What do most tourists and simply curious people associate Paris with? Of course, with the world-famous Eiffel Tower, which for several centuries has attracted the curious and amazed the knowledgeable. The history of the tower is interesting and unusual, like the history of any famous masterpiece of world culture.
In 1889, an exhibition of industrial achievements was to be held. Paris was chosen as the host city. The exhibition was held for the twelfth time and again devoted to discoveries in the field of science and technology. Paris as a hospitable host, according to the Parisians, should have presented the world with the most amazing achievement.
A competition of projects was announced throughout France, one of which was supposed to become not only the hallmark of the city, but also a symbol of the exhibition itself. The best architects of the country presented their sketches to the high jury. After lengthy discussions, preference was given to the idea of Gustave Eiffel, already then a famous architect of France. He proposed to build a huge metal structure in the very center of the capital, assembled from individual pyramidal elements laid out in the form of a tower, andset on a strong foundation. The project is too ambitious, not only for the 19th century. After construction was completed, the height of the Eiffel Tower was to be more than 300 meters.
The construction of the tower was a grandiose event that has no analogues. Difficulties were immediately identified. First of all, this is the ability of the tower to withstand daily wind loads, the stability of the foundation, the structure of the soil, the assembly of elements and lifting them to a height - all that has not been done before, and not only the builders, but also the engineers themselves had no experience in such operations. In addition, almost immediately after the approval of the project, indignant reviews of the Parisians rained down, who believed that such an ugly structure, made of one metal, could not be combined with the historical sights of the capital. Despite protests, work began.
The construction of the tower began in January 1887. The left bank of the Seine was chosen as the place for the construction of the structure. The most difficult element of the structure was the foundation. It took a year and a half to prepare and erect it, while the structure itself was assembled in almost eight months. A little over two years later, the Eiffel Tower appeared before the eyes of Parisians and visitors to the city.
The height of the Eiffel Tower was more than three hundred meters, which is twice the world record holders of that time, the famous pyramid of Cheops, Ulm Cathedral and the Cathedral in Cologne. Eiffel was able to accurately calculate each stage of construction, to think over in detail the implementation of each process. For the first time in construction practice, the properties of the soil and its layers were taken into account before laying the foundation, for which scientific research was carried out. The base was built using the latest technology using compressed air. The position of the tower had to be constantly adjusted, for this jacks were installed each with a lifting force of 800 tons.
The innovation was the height of the Eiffel Tower. Since structures of such dimensions were not previously produced, it was necessary to solve the issue of lifting and fastening the elements. The Eiffel Tower, as conceived by the architect, assumed the presence of three floors. The height of the first floor was 58 meters - a simple task with special cranes and winches. Difficulties could arise with the construction of the second floor, because it was installed at a level of 116 meters above the ground. Especially for these purposes, the engineer developed special cranes capable of working at heights. Cranes lifted special platforms up the rails.
The third floor is a pyramid 180 meters high and 16 meters in diameter, which was assembled on the spot. Considering that the height of the Eiffel Tower in this section is more than 120 meters, it was technically difficult to do this. Especially for these purposes, mounting cradles were used, in which the workers were located.
Surprisingly, the project was so thoroughly thought out by Eiffel that it was never revised. Everything was taken into account in the calculations, including the maximum possible load that the structure can withstand. All construction details were machined at the engineer's own factory and were made to withinmillimeters.
The official opening day of the tower is March 31, 1889. It has become a real masterpiece. The ability to climb up and look at the city made it a successful commercial project not only in the 19th century, but also today, and the name of the creator is forever immortalized in the chronicles of history.
