The Eiffel Tower, Paris, france

The Eiffel Tower, is a wrought-iron lattice tower, on the Champ de Mars, in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer, Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

Locally nicknamed "La dame de fer", (French for "Iron Lady"), it was constructed from 1887 to 1889, as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair, 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 structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower, is the most visited monument, with an entrance fee in the world; 6.91 million people ascended it in 2015. It was designated a monument historique, in 1964, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, ("Paris, Banks of the Seine") in 1991.

The tower is 1,083 ft tall, about the same height, as an 81-storey building, and the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 410 ft, on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower, surpassed the Washington Monument, to become the tallest, human-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building, in New York City was finished, in 1930. It was the first structure in the world, to surpass both the 200-metre, and 300-metre mark in height. Due to the addition of a broadcasting aerial, at the top of the tower, in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building, by 17 ft. Excluding transmitters, the Eiffel Tower, is the second tallest free-standing structure, in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

The tower, has three levels for visitors, with restaurants, on the first and second levels. The top level's upper platform, is 906 ft above the ground, the highest observation deck, accessible to the public, in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased, to ascend by stairs or lift, to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level, to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second, making the entire ascent, a 600 step climb. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually accessible only by lift.