tour eiffel en 1800

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• Published: 30 January 1902

La Tour Eiffel en 1900

Nature volume  65 ,  pages 291–293 ( 1902 ) Cite this article

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IN a handsome volume, profusely illustrated with engravings and photographs, M. Eiffel has given an elaborate account, from its earliest conception, of the lofty structure that will always bear his name, and of the mechanical devices which have secured its success, both as a worthy monument of the art of construction and as a source of delight to the millions who have ascended it. We understand and regret that this monograph in some measure owes its appearance to the attacks of detractors, and it is intended to furnish a complete answer to those who, disapproving of the structure, have commented on its puerility and its uselessness. This ill will, well pronounced in the early days of the structure, and to which M. Eififel refers at length, has possibly revived since the falling off of receipts on the occasion of the last exhibition, and the well-earned reputation of the author may have suffered in consequence. Certainly no less than three descriptions of the Tower have emanated from the engineer in a short space of time. The first, “La Tour de trois cents Mètres,” was an ouvrage de lux , massive folio volume with sixty-seven plates, felio. This work, intended for experts, has been to various public libraries and scientific and will be consulted with interest by those engaged in similar projects of construction. Next appeared, in a more handy form, “Travaux Scientifiques exéés àla Tour de trois cents Mètres,” which, though not generally circulated, was intended to form a complete refutation to those who still urged the plea of inutility against the structure. The present volume appears to follow a middle course between these two, the author giving an account of the history of the construction of the Tower, the modifications that were suggested, after the experience gained in 1889, to make it more accessible to visitors in 1900, together with some account of the scientific investigations which this unique structure rendered possible or facilitated by reason of its height and form.

La Tour Eiffel en 1900.

Par M. G. Eiffel, Officier de la Légion d'Honneur. P.p. 363. (Paris: Masson and Co., 1902.)

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La Tour Eiffel en 1900. Nature 65 , 291–293 (1902). https://doi.org/10.1038/065291a0

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Issue Date : 30 January 1902

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/065291a0

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SIMILAR ITEMS (based on metadata)

The spectacular World's Fair Exposition Universelle in rare pictures, 1899

The Eiffel Tower viewed from the Champ du Mars.

The 1889 World Fair in Paris was symbolically important, since the year 1889 marked the hundredth anniversary of the French Revolution, and the Fair was announced as a celebration of the event. It attracted more than thirty-two million visitors. The most famous structure created for the Exposition, and still remaining, is the Eiffel Tower.

The 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle covered a total area of 0.96 km2, including the Champ de Mars, the Trocadéro, the quai d’Orsay, a part of the Seine, and the Invalides esplanade.

Transport around the Exposition was partly provided by a 3 kilometer (1.9 mi) 600 millimeter (2 ft 0 in) gauge railway by Decauville. It was claimed that the railway carried 6.342.446 visitors in just six months of operation.

The Fair had this time two sites: on the one hand, the Trocadéro and the Champ-de-Mars were housing the Fine Arts and industrial exhibits, as in 1878. On the other hand, east of the main site, the Esplanade des Invalides was housing a colonial exhibit, as well as several state-sponsored pavilions.

There was, for instance, a hygiene “palace”, a public welfare pavilion, as well as a building dedicated to social economy. The state was therefore much more visible than in the previous fair. The Invalides site also had a very successful panorama called “Le panorama de tout-Paris”, which represented the capital’s social life.

Map of the 1889 World Fair. The top image represents the Champ-de-Mars, from the Trocadéro Palace to the Galerie des machines (next to the École Militaire, which still exists today). The bottom print represents the Esplanade des Invalides, about half a mile from the Champ-de-Mars. This second site of the World Fair housed the Exposition coloniale as well as an agricultural fair.

There were twenty-two different entrances to the Exposition, around its perimeter. They were open from 8 AM until 6:00 PM for the major exhibits and palaces, and until 11:00 in the evening for the illuminated greens and restaurants.

The major ceremonial entrance was located at Les Invalides consisting of two tall pylons with colorful ornaments, like giant candelabras.

Many buildings sprang up on the Champ de Mars, starting with the Eiffel Tower. A competition for the tower was launched by the state in 1884, which Gustave Eiffel won in 1886 over more than a hundred other candidates.

Yet, the Tower was far from being unanimously praised. It was even very harshly criticized: the artists and writers of Paris protested against its erection in an official letter sent to the director of the Fair, calling it “unnecessary and monstrous.”

On the shores of the Seine River, at the feet of the tower, an exhibit on the history of human dwelling was held in which the architect Charles Garnier (famous for the Opéra Garnier, commissioned by Napoleon III) participated extensively. The main halls of the fair were next to the Eiffel Tower on the Champ-de-Mars.

The Palais des Beaux-arts and Palais des Arts Libéraux were both designed by the architect Joseph Bouvard. They stood right next to the Eiffel Tower. The two other main buildings were the Palais des expositions diverses (designed by Formigé) and the biggest building of all of them, the Galerie des machines (designed by Dutert).

The Gallery of Beaux-Arts.

The Palais des arts libéraux contained exhibits on medicine, geography, teaching and pedagogy, music instruments, and photography, among many other things. The Palais des Beaux-arts housed many Naturalist paintings, but the impressionists remained largely ignored by the organization committee.

Pre-Raphaelite painters such as Burne-Jones and Millais were also exhibited there. Behind these two buildings stood the Palais des expositions diverses , which housed exhibits of furniture, bronze casts, crystals, mosaics, clothes, and jewelry.

The Palais des Machines was the last building on the Champ-de-Mars (it faced the École militaire , which still stands today). The building was technologically innovative: its size was very impressive, all the more since it had been built with as few roof supports as possible. This was made possible thanks to new progress in structural engineering.

The Palais was made of steel and glass panels, and was about 375 feet long. One could visit the industry exhibit on the ground floor, but one could also see it from above by taking the moving platforms that were going back and forth from one end of the hall to another. These platforms (“ponts roulants”) also helped to build and dismantle the structure of the building before and after the Fair.

The 1889 Paris World Fair was financially profitable to the state. Its scale was also much bigger than the preceding Fair: the surface occupied by the event was much larger than the previous fairs, and the number of exhibitors had also risen substantially.

The exterior of the Egyptian pavilion.

The number of visitors doubled compared to 1878, and the costs of 1889 were about the same as in 1878. The state made a profit of 8 000 000 francs, and acquired substantial real-estate in the process: the Eiffel Tower and the Palais des Machines both effectively belonged to the state, and the latter was to be used again for the 1900 World Fair.

The countries which officially participated in the Exposition were Andorra, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, the United States, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Persia, Saint-Martin, El Salvador, Serbia, Siam, the Republic of South Africa, Switzerland, and Uruguay, The British dominions of New Zealand and Tasmania also took part.

Because of the theme of the Exposition, celebrating the overthrow of the French monarchy, nearly all European countries with monarchies officially boycotted the Exposition. The boycotting nations were Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, and Sweden.

Nonetheless, many citizens and companies from these countries did participate, and a number of countries had their participation entirely funded by private sponsors.

The Mexican pavilion.

An iron and steel works exhibit.

Visitors strolling between exhibitions.

Paris Exposition, view from ground level of the Eiffel tower with Parisians promenading, 1889.

La Galerie des Machines. 1899.

The Dome of Beaux-Arts.

The pavilion of Great Britain.

The pavilion of Paraguay.

Visitors stroll through north African exhibits.

The pavilion of French Pastellists.

The Prefecture of the Seine exhibit, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Foraging and hunting exhibits.

The Central Dome of the exhibition.

The entrance to the horology exhibition.

The Grand Gallery of the various industries.

The jewelry exhibition.

The pavilion of goldsmithery.

An exhibition of marble sculptures by Jules Cantini.

The entrance to the furniture exhibition.

The pavilion of Brazil.

The entrance to the ceramics exhibition.

The gate for an exhibition of woolen fabrics.

The palace of India.

The Austria-Hungary exhibition.

The entrance to an exhibition hall.

The entrance to an exhibition of French pastellists.

The Japanese pavilion.

The interior of a pavilion.

The pavilion of Venezuela.

The pavilion of Chile.

(Photo credit: AALTO University / Brown University Library Center / L’Exposition de Paris, publiée avec la collaboration d’écrivains spéciaux, Vol. 1. Paris : Librairie illustrée, 1889).

Updated on: November 6, 2021

Any factual error or typo?  Let us know.

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G. Eiffel ...

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[2], viii, 363, [3] p., [10] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.), col. map, port. ; 33 cm.

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The Eiffel Tower There's no feeling like it...

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The medals for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics were revealed on February 8, 2024. In the middle, they feature a fragment of the Eiffel Tower.

The Monumental Tour at the Eiffel Tower

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gustave Eiffel’s death, the Eiffel Tower and French DJ & producer Michael Canitrot are presenting an exceptional show, broadcast on social media and television.

History, key figures, lights, paintings, explore all the secrets of the world's most iconic monument

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The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

La tour Eiffel en 1900

Tour eiffel.

En 1900, la tour Eiffel, qui fête son 11ème anniversaire, n'est plus véritablement une nouveauté.L'Exposition Universelle qui se tient à Paris cette année là va lui offrir le cadre idéal pour se moderniser et redevenir le centre d'intérêt principal de la Ville Lumière.

Inaugurée le 14 avril 1900 par le président Emile Loubet, l'Exposition Universelle de 1900 s'étend sur plus de 216 ha, et accueille plus de 50 millions de visiteurs tout au long de ses 212 jours d'ouverture.

Elle léguera plusieurs bâtiments à Paris dont les plus emblématiques sont sans doute le Petit et le Grand Palais.

L'Exposition Universelle de 1900 est l'occasion pour la tour Eiffel de retrouver une attractivité alors en déclin.

Projet de Stephen Sauvestre d'aménagement de la Tour Eiffel pour l'exposition de 1900 - Collection tour Eiffel par Collection tour Eiffel - SETE Tour Eiffel

Plusieurs projets de modification du monument sont proposés dont l'un des plus audacieux est celui de Stephen Sauvestre, architecte qui a participé à la construction de la Tour.

Son projet vise à adjoindre au monument deux tours latérales pour y installer des ascenseurs supplémentaires permettant d'atteindre le deuxième étage de la tour Eiffel.

Si aucun des projets imaginés à l'occasion de cette Exposition Universelle ne voit finalement le jour, de nombreuses améliorations sont cependant apportées à la tour Eiffel. Celle-ci va notamment profiter des avancées technologiques de l'époque pour se moderniser.

Au 1er étage, le passage intérieur est élargi en reculant les façades des bâtiments, auxquels on donne un caractère plus gai. Quatre restaurants sont  alors prévus : russe, français, anglais et hollandais.

La plateforme du deuxième étage est agrandie par une galerie extérieure.

Illuminations de la tour Eiffel en 1900 - Copyright SETE par Copyright SETE Tour Eiffel

L'Exposition Universelle de 1900 marque également l'avènement de la “fée électricité”. 

 Les 10 000 becs à gaz qui assuraient jusqu'ici son illumination sont remplacés par 5 000 ampoules électriques.

Mais les plus gros travaux de modernisation du monument concernent la refonte complète des ascenseurs desservant les 1er et 2ème étages de la tour Eiffel.

Dès juin 1889, cinq ascenseurs hydrauliques ont été mis en service afin d’accueillir les visiteurs.

Véritable prouesse technique pour l’époque, puisque jamais auparavant les contraintes de telles hauteurs et de telles charges n’avaient été abordées, les ascenseurs offrent à des centaines de milliers de visiteurs, dès les débuts de l’exploitation, la possibilité de s’élever en toute sécurité pour embrasser tout Paris.

L'ascenseur système Fives-Lille montant les visiteurs du sol au 2e étage par © Collection tour Eiffel Tour Eiffel

Leur technologie balbutiante conduit Gustave Eiffel à moderniser ces moyens d’ascension à l’occasion de l’Exposition Universelle de 1900.

Les ascenseurs Roux-Combaluzier sont remplacés par deux ascenseurs à presses hydrauliques construits par Fives-Lille.Chacun comprend deux cabines, d’une capacité de 50 personnes.

Les ascenseurs, éléments vitaux du monument, sont mis à rude épreuve. Leurs parcours cumulés représentent deux fois et demie le tour de la Terre chaque année (plus de 103 000 kilomètres).

Preuve de l'extraordinaire génie technique de l'époque, deux ascenseurs fonctionnent toujours aujourd'hui selon les technologiques hydrauliques de 1900 (piliers Est et Ouest de la tour Eiffel).

Créateur—Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel

La naissance de la tour Eiffel

Inauguration et premiers visiteurs de la tour eiffel, la construction de la tour eiffel.

Moscow Metro Tour

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Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
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• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

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Touring the Top 10 Moscow Metro Stations

By Claudia Looi 2 Comments

Komsomolskaya metro station looks like a museum. It has vaulted ceilings and baroque decor.

Hidden underground, in the heart of Moscow, are historical and architectural treasures of Russia. These are Soviet-era creations – the metro stations of Moscow.

Our guide Maria introduced these elaborate metro stations as “the palaces for the people.” Built between 1937 and 1955, each station holds its own history and stories. Stalin had the idea of building beautiful underground spaces that the masses could enjoy. They would look like museums, art centers, concert halls, palaces and churches. Each would have a different theme. None would be alike.

The two-hour private tour was with a former Intourist tour guide named Maria. Maria lived in Moscow all her life and through the communist era of 60s to 90s. She has been a tour guide for more than 30 years. Being in her 60s, she moved rather quickly for her age. We traveled and crammed with Maria and other Muscovites on the metro to visit 10 different metro stations.

Arrow showing the direction of metro line 1 and 2

Moscow subways are very clean

To Maria, every street, metro and building told a story. I couldn’t keep up with her stories. I don’t remember most of what she said because I was just thrilled being in Moscow.   Added to that, she spilled out so many Russian words and names, which to one who can’t read Cyrillic, sounded so foreign and could be easily forgotten.

The metro tour was the first part of our all day tour of Moscow with Maria. Here are the stations we visited:

1. Komsomolskaya Metro Station  is the most beautiful of them all. Painted yellow and decorated with chandeliers, gold leaves and semi precious stones, the station looks like a stately museum. And possibly decorated like a palace. I saw Komsomolskaya first, before the rest of the stations upon arrival in Moscow by train from St. Petersburg.

2. Revolution Square Metro Station (Ploshchad Revolyutsii) has marble arches and 72 bronze sculptures designed by Alexey Dushkin. The marble arches are flanked by the bronze sculptures. If you look closely you will see passersby touching the bronze dog's nose. Legend has it that good luck comes to those who touch the dog's nose.

Touch the dog's nose for good luck. At the Revolution Square station

Revolution Square Metro Station

3. Arbatskaya Metro Station served as a shelter during the Soviet-era. It is one of the largest and the deepest metro stations in Moscow.

Arbatskaya Metro Station

4. Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station was built in 1935 and named after the Russian State Library. It is located near the library and has a big mosaic portrait of Lenin and yellow ceramic tiles on the track walls.

Lenin's portrait at the Biblioteka Imeni Lenina Metro Station

5. Kievskaya Metro Station was one of the first to be completed in Moscow. Named after the capital city of Ukraine by Kiev-born, Nikita Khruschev, Stalin's successor.

Kievskaya Metro Station

6. Novoslobodskaya Metro Station  was built in 1952. It has 32 stained glass murals with brass borders.

Novoslobodskaya metro station

7. Kurskaya Metro Station was one of the first few to be built in Moscow in 1938. It has ceiling panels and artwork showing Soviet leadership, Soviet lifestyle and political power. It has a dome with patriotic slogans decorated with red stars representing the Soviet's World War II Hall of Fame. Kurskaya Metro Station is a must-visit station in Moscow.

Ceiling panel and artworks at Kurskaya Metro Station

8. Mayakovskaya Metro Station built in 1938. It was named after Russian poet Vladmir Mayakovsky. This is one of the most beautiful metro stations in the world with 34 mosaics painted by Alexander Deyneka.

Mayakovskaya station

One of the over 30 ceiling mosaics in Mayakovskaya metro station

9. Belorusskaya Metro Station is named after the people of Belarus. In the picture below, there are statues of 3 members of the Partisan Resistance in Belarus during World War II. The statues were sculpted by Sergei Orlov, S. Rabinovich and I. Slonim.

10. Teatralnaya Metro Station (Theatre Metro Station) is located near the Bolshoi Theatre.

Teatralnaya Metro Station decorated with porcelain figures .

Taking the metro's escalator at the end of the tour with Maria the tour guide.

Have you visited the Moscow Metro? Leave your comment below.

January 15, 2017 at 8:17 am

An excellent read! Thanks for much for sharing the Russian metro system with us. We're heading to Moscow in April and exploring the metro stations were on our list and after reading your post, I'm even more excited to go visit them. Thanks again 🙂

December 6, 2017 at 10:45 pm

Hi, do you remember which tour company you contacted for this tour?

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