Did you know that sharing or selling pictures of the Eiffel Tower when it's glittering with lights at night is actually illegal under French copyright law?
The Eiffel Tower and The Statue of Liberty are two famous buildings commonly known as cousins due to several similar factors like their origin, place and time of construction, and the materials used.
The magnificent structural design of the Eiffel Tower was outlined by engineering mastermind Sir Gustave Alexander Eiffel, whose firm- Eiffel et Compagnie was responsible for its construction.
Interestingly, the same company has played an essential role in making the Statue of Liberty as it was given the task of providing the steel framework for the sculpture. Probably the most well-known metal tower, the name of the Eiffel Tower begins with its creator, Gustavo Eiffel.
It took a little over two years for architect Eiffel to finish the construction since he began Eiffel's construction.
His company was known for its specialization in making metal structures. His company was located in a small town of Levallois near Paris.
The Eiffel Tower was the entrance of the World Fair of Paris in 1889, but the same road was converted into a set of museums and other complexes. The Statue of Liberty is acknowledged as the universal symbol of freedom across the globe and signifies the international ties of France and America.
Although known to a few, the full name of the Statue of Liberty is 'Liberty Enlightening the World'.
The Statue of Liberty, designed by Auguste Bartholdi, was gifted to the United States on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the declaration of American Independence by France in the year 1886. The liberty statue is situated on Liberty Island in New York and symbolizes American freedom and sovereignty.
If the Statue of Liberty fell, the National Park Service will use the drawings and 3D laser scan models in its repository to recreate the liberty statue as faithfully to the original as possible. But if any natural disaster affects the Statue of Liberty, NPS would probably only focus on maintaining whatever is left of lady liberty.
Comparing such beautiful structures is always going to be intriguing. Read on to compare the two majestic structures and afterward also check out Eiffel Tower Las Vegas height and Eiffel Tower USA.
Amazing Facts About Eiffel Tower Vs. Statue Of Liberty
Some people might commit the mistake of acknowledging the Eiffel Tower as a steel figure. But, if we consider the situation chronologically, at the time of construction of the metal tower, steel was still a new substance, and its manufacturing was not very economical.
Thus, to construct the famous Eiffel Tower, iron was used as the primary metal after it went through multiple cycles of reinforcement to assure the structural strength of the structure.
The iron plates thus produced were assembled in the factory itself using rivets as the technique of welding iron construction together was little known to the people of the time.
The assembled sections were then taken to the site of construction, where they were riveted to their place one by one like a jigsaw puzzle to create this magnificent structure.
This process of pre-assembling the beams and metal sheets in the factory itself made it possible for Gustavo Eiffel and his crew to finish the work in a record time of 2 years and 66 days.
How much does the Eiffel tower weigh? The gigantic metal structure weighed a staggering 8,046 T (7,300 MT) at the time of its establishment.
But over time, with the addition of shops, lifts, and other structural changes, the Eiffel Tower now weighs at a mind baffling 11,133 T (10,100 MT)!
Reaching atop the Eiffel Tower can also prove to be a tiresome process for some. Due to the structural complexity of the tower, the elevators take approximately nine minutes to make a round trip.
Maintenance of the Eiffel Tower is also a tiresome process as it requires a repaint after every seven years.
Since its inauguration, the tower has been repainted more than 20 times to protect the iron mammoth from rusting. One more characteristic feature of the tower that is rather amazing is that the shape and position of the tower depend on the weather conditions as the tower may shift up to 8 in (20 cm) with rising temperatures.
The completion of the Statue of Liberty also faced several challenges. Its designer, Auguste Bartholdi, had to complete the head and torch-bearing arm of the statue months before to be put on display internationally to collect donations to meet the economic needs of the project.
These figure sections were kept in the Centennial Expo at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and later in Manhattan for fundraising (from 1876 to 1882).
These efforts were taken further by Joseph Pulitzer, editor of the New York World, who initiated the donation drive and even claimed to mention the names of the donors in his newspaper. With this plan, Pulitzer was able to attract more than 120,000 contributions.
The construction of the Statue of Liberty was finished in 1885 in France, where it was transported in more than 300 parts to America by sea.
After completing the pedestal in New York Bay, the statue of liberty was assembled over it. Its completion was marked with the first ticker-tape parade of New York, and the event was presided over by the American president- Grover Cleveland.
Beautiful Facts About Eiffel Tower vs. Statue Of Liberty
The La Tour Eiffel (French name of the Eiffel Tower) is regarded as the signature structure/emblem of Paris and French culture. Its colossal and splendid structure is amongst the most recognizable architectural landmarks in the world.
This light lace tower was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the French revolution and was inaugurated in 1889 to be displayed at the Paris World Fair. Its construction also symbolized the iron and steel edifices of the great industrial revolution and the modern construction methods of the French.
The Eiffel Tower was nicknamed the 'Iron Lady' or 'La dame de for' in French by the locals. At its inauguration, the tower had three restaurants on the first level, one of which was later converted into a theater.
Talking about the Statue of Liberty, it represents the figure of the Roman goddess of liberty, Libertas.
A torch is held by the figure above its head in its right arm while the left hand carries an inscription on a tablet that reads the date of July 4, 1776, in Roman numerals (the day of the American declaration of independence).
The figure even has broken pieces of shackles and chains representing the recent freedom from slavery on the American subcontinent.
The seven rays of the crown on the statue symbolize seven seas and continents.
Lady Liberty, known as La Liberte declarant le monde or Liberty Enlightening the World, is a copper statue designated the title of a National Monument in 1924. Workers of the National Park Service have looked after the repair work of the Statue of Liberty since the year 1933.
Did you know that the cost of entrance to the Eiffel Tower depends on the location inside the tower you wish to visit?
Cool Facts About Eiffel Tower Vs. Statue Of Liberty
In particular, Eiffel Tower was first called the 990 ft (300 m) Tower before it took the name of its creator, Gustave Eiffel. During its construction, it faced criticisms from engineers and architects from across the world, who claimed that the structure was built without considering the principles of engineering.
But Gustavo and his crew understood all the technicalities involved in constructing such a tower as they were experienced bridge makers. They understood the importance of scrutinizing various phenomenons like wind and weather conditions that would affect the structure and ensured that the Eiffel Tower built by them was strong enough to withstand such anomalies.
The Statue of liberty has a height of 305 ft (93 m) from its base. Upon its inauguration, the statue was used as a lighthouse to guide the incoming ships into the New York harbor.
But the idea was soon dropped as the liberty torch which housed the light was too small and not always visible to the oncoming ships.
From the seven spikes on the crown of the Statue of Liberty to its windows, all collectively represent the number nine in some way.
Although the statue of liberty has innumerable replicas across the globe, some of the most noticeable ones are- the replica gifted by the Americans to Paris placed in Paris and the replica placed in the premises of the New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Interestingly, there are a total of eight statues of liberty replicas in the city of Paris itself.
Funny Fact About The Eiffel Tower Vs. Statue Of Liberty
One of the most amusing facts about the Eiffel Tower is that it was made as a temporary structure and was set to stand for less than 20 years. But upon installing the antenna spire and other electrical equipment for various transmission of radio signals, it was decided not to take down the tower.
Its existence came under threat in 1944 when Hitler was made to surrender Paris as the allied forces were recapturing it.
He ordered the city to be destroyed, including all its monuments and structures of historical importance, but thankfully, his commands were not followed by his subordinates. The Eiffel Tower also attracted controversy from the artists, politicians, and even nature lovers who contended that the tower would spoil the landscape of Paris.
They even signed a petition and protested against its construction.
Still, these objections were immediately turned to dust once the tower was showcased at the World Fair, where it witnessed more than two million visitors.
The light-laced tower is studded with lights that lite up like a glittering envelope and cover the entirety of the structure at night.
However, since this modification was done recently, in 1985, it comes under the ambit of intellectual property, and the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) considers all the sections of the lit tower at night as a separate artwork.
The sale of its night-lit pictures without permission of the French government is deemed to be illegal.
If we talk about the exclusivity of the Statue of Liberty, the probability of finding it across Paris is far more than finding it in America. As already mentioned, the city has eight statue replicas placed at different locations.
Also, since the outer layer of the statue is made of copper, over time, the brown-colored statue has turned green due to the oxidation of the metal.
Also, due to the conductivity of the metal, the Statue of Liberty is prone to receiving thunderbolts, so beware if you ever visit it during the rainy season.
According to the New York Times, the Statue of Liberty receives more than 600 thunderbolts a year. Questions were also raised on whether lady liberty was actually a lady at all.
You may have questions like how many meters long the metal frame tower height is in a vertical position? It is actually 1069 ft (324 m) tall.
In a Statue of Liberty vs. Eiffel tower height competition, the Eiffel tower wins by 762.3 ft (231 m)! The Statue of Liberty is like the modern colossi along the New York harbor. Paris began the world exhibition of the created symbols around 1889.
The famous structures began their construction, and the Parisian tourist considered the unusual sights as a factory chimney. Eventually, it became a recognizable architectural landmark and became a world-famous landmark.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created many interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Eiffel Tower vs. Statue of Liberty, then why not take a look at 3 Statue of Liberties or Statue of Liberty original color.
