The eiffel tower a landmark of paris is also a technological masterpiece in building construction history. Built to celebrate the centenary of the french revolution on the occasion of the international exposition in 1889 and named after the engineer who built it , eiffel gustave this tower is the most visited monument in the world. 18,000 pieces of wrought ( puddle) iron along with two and a half million rivets were used in the construction. For two years hundreds of workers put the framework of the tower together to reach almost 1000 feet . It was the tallest when opened on 15 th may 1889 a title it held for 41 years till it was trounced by the chrysler and subsequently by empire state buildings in new york . The tower itself is 300 meters 984 feet high and a television antenna atop the tower gives it a total elevation of 324 meters ( 1063 feet ) . One of the most recognizable structures on the planet the eiffel tower underwent a major facelift in 1986 and is painted every year with 60 tons of paint . The tower is painted in three shades lighter at the top and getting progressively darker towards the bottom to complement the parisian sky . The four points of the compass are aligned with the four points of the base of the tower . It weighs 10, 100 tons and lifts travel on a curve . 336 spotlights illuminate the tower today .It can sway upto 5 inches in case of heavy winds .
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