What is usually associated with Paris, the majoritytourists and just interested people? Of course, with the world-famous Eiffel Tower, which for several centuries has attracted the curious and amazes the knowledgeable. The history of the tower is interesting and unusual, like the history of any famous masterpiece of world culture.
In 1889 the exhibition was to be held.industry advances. Paris was chosen as the host city. The exhibition was held for the twelfth time and again was devoted to discoveries in the field of science and technology. Paris as a hospitable host, in the opinion of the Parisians, should have presented the most amazing achievement to the world.
По всей Франции был объявлен конкурс проектов, one of which was to become not only the hallmark of the city, but also a symbol of the exhibition itself. The best architects of the country presented their sketches to the high jury. After lengthy discussions, preference was given to the idea of Gustave Eiffel, already then the famous architect of France. He proposed to erect a huge metal structure in the very center of the capital, assembled from individual pyramidal elements laid out in the form of a tower, and installed on a powerful foundation. The project is too ambitious, not only for the 19th century. After construction, the height of the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be more than 300 meters.
The construction of the tower was a grand event, nothaving analogues. Immediately determined the complexity. First of all, it is the ability of the tower to withstand daily wind loads, the stability of the foundation, the structure of the soil, the assembly of elements and their elevation to height - all that was not done before, and experience in such operations was not only the builders, but also the engineers themselves. In addition, almost immediately after the approval of the project, indignant reviews of Parisians fell down, who believed that such an ugly construction made of one metal could not be combined with the historical sights of the capital. Despite the protests, work began.
Construction of the tower began in January 1887.The left bank of the Seine was chosen as the site for the construction of the structure. The most difficult element of the design was the foundation. It took a year and a half to prepare and build it, while the construction itself was assembled in almost eight months. Two and a half years later, the Eiffel Tower appeared before the eyes of the Parisians and guests of the city.
The height of the Eiffel Tower was more than three hundredmeters, which is twice the world record holders of the time, the famous pyramid of Cheops, Ulm Cathedral and the Cathedral in Cologne. Eifel was able to calculate, to the smallest detail, every stage of construction, to think out in detail the implementation of each process. For the first time in construction practice, the properties of the soil and its layers were taken into account before laying the foundation, for which scientific research was carried out. The base was built on the latest technology using compressed air. The position of the tower had to be constantly adjusted; for this, jacks were installed each with a lifting force of 800 tons.
Innovation was the height of the Eiffel Tower.Since earlier designs of such dimensions were not produced, it was necessary to resolve the issue of lifting and fixing elements. The Eiffel Tower was intended by the architect to have three floors. The height of the first floor was 58 meters - a simple task with special cranes and winches. Difficulties could arise with the construction of the second floor, because it was set at 116 meters above the ground. Especially for these purposes, the engineer developed special cranes capable of working at altitudes. Cranes raised special platforms along the rails.
The third floor is a pyramid 180 meters high and 16meters in diameter, which was collected on the spot. Given that the height of the Eiffel Tower on this site is more than 120 meters, it was technically difficult to do this. Especially for these purposes, the mounting cradles were used in which the workers were located.
Surprisingly, the project was so detailedIt is thought over by Eiffel that never underwent a revision. The calculations took into account everything, including the maximum possible load that the structure can withstand. All details of the design were machined at the engineer’s own factory and were made to the nearest millimeter.
Официальным днем открытия башни считается 31 March 1889. She became a real masterpiece. The opportunity to climb up and look at the city made it a successful commercial project not only of the 19th century, but also of our days, and the name of the creator is forever perpetuated in the chronicles of history.
