What was the Eiffel Tower originally built for?

The Eiffel Tower was originally built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World’s Fair (Exposition Universelle), held in Paris to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. The tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel, a French engineer and architect, who also designed the structural framework for the Statue of Liberty.

Eiffel’s design was chosen from over 100 entries in a competition to design the entrance arch for the World’s Fair. The tower was initially intended to be a temporary structure and was to be dismantled after the exhibition. However, due to its popularity and usefulness as a telecommunications tower, it was allowed to remain standing after the exhibition ended.

The tower’s construction began in 1887 and was completed in just over two years, with the help of over 300 workers. At the time, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure in the world, standing at a height of 300 meters (984 feet).

Today, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, attracting millions of visitors every year and serving as a symbol of France’s cultural and architectural heritage.