The famous Parisian landmark, the Eiffel Tower closed its gates on Wednesday due to a strike by the staff on the 100th death anniversary of its creator, Gustave Eiffel. The staff went on a strike to highlight the concern of the lack of funds for the upkeep of the monument by Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), the company that operates and manages it.
“A symbolic action on a symbolic date,” said CGT, a powerful labour union told Reuters. There was a significant drop in visitors after the pandemic, the numbers dropped from 7 million a year to 5.9 million in 2022. The union states that SETE is ‘heading for disaster’ because of the business model of how it is being operated. SETE estimated around 7.4 million tourists for the upcoming years, which has yet not been achieved. The statement also added that the tower would be closed for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games if the city does not revise the management.
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a French engineer. He founded the company that created the Eiffel Tower. The tenth Exposition Universelle was organized in Paris in 1889, a hundred years after the French Revolution; a competition was held, where the winner could design and build the centrepiece of the Exposition Universelle. Gustave Eiffel’s company won the competition. It was the tallest building in the world then and garnered a lot of attention.
Gustave Eiffel died on 27 December 1923. A sound and light concert was held on the first floor of the tower, as a tribute to Gustave. The French President, Emmanuel Macron, posted on social media platform X, “100 years since Gustave Eiffel left us. But his legacy to the world is very much alive!”
The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be temporary-- the structure was to be disposed of by 1909 as it did not align with the ‘French taste’. But the city officials opted to keep it and the tower was later used as a radio telegraph station during World War I.
The 330-meter tower is the most famous landmark of Paris and provides a scenic view of the city. It is repainted every seven years.
