The Eiffel Tower, often nicknamed the “Iron Lady”, holds secrets that most people don’t know about. Among the most iconic landmarks in the world, it dominates the Parisian skyline with a sophisticated and spectacular view of this 10,000-ton architectural feat across Paris. It evokes feelings of love and wonder in all who visit it.
The Tower Could Have Been in Barcelona When you think of Paris, France, you probably think of the Eiffel Tower, one of the most iconic and most visited paid monuments in the world. Today, its value is estimated at an impressive 400 billion dollars. There are many surprising facts about the tower, but one of the most shocking is that it was not originally intended to be located in France.
It had originally been proposed for Barcelona, Spain. Gustave Eiffel had presented the plans to the Spanish government, but they rejected it, deeming it an eyesore. Gustave then presented his project to France, and the rest is history.
The Eiffel Tower Is Married The tower was, at one point, married to a young woman. The person who married the tower was named Erika, and she suffered from a condition called “objectophilia”, which is characterized by people falling in love with inanimate objects.
In 2007, she held a ceremony and tied her destiny to that of the tower, changing her name to Erika Eiffel. However, this relationship was frowned upon by the tower staff, and they soon banned her from visiting it again. Thus, the relationship ended, leaving Erika heartbroken. Erika claims she has since overcome that pain.
Dazzling Lights for 5 Minutes Every night, every hour, the Eiffel Tower lights up for five minutes to create a beautiful and incredible light show visible for miles. To achieve this, the tower is equipped with 20,000 light bulbs, that is 5,000 per side, which, as you can imagine, requires a lot of maintenance to replace the bulbs.
However, it is illegal to take a photo of the tower during these five minutes of illumination and share it on social media, and you could be fined for doing so. Which would be particularly awkward if you traveled halfway around the globe to fulfill your dream of visiting Paris and the Eiffel Tower, then shared your vacation photos on Facebook, only to receive a cease and desist letter.
The French government considers the light show to be a work of art and therefore subject to copyright. While there are currently no cases of people actually being fined, they do ask that you obtain permission before taking photos of the Eiffel Tower when it is illuminated.
The Haunted Tower In the 1920s, there is an old urban legend that the Eiffel Tower is haunted by the screaming ghost of a French woman. One day, she had agreed to meet her American lover at the top of the tower. The man loved the young woman and planned to propose to her during this meeting, while the woman, for her part, planned to break up with him.
Before she had the chance to do so, the man knelt down and proposed, which obviously shocked her, and she refused. Enraged, the man then pushed her from the top of the tower, sending her plummeting into the void. The young woman is said to haunt the tower to this day, and many tourists report hearing strange and disturbing screams.
Conclusion For those who love to travel around the world, pack your bags and don’t hesitate to discover the wonders of the Eiffel Tower. There are many secrets you probably didn’t know about and that you can uncover by visiting in person.
