11 Surprising Eiffel Tower Facts for Kids [UPDATED Facts]

Are you planning a trip to the capital city of France with your family? Your kids must be excited to visit the Eiffel Tower. Well, who isn’t? And even if you are not visiting, it is great fun to know about the historical monuments, right.

We have gathered some amazing Eiffel Tower facts for kids in this article that will give you information about the related history, its construction, and other such things. Let us start then.

11 Interesting & Fun Facts about the Eiffel Tower for Kids

Standing for 130 years and more, the Eiffel Tower has made its place in the list of historical monuments since 1964. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the year 1991.

There is a good amount of history behind the making of this prestigious tower, which is the symbol of the city of Paris today.

1. It was the tallest structure until 1930

The Eiffel Tower stood as the tallest structure in the world until 1930, when the Chrysler Building was constructed. There are 1665 steps in the Tower to reach the top of it.

Although the public is allowed to go up to the second floor of the tower on foot and take the elevator thereafter.

There are three floors of the tower. They are 347 steps from the esplanade up to the first floor. The second floor consists of 327 steps, and from there it is 991 steps till the top.

2. It is repainted every 7 years

It takes 15 months and 60 tons of paint to paint the Eiffel Tower. It is repainted every seven years to preserve this beauty. And it is painted by 25 painters who do the job by hand using paintbrushes. 

The tower has been painted 18 times since its construction in the last 130 years. It was originally red-brown, but today it is bronze in look. Seventy-two engineers, scientists and mathematicians worked to construct this tower, and all their names are engraved on its side. 

3. The Eiffel Tower grows every summer

Standing at an original height of 1024 feet (without the antennas), the Eiffel Tower is known for growing each summer. Yes, you read it correctly. When the city’s temperature reaches around 104 degrees Fahrenheit, the metal base of the tower expands.

This makes the tower gain 6 inches of height during the summers. This phenomenon is reversed during the winters, and the tower shrinks back to its original height losing the six inches that it gained during the summers.

4. History of the Eiffel Tower

Alexandre Gustave Eiffel constructed the Eiffel Tower to commemorate the French Revolution and celebrate its 100th anniversary. The tower is named after him. He got the idea of making the tower after playing a partial role in making the Statue of Liberty.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Statue of Liberty then refer to our article – 11 Interesting & Fun Facts about Statue of Liberty for Kids

Two other engineers came up with the original designs of the Eiffel Tower. These were Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier. They were the senior and chief engineers of the engineering firm that constructed the Eiffel Tower. The main architect of the project was Stephen Sauvestre.

5. It was a temporary construction

The tower was originally meant to be kept for 20 years. The people of Paris also wanted to take it down since they viewed it as an eyesore. After 20 years, the city of Paris realised that the tower could be used for many purposes, majorly for communication. 

The military made use of the tower by using it as a wireless telegraph transmitter. The tower also helped in capturing Mata Hari, a spy during the First World War, by intercepting a message. 

Today, it is used to send television and radio signals across the capital city of Paris and beyond it as well. 

6. Accommodation in the tower

When the Eiffel Tower was initially built, it has three restaurants on its first floor, a French restaurant along with a Russian and a Flemish one. It also had an Anglo-American bar. Later on, the Flemish restaurant was transformed into a theatre with a capacity of 250 seats.

There were laboratories at the top for conducting experiments. There was also a small apartment that was reserved for Gustave Eiffel, which is now open as an exhibition for the public. It has wax mannequins of him, his daughter, and other notable guests like Thomas Edison.

An apartment with a kitchen, two bedrooms and a lounge was built in May 2016 to accommodate four winners of the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament.

7. Eiffel Tower is made of only iron

It is surprising to know that the world-famous tower of Paris is made up of only iron. The Eiffel Tower is made up of 7,000 metric tons of puddled iron, a form of wrought iron. It is tough and can be easily welded. 

It was made to stand for only 20 years, but grateful to the correct calculations of Gustave, the tower never needed modification. It has stood strongly and elegantly for 130 years. However, it takes approximately 1.12 million US dollars each year for the maintenance of the tower. 

8. Eiffel Tower is a symbol of love

Originally constructed to commemorate the French Revolution, Eiffel Tower has become the symbol of love over the years. Couples visiting the tower can enjoy the 360-degree view from the top along with a glass of champagne from one of the bars situated there.

Each year thousands of marriage proposals are made under it. Various painters and artists have made the tower a subject of their art.

It has been a part of many movies of numerous genres and languages. Some of the most famous movies are ‘A View to Kill’, ‘Superman 2’, ‘Hugo’, and ‘Lucy’.

9. The Iron Lady

Standing for over 130 years straight, the Eiffel Tower has got a nickname by its very own people. The French have given the nickname of La Dame de Fer to it, which translates into The Iron Lady. The tower was constructed as an entry gate to the World Fair of 1889.

Many French artists and intellectuals criticized it for its design. Some thought that it was polluting the view of the Parisian sky. But 20 years later, the city of Paris understood its importance and decided to preserve it.

10. The construction of the Eiffel Tower

18,000 separate pieces were made in Gustave Eiffel’s factory, which was located on the outskirts of Paris. These 18,000 pieces were assembled with the help of wooden scaffolding and small steam cranes. The iron tower is held together by more than 2.5 million rivets. 

Around 300 workers helped in building the tower, and there has been no report of any casualties while they worked. Some of the slaves of that time also had the opportunity of helping in the construction of it. 

11. Eiffel Tower was sold twice

A man named Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower twice. Well, of course, it was not a genuine business that he did. He was a con man who was aware of the fact that the tower was not in its best condition after the First World War.

So he forged some documents and called up a secret meeting of the scrap dealers. The first person who fell into his trap was Andre Poisson, who gave bribes and money for the tower with which Victor and his accomplice fled to Vienna.

The second time he tried to repeat the scam, his target reached the police, although he managed to escape.

Quick Facts about The Eiffel Tower

• Locally Nicknamed: La dame de fer (The Iron Lady)
• Location: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France, Europe
• Building Type: Wrought-iron Lattice Tower
• Height:  324m (1,063 ft)
• Built: Between January 28th, 1887 and March 15th, 1889
• Annual Visitors: 7 million (estimate)
• Lifts/elevators: 8
• The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels.
• Tallest man-made structure in the world from 1889 to 1930

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

So these were some interesting Eiffel Tower facts for kids. It is always better to have some insight about the places you are about to visit. We hope the article gave you enough knowledge about this worldwide famous symbol of France.