in just 2 years, 2 months and 5 days, take a look at the photos below to discover 3 key stages in its construction, modeled in 3D.

the eiffel tower under construction: november 1887; september 1888; march1889

Discover these 3 stages during our immersive guided tour of the Champ-de-Mars in Paris. Relive its incredible history right up to its inauguration in 1889.

0