The Eiffel Tower in Paris

Locally nicknamed “La dame de fer” (French for “Iron Lady”), the Eiffel Tower was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris and was initially criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable and iconic structures in the world. Not only a symbol of France, the Eiffel Tower in Paris contains over 100 antennas to broadcast radio and television around the world. The Eiffel Tower is illuminated by 335 projectors every night for a spectacular light show. Designer Gustave Eiffel included a small apartment for himself at the top of the tower.