Monsieur Eiffel's Eyefull
Paris Kiosque - March 1997 - Volume 4, Number 3
Copyright (c) March 1997 Jacqueline Donnelly - used with permission
If you were to think back on your first impressions of Paris, would it not
be the Eiffel Tower? It is the monument that most tourists have on their
list of must-sees. "La demoiselle de Paris" is a symbol of the City of
Lights.
I would like to share with you some history and amusing facts about the
structure so that when you rise to the top you can remember what has
preceded you.
The Tour was conceived by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exposition of
1889 which commemorated the centenary of the French Revolution.
Like the 1789 revolution, the proposed tower caused quite a stir. The
locals protested that it would be disastrous for Paris, "a hollow
candlestick", "a tower of Babel." In fact 300 of the most influential
artists at the time (1 for each meter of metal) declaimed the tower in the
name of "art and civilization".
Guy de Maupassant left Paris rather than view the structure. He quipped
that
he loved to have lunch on in a restaurant in the tower because it was the
only place in Paris where he could not see it.
But for the grand exposition, something was needed as a focal point, an
observation tower and to fill the empty space on the Champs de Mars, across
the Seine from the Palais De Chaillot.
Among the other 700 monumental candidates for the honor were a proposed
giant lighthouse, a "Tower of the Sun" which would light up all of the
streets of Paris, or an enormous guillotine which would have added a rather
bizarre touch to the festivities!
Through insistence and outright lies, (he promised less money and time than
he knew it would take) Eiffel won the bid.
Eiffel bragged that "France will be the only nation whose flag will have a
staff 300 meters high".
Despite all aesthetic objections, the three levels of the edifice allowed
the visitor 360 degree perspectives of the city.
Survive it did its tenure at the fair but in 1909 it was scheduled for
demolition -- after all - the party was over and it was time to clean up.
The great debate of Paris began: "Was the tower to be or not to be?" No
one was indifferent to the question.
The detractors lost round two of the fight to eliminate this "arrogant
ironmongery" from the skyline because the scientists realized the merit of
this structure for meteorological study and as an antenna for radio
broadcasting.
In fact, thanks to the Eiffel Tower, the French were able to pick up the
transmissions of the Germans during World War I thus averting an attack on
Paris, and allowing the French forces a little lead time to brace
themselves for the first battle of the Marne.
Mata Hari, the sensuous dancer who enthralled all in a club on the first
level of the tower, was found to be an enemy spy due to intercepted radio
messages. As much as her undulations pleased the populous, her subversive
activities earned her an appearance before a death squad where she was shot
as a spy in 1917.
Eiffel had raised the tricolor flag triumphantly on March 31, 1889 and it
was displayed proudly until that tragic day on June 13, 1940 when a young
employee of the fire department of Paris was ordered by the Gestapo to
lower the banner and replace it with the swastika.
It was the same monsieur Sarniguet who four years later, raced two patriots
up the 1750 steps to place his tricolor flag for all to see. It was war
time and in occupied France, French flags were not in production so; he had
fashioned the blue, white an red flag from army sheets, but the effect was
the same for the newly liberated city.
The tower has not only been a destination for the tourist but a magnet for
the bizarre.
When you gaze at the tower imagine:
- the elephant who walked up the stairs;
- the bicyclist who rode down them;
- the alpinist who scaled the exterior;
- the parachutist who almost survived the descent;
- the two Englishmen who did;
- the dirigible which hooked up to the summit;
- the plane that almost passed through its legs;
- the enterprising merchant who sold it and
- the 350 suicides
The tower was not only significant to the lives of these people but to
every tourist and Parisian who identifies this monument with the city they
love.
It is a marvel of science. Here are some statistics for your next trivia
game:
- It is 300 meters high when including the television tower;
- The base covers 2.5 acres;
- There are 15,000 metal pieces;
- 2,500,000 rivets;
- 7,000,000 rivet holes;
- 40 tons of paint;
The tower never oscillates more than 5 inches in the heaviest winds
Despite the 7,300 tons of metal, it exerts only 4 kilograms per centimeter
of pressure on the earth, the equivalent weight of a man sitting on a
four-legged chair.
There are three levels to visit: the first has excellent souvenirs, a snack
shop and a fabulous restaurant, "The Jules Verne". Although pricy and
reservations must be made well in advance, it is a memory in the making for
you to dine there!
Entrance to the Jules Verne at the southwest leg of the Tower.
If you plan a short visit, try to get there early in the morning when it
opens at 9:30, or if you can buy your ticket ahead of time, come back when
the lines aren't too long.
At night, you will admire the new inner-lighting systems which makes the
tower glow on the skyline of Paris.
The City of Lights is at her best camera angle from either the second or
third levels. On the third level, you can look through windows at Eiffel's
apartment. Although he never lived there, he did have a pied a air view
of Paris.
The Eiffel Tower is not a one time pleasure. If you have been there
before, it is time to go back again for Paris is an unending visual
pleasure.
Jackie Donnelly, earned her B.A. in French from Connecticut College and her
Master's Degree in French language and literature from Boston University.
Ms. Donnelly has taught French at the high school and university level for over 25 years.
and is an 18 time visitor to France, and describes herself as 100% American
but sentimentally 100% French.
She was recently awarded the Palmes Academiques by the
French Minister of Education.
Currently she is serving as chair of a committee on the National Task Force of the
American Association of Teachers of French.
She can be contacted via this link.
