Gustave Eiffel, who died 100 years ago today, is known for the tower that bears his name, the most famous symbol of Paris. But the Dijon-born civil engineer also built dams, bridges and lighthouses in places as far away as Russia, Senegal, Vietnam and Brazil during his long and productive career. He worked on an early attempt to build the Panama canal, during which he was accused of misappropriation of funds and imprisoned (but later acquitted).
Around Paris, Eiffel’s legacy extends to many surviving buildings and works of art. While none are as stunning as the tower, they showcase the sheer, dazzling breadth of Eiffel’s genius and influence. Here are some of the things you should pay attention to in the capital.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont pedestrian bridge
Eiffel gained fame by designing bridges, including the beautiful pedestrian bridge in the tree-filled Parc des Buttes-Chaumont of the 19th arrondissement. The slender iron suspension footbridge that crosses a lake to the Roman temple-filled Île du Belvedere is 65 meters long and painted a deep burgundy. Unfortunately, the bridge itself and the charade look set to remain closed until 2025 due to efforts to stabilize the island. But it can be seen from below, and there is a smaller, equally beautiful Eiffel overpass nearby; A dark green old road bridge just inside the park’s western entrance.
Metro: Buttes Chaumont or Botzaris. Free
Passerelle de l’Avre
The 24-metre, street-lamp-lined Passerelle de l’Avre bicycle path and pedestrian bridge crosses an aqueduct built to carry water to central Paris. It was designed by Eiffel and Fulgence Bienvenüe, known as the father of the Paris Metro, and opened in 1893. Marking the westernmost point of Paris, this metro crosses the Seine River through the Bois de Boulogne park and offers beautiful views of the La Defense skyscrapers. north and, appropriately enough, the Eiffel Tower. The riverside path leading there from Pont de Saint-Cloud metro station is pleasantly tree-lined and passes many boat houses.
Metro: Boulogne-Pont de Saint-Cloud. Free
Notre-Dame-des-Champs church
Eiffel’s company has provided the metal framing for a number of impressive buildings, including those supporting the former Calmann-Lévy printing factory that became the Palais Galliera fashion museum, department store La Samaritaine, and Le Shack Paris, a restaurant, club, and co-working space. He also helped build Notre-Dame-des-Champs between 1867 and 1876. Located on the Boulevard du Montparnasse in the sixth arrondissement, south of the Seine, this elegant church is surrounded by classical Haussman buildings and replaced a Benedictine monastery destroyed during the French Revolution. . Eiffel’s iron frame meant that the building could be taller than most churches of the period, with more space and larger windows.
Metro: Vavin. Free
Statue of Liberty replica
Eiffel played an important role in the construction of the Liberty State of New York. Sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi needed help with the internal structure; Eiffel designed a special, flexible, four-legged pylon that could withstand wind stress, and this formed the core of the sculpture. The components were produced in Eiffel’s workshops in Paris before being shipped to New York. The spacious Musée des Arts et Métiers on Rue Saint-Martin houses a replica made of wood, plaster and iron that is one-sixteenth the size of the original, as well as photographs and related objects donated by Bartholdi’s widow.
Metro: Arts et Métiers. Entry €12
Paradis Latin
Yet another Eiffel frame forms the basis of Paris’ oldest cabaret theatre. Easily overlooked in a side street north of the Jardin des Plantes, Paradis Latin was first built in 1802 by order of Napoleon Bonaparte. After the Franco-Prussian war left it in ruins, Eiffel helped rebuild the theater ahead of the 1889 Paris Exhibition. He installed metal columns in the ruins of Paris’ ancient city wall, allowing for a ceiling of cathedral-like height. This high roof space allows for shows such as L’Oiseau Paradis, which combine aerial acrobatics, vaudeville and comic elements. His restaurant is overseen by three-Michelin-star chef Guy Savoy.
Metro: Cardinal Lemoine or Jussieu. Evening show and drinks From €90 people
Eiffel bust and exhibition
The crowning glory of the 1889 Exposition was, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Despite all the fanfare, it was planned to be demolished 20 years later, but thanks to the usefulness of the scientific apparatus installed by Eiffel, a stay of execution was achieved. Today, approximately 7 million people visit it annually, and long queues form early every morning. Next to the north column is a bronze bust of Eiffel by Antoine Bourdelle, and until January 7, on the esplanade is a special centenary exhibition about the monument’s creation, Eiffel – Higher and Higher. There are also spectacular tower views from the Metro Line 6 train, which crosses the River Seine via Pont de Bir-Hakeim, and almost all of Hotel Beauregard’s 38 bedrooms, a short walk south, offer beautiful views.
Metro: Bir-Hakeim. Admission starts from €11.30
Aérodynamique Eiffel wind tunnel
Eiffel added a wind tunnel to the base of the tower in 1909 to allow engineers to simulate how storms affect airplanes and cars. But it was too noisy and was later banished across the river to Eiffel’s research base, the Aérodynamique Eiffel laboratory, located in the 16th arrondissement and still in use today. After retiring from engineering, Eiffel focused on meteorology and aerodynamics, building weather stations and producing prototype airplanes. The laboratory is generally only open to the public during the annual European Heritage Days (next 21-22 September 2024).
Metro: Exelmans
Eiffel’s grave
Gustav Eiffel was buried in the family plot at the Levallois-Perret cemetery in the suburb of the same name in the northwest of the city. His grave faces a different direction than the rest of the row, facing the Eiffel Tower. A 15-minute walk south, the site of the Eiffel et Cie workshops is now Parc Gustave-Eiffel; dense flower beds, a playground and water features are a lovely zigzag of greenery framed by huge murals of the Statue of Liberty with garabit. The viaduct and bien sûr in the Massif Central, the Eiffel Tower.
Metro: Pont de Levallois-Bécon. Free
Provided by Gezi Ofis de Tourisme de Paris. Hotel Beauregard, with views of the Eiffel Tower, has two floors: The price for the room alone is 107€. Return Eurostar fares from London St Pancras to Paris start from £78