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Eiffel Tower Facts & Worksheets

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The Eiffel Tower is a famous landmark in Paris, France. It was built between 1887 and 1889 for the Exposition Universelle also known as World’s Fair. The Tower was the Exposition’s main attraction and cost £35 million to build.

The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous and well-known monuments in modern history and is the source of many questions among children and adults alike. How tall is the Eiffel Tower is? How much does it weight? Why was it built? Who is it named after? The list of questions goes on. This page has some interesting and little know facts about the Eiffel Tower or alternatively download our comprehensive worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Facts About The Eiffel Tower

  • The Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France. Specifically, it is on the Left Bank on the Champ de Mars in the heart of Paris.
  • Over 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower every year.
  • It was designed and built for the 1889 World’s Fair Exposition and was not meant to be permanent. Gustave Eiffel’s company built the monument after being granted the commission.
  • The Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) was to mark the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution.
  • Over 100 different artists submitted plans to be selected to build the monument. The commission went to Eiffel et Compagnie – owned by acclaimed bridge builder, metals expert and architect Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel.
  • Even though Eiffel often receives the credit, one of his employees came up with the idea. The concept for the Eiffel Tower was designed and fine tuned by Maurice Kochlin. He has Eiffel has previously worked together on the Statue of Liberty.
  • The Eiffel Tower was the world’s tallest man-made structure for 41 years. It was eventually beaten in 1931 when work on the Chrysler Building in New York City was completed.
  • The tower is 324 metres tall. That includes the antennas at the top. The entire monument weights over 10,000 tonnes – 10,100 tonnes to be precise.
  • It was the tallest structure in France until 1973. It was beaten by the military transmitter in the town of Saissac and then later by the Millau Viaduct which was completed in 2004 and stands at 343 metres.
  • There are 1,665 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower. It is possibly to climb all the way up, but most people take the elevator.
  • Every year, the lift in the Eiffel Tower travels 103,000 km. That’s the equivalent of two and a half times around the entire world.
  • In 1925, a man named Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower twice. He was a con artist who forged official government documents and sold the tower to a man named Andre Poisson, who was too embarrassed to go to police after he learned the truth. Lustig tried the same scam again a month later – but fled when the buyer alerted the police.
  • During cold weather the Eiffel Tower can shrink by as much as 6 inches.
  • It took two years, two months and five days to construct the Eiffel Tower. That is 180 days less than it took to assemble Paris’s other great monument – Notre Dame.
  • During World War 2, Nazi soldiers tried to put a swastika on the tower. They cut the tower’s lift cables and closed it to the public. Then they tried to attach a swastika to the top but it was so large it blew away and had to replaced with a smaller one.
  • Adolf Hitler tried to destroy the Eiffel Tower in 1944. He ordered the military governor of Paris, Dietrich von Choltitz, to demolish the tower and other parts of the city but the general refused.
  • Repainting the tower uses around 60 tonnes of paint. This is done every seven years and takes 15 to 18 months to paint the entire structure.
  • The Blackpool Tower in the UK is inspired by the Eiffel Tower. Sir John Bickerstaff, Mayor of Blackpool, was at the 1889 World’s Fair and was so impressed, he built a similar tower on the English seafront in Blackpool.
  • There are 72 names engraved on the side of the tower. These are the names of the engineers, scientists, and mathematicians who contributed to its design and construction.
  • There are 20,000 light bulbs on the Eiffel Tower. These are lit in the evening to make it sparkle every night.
  • It was in the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s largest advertisement from 1925 to 1934. It was used by the car manufacturer Citroen. The company name was placed on the tower using 250,000 light bulbs.
  • The first floor of the Eiffel Tower was converted to an ice skating rink in 2004.
  • There is an Eiffel Tower LEGO set. The model number for the set is 10181 and it contains 3,428 LEGO blocks.
  • An American woman married the Eiffel Tower. In 2007, as part of a commitment ceremony, an American woman by the name of Erika LaBrie  “married” the Eiffel Tower and changed her name to Erika Eiffel. The relationship was the subject of a lot of global publicity in the news.

Pictures of the Eiffel Tower

The progress pictures of the Eiffel Tower as it was being built in 1887 to 1889. Click the image for a larger version.
The progress pictures of the Eiffel Tower as it was being built in 1887 to 1889. Click the image for a larger version.
First drawing of the Eiffel Tower by Maurice Koechlin.
First drawing of the Eiffel Tower by Maurice Koechlin.
American soldiers watch as the flag flies from the Eiffel Tower again in August, 1944.
American soldiers watch as the flag flies from the Eiffel Tower again in August, 1944.

Eiffel Tower Worksheets

This bundle contains 11 ready-to-use Eiffel Tower Worksheets that are perfect for students who want to learn more about one of the The Eiffel Tower which is one of the most famous and well-known monuments in modern history and is the source of many questions among children and adults alike.

Download includes the following worksheets

  • Facts
  • Paris, France
  • The World’s Fair
  • Inventions from the World’s Fairs
  • Be an Inventor
  • Building the Eiffel Tower
  • Make Your Own Monument
  • The Eiffel Tower by the Numbers
  • The Eiffel Tower by More Numbers
  • Landmarks in Paris
  • Eiffel Tower Timeline

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Link will appear as Eiffel Tower Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 23, 2017

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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