During the summer months, the Eiffel Tower gets a little higher. The thermal expansion generated by exposure to the summer sun can cause the Eiffel Tower to rise up to 6.75 cm (17 inches) in height. This change is only temporary and when the sunlight begins to fade, the expansion decreases.
Other facts about the Eiffel Tower:
The Eiffel Tower was not originally intended for its current location near the Seine in Paris. The structure was designed for construction in Barcelona as part of the 1888 Universal Exposition.
Since the Tower first appeared as an arch for the 1889 Paris Universal Exposition, it is estimated that more than 200 million people have visited the facility.
Between 1889 and 1930, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world. The construction of the Chrysler Building in 1930 in New York ended the Tower’s reign, although it remained one of the tallest structures in the world.
The original Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France, but there are around 30 replicas of various sizes around the world. Some of the largest and most detailed replicas are found in China. A life-size version, known as the Dragon Tower, is located in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, and is the tallest steel building in China at 1,102 feet (336m). A neighborhood in Hangzhou, China not only contains a version of the tower that is about a third the size of the original, the area is actually a replica of a Paris city boulevard. Other large replicas of the Eiffel Tower include the full-size Japanese Tokyo Tower and one at the Paris Las Vegas hotel in the US, which is about half the size of the original.
More information on the Eiffel Tower replicas:
A wooden version of the tower was built in Bavaria, Germany, in 1932 and was used as a radio broadcasting station.
An estimated 5,000 people live in the replica of the Paris neighborhood in Hangzhou, China.
A replica about one-sixth the size of the original Eiffel Tower is found in Paris, Texas, in the United States, but it has one key difference: a cowboy hat on top.
Author: Serghey Magala
