Construction of the Eiffel Tower began on Jan. 28, 1887, and a little more than two years later, on May 15, 1889, it had its official inauguration. The iconic structure is one of the most visited monuments in the world, receiving an average of seven million visitors a year. Here, the tower is shown under construction in 1887.
On May 15, 1889, the Eiffel Tower celebrated its official inauguration at the start of the 1889 Paris World Fair after more than two years of construction. Take a look back at the intricate labor that went into creating one of the world's most iconic structures 133 years after its opening.
Construction of the Eiffel Tower began on Jan. 28, 1887, and a little more than two years later, on May 15, 1889, it had its official inauguration. The iconic structure is one of the most visited monuments in the world, receiving an average of seven million visitors a year. Here, the tower is shown under construction in 1887.
The structure was named after Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the engineer whose company designed and built the tower. However it was Eiffel’s senior engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier who designed the structure. Gustave Eiffel is pictured here with four other people at the summit of the Eiffel Tower during the Paris World Fair in 1889.
The tower was originally built to commemorate the French Revolution as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, which marked the centennial of the revolution in 1789. Here, the elevator is shown at the first level of the Eiffel Tower, during its construction. Two of the original lifts are still in service today.
The building of the monumental structure did not come easy. It took 300 workers, 18,038 pieces of wrought iron and 2.5 million rivets to complete the structure. A combination of two photos shows the progress of the Eiffel Tower’s construction in Paris from June 1888 (L) to July 1888.
With three floors, the Eiffel Tower stands tall at 986 ft. high. Here, the base of the building is being built in 1888.
When completed, the Eiffel Tower was the highest construction in the world, and would remain so until New York’s Chrysler Building was built in 1930. This photo shows the beginning stages of construction on the tower in Paris, on Sept. 1, 1887.
The foundation of what will be the Eiffel Tower in Paris is seen in 1887, before construction even began.
This photo shows the base of the massive monument under construction in Paris on Dec. 7, 1887.
There split images show The Eiffel tower as it nears completion from Dec. 26, 1888 to Jan. 20, 1889.
The staircase of the Eiffel Tower still under construction is seen in 1887. Most visitors will use the elevator to get from the first floor to the second floor observatory.
With an average of seven million visitors a year, the Eiffel Tower is the most popular paid-entry monument in the world. Pictured is the structure under construction in 1887.
Electrical workers balance high up on the Eiffel tower in paris to change the lights that illuminate the tower at night on Oct. 29, 1937.
High above the River Seine two electricians work on the lights on the Eiffel Tower which will illuminate the Paris Exhibition at night.
Eiffel Tower under construction in 1887 in Paris, France.
The bottom of what will be the Eiffel Tower is under construction in 1887 in Paris.
Tourists queue up to climb the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889 during the Paris World Fair. The 1889 World’s Fair brought millions of visitors to Paris, with nearly two million there to see the Eiffel Tower.
