The Eiffel Tower in Paris was officially opened on 31 March 1889. It is an iron tower built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris, France.

Including the 24m antenna, the Eiffel Tower is 324m high which is about 81 storeys. In 1902, it was struck by lightning, which meant that 100 metres of the top had to be reconstructed and the lights illuminating the tower had to be replaced, as they were damaged by the high energy of the lightning. It is the most famous French landmark and is used as a symbol of France. It is possibly the most recognised monument in Europe.

The Eiffel Tower at the time of its construction in 1889 was the tallest structure in the world and remained so until the construction of New York’s Chrysler Building in 1930. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, it is a world-famous tourist destination.

On Sunday 31 March 1889 at 1.30pm, Gustave Eiffel showed some of the famous personalities of the day around what was then the tallest tower in the world.

In 1890, the number of visitors during that year was 393,414 compared to 6,719,200 visitors in 2006. More than 200,000,000 visited the Eiffel Tower since its construction.