hitler tour eiffel ascenseur

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Ww2: eiffel tower’s lift cables were cut so that hitler would have to climb the steps to the top.

Constructed at the end of the nineteenth century to serve as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair, the Eiffel Tower was initially a subject of criticism from the French intelligentsia; artists and intellectuals believed that such a tower would only cast a shadow on other significant landmarks in the French capital. But during the first half of the twentieth century, the Eiffel Tower eventually became a cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable sites in the whole world.

First and foremost, the iconic site of Paris was a place where many innovations and experiments took place in the early twentieth century. For instance, in 1910, the German physicist Theodor Wulf conducted experiments and measured radiant energy at the top and the bottom of the tower, surprisingly proving that the energy was more present at the top; he accidentally discovered what is today known as cosmic rays.

In between the two World Wars, the site made space for the tallest-situated adverts in the world at that period, which had been illuminated Citroën signs on three sides of the tower. The tower also hosted experimental low-resolution television transmissions.

The Eiffel Tower was not excluded from the events of WWI and WWII. In 1914, at the outbreak of WWI, a radio transmitter was situated in the tower which jammed German radio communications, seriously hindering the enemy’s advance on Paris and contributing to the Allied victory at the East Battle of the Marne from 7–12 September 1914. 

The Germans, however, captured Paris during WWII. Upon their arrival in the city, the lift cables of the Eiffel Tower were cut by the French. During the years of the war, the site remained closed to the public, and the elevators were repaired only in 1946. In 1940, the German soldiers had to climb the tower to hoist the swastika flag; the flag was so large that it was blown away just a couple of hours later and needed to be replaced with a smaller one. The Tricolour remained lowered until 25 June 1944, until the Germans had been driven out of the capital.

Hitler visited Paris only once, and reportedly, he would gush about the French capital for months afterward. He was so impressed by the city, especially upon visiting Napoleon’s tomb, as both him and Napoleon had been foreigners to the countries they ruled. When he was at the Eiffel Tower, he preferred to stay on the ground.

After the visit, the Fuhrer also considered massive construction program of new public buildings in Berlin, in an attempt to “destroy” Paris, not with bombs, but with imposing architectural achievements. He had ordered such plan to his friend and architect, Albert Speer, also noting: “Wasn’t Paris beautiful? But Berlin should be far more beautiful. When we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow.”

By August 1944, the fortunes of the Nazis had changed in the war. The Allies were nearing Paris and Hitler ordered General Dietrich von Cholitz, who was at that point newly-appointed military governor of Paris, to demolish all Parisian religious and historical monuments, the Eiffel Tower included. Hitler’s words were: “The city must not fall into the enemy’s hand except if lying in complete rubble.”

But General von Cholitz was conscious that the German military was not that strong anymore and had later also asserted that he believed Hitler was already insane at that point. He was soon saluted as “the Saviour of Paris.”

After the war, a couple of more intriguing events took place around the iconic Eiffel Tower. A fire in 1956 started in the television transmitter, damaging its top. It took a year for repairs and the installation of the current radio aerial.

Read another story from us: Hitler’s Gold in the Baltic Sea

Allegedly, in 1967, the tower was to be dismantled and temporarily relocated to Montreal to serve as a landmark and tourist attraction during the Expo 67, but this never came to pass. As of 1964, the Eiffel Tower is also officially declared as a historical monument by the Minister of Cultural Affairs, André Malraux.

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Hitler tours Paris

One day after France signed an armistice with Germany in June 1940, Adolf Hitler celebrated the German victory over France with a tour of Paris. Here, Hitler's train arrives in Paris. Hitler's tour included the Paris opera, the Champs-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. After visiting Napoleon's tomb and the Sacre Coeur, Hitler left Paris. In all, Hitler spent about three hours in the city. In July, Hitler returned in triumph to Berlin, Germany.

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Three days later, Speer accompanied Hitler as he flew in the early morning hours to an airfield near Paris.

"I often considered whether we would not have to destroy Paris."

We join Speer's narrative as he and the rest of Hitler's entourage arrive at an airport near Paris on June 28, 1940:

The great stairway, famous for its spaciousness, notorious for its excessive ornamentation, the resplendent foyer, the elegant, gilded parterre, were carefully inspected. All the lights glowed as they would on a gala night. Hitler had undertaken to lead the party. A white-haired attendant accompanied our small group through the deserted building. Hitler had actually studied the plans of the Paris opera house with great care. Near the proscenium box he found a salon missing, remarked on it, and turned out to be right. The attendant said that this room had been eliminated in the course of renovations many years ago. 'There, you see how well I know my way about,' Hitler commented complacently.

He seemed fascinated by the Opera, went into ecstasies about its beauty, his eyes glittering with an excitement that struck me as uncanny. The attendant, of course, had immediately recognized the person he was guiding through the building. In a businesslike but distinctly aloof manner, he showed us through the rooms. When we were at last getting ready.to leave the building, Hitler whispered something to his adjutant, Briickner, who took a fifty-mark note from his wallet and went over to the attendant standing some distance away. Pleasantly, but firmly, the man refused to take the money. Hitler tried a second time, sending Breker over to him; but the man persisted in his refusal. He had only been doing his duty, he told Breker.

Afterward, we drove past the Madeleine, down the Champs Elysees, on to the Trocadero, and then to the Eiffel Tower, where Hitler ordered another stop. From the Arc de Triomphe with its tomb of the Unknown Soldier we drove on to the Invalides, where Hitler stood for a long time at the tomb of Napoleon. Finally, Hitler inspected the Pantheon, whose proportions greatly impressed him. On the other hand he showed no special interest in some of the most beautiful architectural works in Paris: the Place des Vosges, the Louvre, the Palace of Justice, and SainteChapelle. He became animated again only when he saw the unitary row of houses on the Rue de Rivoli.

In the course of the tour Hitler raised the question of a victory parade in Paris. But after discussing the matter with his adjutants and Colonel Speidel, he decided against it after all. His official reason for calling off the parade was the danger of its being harassed by English air raids. But later he said: 'I am not in the mood for a victory parade. We aren't at the end yet.'

That same evening he received me once more in the small room in the peasant house. He was sitting alone at table. Without more ado he declared: 'Draw up a decree in my name ordering full-scale resumption of work on the Berlin buildings. . . . Wasn't Paris beautiful? But Berlin must be made far more beautiful. In the past I often considered whether we would not have to destroy Paris,' he continued with great calm, as if he were talking about the most natural thing in the world. 'But when we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow. So why should we destroy it?' With that, I was dismissed."

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Hitler à Paris

Visite d'Hitler à Paris le 23 juin 1940 au petit matin

Visite d'Hitler à Paris le 23 juin 1940

Auteur : HOFFMANN Heinrich

Lieu de conservation : Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz (BPK, Berlin) site web

Date de création : 1940

Date représentée : 23-juin-40

Photographie. Après la visite de la Tour Eiffel. Au premier rang de gauche à droite : Karl Wolff, Hermann Giesler, Albert Speer, Adolf Hitler, Arno Breker

Domaine : Photographies

© ADAGP, Paris © BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN - Grand Palais / image BPK

Lien vers l'image

Lieu de conservation : Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Abteilung Karten und Bilder (Munich) site web

Photographie. Prise de vue pour l'hebdomadaire "Wochenschau" devant la Tour Eiffel

© BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN - Grand Palais / image BPK

48694 - 20-501604

Date de publication : Mars 2016

Auteur : Alexandre SUMPF

Contexte historique

La « blitz besuch » (visite éclair).

L’armistice franco-allemand est signé le 22 juin 1940. La moitié nord et la côte atlantique du territoire français deviennent la « zone occupée », où l’Allemagne exerce désormais « les droits de la puissance occupante ». C’est donc en territoire conquis qu’Hitler évolue quand il se rend à Paris au petit matin du 23 ou du 28 juin 1940 (la date reste aujourd’hui discutée) pour une visite éclair (« Blitz Besuch ») qui commence à 6 h et s’achève dès 8 h 15. Accompagné du sculpteur Breker, de l’architecte Speer et d’officiers de la Wehrmacht, le Führer se rend dans plusieurs lieux emblématiques de la capitale déserte comme l’Opéra, la Concorde, l’Arc de triomphe, les Invalides, le Panthéon, Notre-Dame, le Louvre, mais aussi le Trocadéro, où il pose devant la tour Eiffel, comme le montrent les deux photographies étudiées ici. Pris lors du tournage du film hebdomadaire d’actualités Die Deutsche Wochenschau , ces deux clichés sont l’œuvre de Heinrich Hoffmann (1885-1957), photographe du parti nazi depuis ses origines et alors iconographe attitré d’Hitler. Réalisées par la propagande nazie, les images mondialement diffusées véhiculent de nombreuses significations à la portée symbolique, politique et historique.

Analyse des images

Prise de guerre et prises de vue.

La première photographie représente Hitler à la tête d’un groupe d’hommes qui l’accompagnent dans sa visite. Entouré (de gauche à droite) par Karl Wolff, Hermann Giesler, Albert Speer et Arno Breker au premier plan, il parcourt l’esplanade du Trocadéro, suivi d’officiers (au second plan). À l’arrière-plan, la tour Eiffel émerge d’une épaisse brume matinale qui la masque jusqu’au premier étage. Conférant une atmosphère presque fantastique à la scène, son opacité fait ressortir les silhouettes sombres (notamment les couvre-chefs) des visiteurs. La seconde image est le détail agrandi d’une photographie prise alors qu’Adolf Hitler, Arno Breker et Albert Speer posent devant la tour Eiffel pour un reporter des actualités. Si l’intention première d’Hoffmann était de montrer Speer, Hitler et Breker en train d’être filmés, c’est le détail montrant Hitler seul qui devient un cliché à part entière. En tenue militaire, Hitler pose devant le monument. Le visage impassible, il semble, du fait de l’agrandissement, occulter la tour et le paysage parisien encore brumeux du petit matin.

Interprétation

La victoire par l’image.

Le film d’actualités et les photographies immortalisent la victoire allemande qui clôt la bataille de France. Comme la guerre éclair qu’elle vient couronner, la visite éclair déploie une geste militaire dont elle symbolise l’efficacité, la rigueur et l’organisation. La seconde image montre ainsi un Führer qui, en chef de troupe, mène la marche victorieuse sur la Ville lumière d’un pas décidé. À travers une mise en abyme (la tour Eiffel pour Paris et Paris pour la France), c’est bien l’invasion de toute la France qui est signifiée ici. Victoire d’une armée et surtout de son chef, comme le démontre la première photographie, où l’image du dictateur vient s’inscrire et masquer celle du monument, suggérant son importance historique et presque mythologique. Mais cette visite recèle une dimension un peu différente. En posant avec Breker et Speer, deux « artistes », Hitler s’associe aussi à la Ville lumière, capitale de la culture. Il signale ainsi la maîtrise allemande d’un symbole culturel encore important en Europe, y compris parmi les élites allemandes. Enfin, la brume peut symboliser la morosité d’un Paris occupé, loin de l’image de fête, de légèreté et de lumière qui lui est généralement associée. Tout en se pliant au parcours « touristique », Hitler y imprime la marque austère de son régime et montre qu’il prend « possession » de la ville.

Bibliographie

AZEMA, Jean-Pierre, De Munich à la Libération, 1938-1944 , Paris, Éditions du Seuil, 1979.

AZEMA, Jean-Pierre et WIEVIORKA, Olivier, Vichy, 1940-1944 , Paris, Perrin, 1997.

BLOCH, Marc, L’Étrange Défaite , Paris, Franc-tireur, 1946.GRUAT, Cédric, Hitler à Paris.Juin 1940 , Paris, Editions Tirésias, 2010.

PAXTON, Robert, La France de Vichy, 1940-44 , Paris, Éditions du Seuil, 1973.

Pour citer cet article

Alexandre SUMPF, « Hitler à Paris », Histoire par l'image [en ligne], consulté le 20/05/2024. URL : histoire-image.org/etudes/hitler-paris

Commentaires

Gabriel || date visite hitler à paris.

D’après le journal de Goebels (1939-1942 p. 166) le jour du 2/7/40 il est à Paris où Hitler l’avait précédé de 4 jours soit le 28/6/40. Albert Speer qui accompagna le Führer à Paris situe également la visite « Trois jours après l’entrée en vigueur de l’armistice » (25/6/1940), il y a concordance pour la date. Réf.: Albert Speer - Au Coeur du troisième Reich - p 245

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• Warfare History

Today in History: Hitler Tours The City of Love (1940)

On June 23, 1940, Adolf Hitler took his first and only tour of Paris, France. During his visit, he surveyed several historical sites. In May of 1940, Germany invaded France and the low countries. Within six weeks it had conquered most of France , Belgium and Luxembourg. Hitler made a very quick tour of Paris, accompanied by Albert Speer, his favored architect. This was just one day after France signed an armistice with Germany, surrendering after Germany’s successful invasion.

Hitler’s tour included several notable landmarks including the Paris opera house, the Camps-Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. He also visited Napoleon’s tomb, where he stated upon leaving, “That was the greatest and finest moment of my life.”

Following his visit to Napoleon’s tomb, Hitler ordered Napoleon’s son’s body moved to Paris from Vienna, so that it would lay beside his father. He also ordered the destruction of two World War I memorials. The first was Charles Mangin, a very popular French World War I hero; the second was a statue of a British Nurse named Edith Cavell, who had been executed by Germany during World War I for helping Allied soldiers escape Germany occupied territory.

Over the years, there have been many comparisons between Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte , mainly because there are some similarities that are purely coincidental. Both were foreigners to the countries they would eventually rule (Hitler was from Austria, Napoleon from Italy); both men planned invasions of Russia while simultaneously planning an invasion of Great Britain; both captured the same city on June 24 (Vilna in Russia); both of them had photographic memories, and both were fairly short (both under 5 foot 9).

Hitler became a bit obsessed with Paris after his visit there. He would often wax poetically about how he and his regime would make Berlin the “Paris of Germany.” He once said to Albert Speer, “Wasn’t Paris beautiful? But Berlin must be far more beautiful. When we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow.”

In Albert Speer’s memoirs, he wrote about Hitler’s visit to Paris in 1940: “After a last look at Paris, we drove swiftly back to the airport. By nine o’clock in the morning, the sightseeing tour was over. “It was the dream of my life to be permitted to see Paris. I cannot say how happy I am to have that dream fulfilled today”. For a moment I felt something like pity for him: three hours in Paris, the one and only time he was to see it, made him happy when he stood at the height of his triumphs.”

It was also in Speer’s memoirs that we learn that Hitler initially planned on a victory parade in Paris later in 1940, but ruled it out because of fear of British air attacks. He also apparently said, “I am not in the mood for a victory parade. We aren’t at the end yet.”

This was at the beginning of World War II. The war would rage on for another 5 years and would see the Nazi regime spread throughout most of Europe before finally being defeated in 1945 .

Continue Reading:

The Wall Street Journal – A Tour of War and Remembrance

Rare Historical Photos – Photographs of Hitler’s triumphant tour of Paris, 1940

Eye Witness History – Hitler Tours Paris, 1940

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Hitler's tour of occupied Paris happened 75 years ago today

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Hitler stands in front of the Eiffel Tower on June 23, 1940.

"That was the greatest and finest moment of my life," one of the world's most brutal tyrants reportedly said after touring the newly Nazi-occupied French capital.

The day after signing an armistice with France, Hitler and his cronies toured Napoleon's tomb, the Paris opera house, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, and the Eiffel Tower on June 23, 1940.

Hitler's friend and architect Albert Speer was instructed to take note of the city's design in order to recreate similar yet superior German buildings.

"Wasn't Paris beautiful?" Hitler reportedly asked Speer.

"But Berlin must be far more beautiful. When we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow."

While sightseeing Hitler also ordered the destruction of two French World War I monuments that reminded him of Germany's bitter defeat.

The Führer's first official visit to the "City of Light" was also his last.

In all, Hitler spent three hours in Paris but spent four years occupying northern France.

Hitler walks with Nazi officers in front of the Eiffel Tower in the French capital of Paris.

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Adolf Hitler in Paris

June 23, 1940 Paris

Adolf Hitler visited Paris on the day after France had signed the armistice. He admired the city’s architecture and visited places of interest. He was not able to go on the Eiffel Tower, because the French had severed the lift cables just before the German invasion.

Les ascenseurs de la Tour Eiffel en 1940

Paris, 23 juin 1940. Les divisions allemandes sont entrées dans la ville il y a maintenant 9 jours. À 5h30 le Condor, l’avion personnel d’Hitler, a atterri au Bourget. C’est le début d’une visite éclair qui ne dure que 3h .

Accompagné d’une partie de son Etat-Major, Hitler souhaite visiter la Ville Lumière qu’il ne connait que de nom. Une visite des plus grands lieux parisiens commence alors : de l’Opéra Garnier à la butte de Montmartre en passant par le Trocadéro et l’ Hôtel des Invalides . Heinrich Hoffman, photographe officiel du Führer, immortalise cette visite par un cliché pris au Trocadéro.

Si Hitler visite chacun des monuments situés sur son itinéraire, il en est un qui fait exception , et pas des moindres : la Tour Eiffel . En effet, pour empêcher Hitler de visiter le monument, les câbles des ascenseurs ont été sectionnés . Il faut alors gravir les quelques 1 500 marches pour atteindre son sommet. La visite est annulée et le Führer ne se rend finalement qu’au Trocadéro surplombant la tour. Étrangement, les ascenseurs de la Tour Eiffel restent hors de fonction durant toute l’occupation .

Découvrez d'autres histoires de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale avec notre article :  Les petites histoires méconnues de la Seconde Guerre mondiale

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Le louvre en danger.

The Eiffel Tower during the Nazi occupation, 1941

The Eiffel Tower during the Nazi occupation, 1940

Translation: “ Germany is victorious on all fronts ”. The V stands for Victory. The Allied V-for-Victory cliché became so popular as a morale raiser that the enemy had to adopt to it, an easier task for the Italians, whose Vs displayed in public could be held to stand for Vinceremos, or We Will Win, than for the Germans, embarrassed by the fact that properly their V for Victory should be S for Sieg .

The propaganda officers just changed Sieg to Viktoria, alluding to the “Germano-Latin” tradition. They said the use of V’s by civilians was a sign of support for Germany.

They just used Viktoria because it had to start with V, and the V originally meant “V for victory” when Churchill used it, so they probably needed something similar in order to not make it too obvious. When the Germans started their campaign, Churchill noted that they probably meant “verloren”, German for defeat.

The French resistance would often alter one letter to these type of banners and the message was transformed to Deutschland Liegt auf allen Fronten – Germans lie on every frontline.

Upon the German occupation of Paris in 1940 the lift cables of the Eiffel Tower were cut by the French. The Tower was closed to the public during the Occupation and the lifts were not repaired until 1946.

In 1940 German soldiers had to climb to the top to hoist the swastika, but the flag was so large it blew away just a few hours later and was replaced by a smaller one.

In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was the personified goddess of victory. She is the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Nike. Unlike the Greek Nike, the goddess Victoria was a major part of Roman society.

Multiple temples were erected in her honor. Winged figures, very often in pairs, representing victory and referred to as “victories”, were common in Roman official iconography, typically hovering high in a composition, and often filling spaces in spandrels or other gaps in architecture. These represent the spirit of victory rather than the goddess herself. They continued to appear after the Christianization of the Empire, and slowly mutated into Christian angels.

Updated on: November 21, 2021

Any factual error or typo?  Let us know.

Adolf Hitler's visit to Paris

After the defeat of France and the signing of the armistice on 22 June 1940 , Adolf Hitler, who was passionate about architecture and had always wanted to visit Paris had a quick visit ("Blitz Besuch") of the city , accompanied by architects Albert Speer and Hermann Giesler, and Arno Breker , his favorite sculptor, along with a delegation of military officers. According to Albert Speer (in his memoirs "Inside the Third Reich") and Joseph Goebbels (in his diary), the visit took place 3 days after the armistice came into effect, on 28 June. However, other sources say that the visit was on 23 June.

The tour itself was very quick and lasted less than 2h30, it began early in the morning at 6 am. The delegation had arrived by plane at Le Bourget airfield (about 12 kms North-East of the entrance of Paris) then drove down with several cars and entered the city through the Porte de la Villette. The streets were almost empty, as about 2/3 of the Parisians, fearing massive bombings as the German troops invaded France, has fled the city to reach the countryside during the exodus of 1940.

The group visited several major monuments, and made a few notable stops:

The convoy made a stop at the Église de la Madeleine, but did not stay long, as the building did not impress Hitler very much.

The cars then took the direction of Place de la Concorde, and made a brief stop down the Avenue des Champs Élysées, where Hitler admired the view and perspective of the avenue before going further up to the Arc de Triomphe. The group stopped under the monument and stayed a brief moment in front of the unknown's soldier's tomb, which is just under the Arc de Triomphe.

On the Esplanade du Trocadéro, a large place in front of the Eiffel Tower, just on the other side of the River Seine, the group admired the view on the tower, and several well known photographs were taken as propaganda material of Hitler's victory over France and Western Europe. Afterwards, the cars drove towards the Eiffel Tower, and along the Champ de Mars to the École Militaire (military academy) and the statue of marshall Joffre.

The Hôtel des Invalides was the second monument that Hitler did not want to miss, as he wanted to stay a moment in front of Napoleon's tomb, a character that he admired for his military and strategic talents. On a side note, in 1806, after his successful campaign over Prussia, Napoleon did visit the tomb of king Frederick the Great in Potsdam in the same way.

After passing in front of the Assemblée Nationale, the convoy headed toward the the Jardins du Luxembourg and took south to have a view of the Place de l'Observatoire (Paris observatory) and the statue of marshall Ney before going north to the Panthéon, a place dedicated to the greatest French men and women. According to Albert Speer, the architecture and size of the building impressed Hitler very much.

The cars then took North and passed in front of the Palais de Justice with the Sainte-Chapelle, and Notre-Dame cathedral on the Île de la cité. They crossed the river Seine to the right bank and passed beside the Place des Vosges, rue de Rivoli and the Louvres museum. In his memoirs, Albert Speer recalls that Hitler did not find any particular interest to the most beautiful architectural works of the city. The final place of the visit was the Sacré-Cœur basilica on Montmartre (a hill with a view on all Paris). Hitler did not like the church at all, but he and his men enjoyed the view.

After a 2h15 visit, the convoy left the city and headed back to the Bourget airfield from where Hitler got back to his Wolfsschlucht headquarters , he never went to Paris again.

This tour of Paris seems to have inspired Hitler to resume the construction of Germania in Berlin , a massive architectural project to replace Berlin with gigantic military, administrative and political buildings and create the biggest city in the world, which had stopped at the outbreak of the war. Albert Speer recalls: " That same evening he received me once more in the small room in the peasant house. He was sitting alone at table. Without more ado he declared: 'Draw up a decree in my name ordering full-scale resumption of work on the Berlin buildings. Wasn't Paris beautiful? But Berlin must be made far more beautiful. In the past I often considered whether we would not have to destroy Paris,' he continued with great calm, as if he were talking about the most natural thing in the world. 'But when we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow. So why should we destroy it?' With that, I was dismissed. "

The Eiffel Tower’s Lifts

Almost from the very opening of the Eiffel Tower for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, visitors could access the floors of the monument by taking the lifts. A veritable technical triumph for the time, as never before had the limits of such heights and loads been broken, the lifts offered hundreds of thousands of visitors the possibility to securely climb the Tower to embrace the whole of Paris.

• Les ascenseurs au moment de la construction
• Les ascenseurs aujourd'hui
• Infatigables !

Perhaps today the lift seems an everyday facility, but at the time it was a real achievement.

Two of the original lifts are still in service on the Eiffel Tower.

Carefully preserved, this exceptional heritage still testifies to Gustave Eiffel’s visionary genius today.

The elevators at the time of construction

Between the ground floor and the second floor: The four pillars were equipped with one or two cabins.

In June 1889, five hydraulic elevators went into operation. This initial elevator technology was further modernized a decade later by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exposition of 1900.

Between the the second and third floor: An "Edoux" elevator was put into service, a hydraulic machine that was the only one of its type in the world, with jacks 80 meters long. (It was dismounted in 1983).

North and South pillars : "Otis" elevators carried the visitors up and down until dismounted in 1910.

East and West pillars: "Roux-Combaluzier" elevators were in service until 1897.  "Fives-Lille" hydraulic elevators were installed in 1899, modernized in 1986 and 1987, and revised in 1992, 1995 and 2005. In 2008, the major project of totally replacing the West pillar elevators began, with the intention of coming back to the original and simple functioning machines imagined by Gustave Eiffel in collaboration with the Fives-Lille company in 1899.

The elevators today

Between the ground floor and the second floor: 3 elevators - North, East and West pillars - are dedicated to visitors.  1 electric elevator is exclusively used by customers of the Jules Verne restaurant. 1 4-ton freight elevator - South pillar - is dedicated to the Eiffel Tower's staff

Between the second and third floor:   2 double-cabin electric elevators

The elevators are vital to the monument and subject to some harsh treatment.

The cabins, the electrical and computer systems, along with the historical machinery behind the elevators receive the greatest care and maintenance: renovation work, repairs, parts replaced and oiled. They are constantly checked by technicians, who start them up early in the morning before the public arrives and keep them under close surveillance whenever the Tower is open to the public. Eiffel Tower elevator operators handle the smooth flux of visitors.

The lift on the north pillar is undergoing total renovation: it will resume service in 2023.  

The renovation of the original lifts

Begun in October 2008, the work on the western lift was concluded in 2014. It is a long process for the teams, which vary from 10 to 45 people, representing many building trades.

A unique prototype

Since 1899, these lifts have been a mechanism unrivalled by anywhere in the world. They are neither lifts in the traditional sense, nor a funicular system, nor cable-cars. They do not belong to any category and do not correspond to any current reference. This machinery from more than a century ago must therefore be adapted to today’s security criteria. Even if the principal mechanics of the lifts with their lift drive piston and system of pulleys are preserved, everything will change! They will have to replace the cab, the cab platform, the rail mounting of the platform, the hydraulic system, and the electric ropes.

Why this modernization of the original lifts?

Quite apart from a necessary compliance with current regulations, the objective of the modernisation is to improve performance of this historical equipment and to optimise their maintenance conditions.

Technology dedicated to sustainable development

As the Tower’s modernity must go hand in hand with longevity and durability, the SETE (Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel), or Tower Operating Company, favoured a solution to respect its heritage. It will enable the return to the principle of water hydraulics that the engineers had initially designed in 1899, at the same time reinforcing the introduction of the automatic system. Respecting its policy of durable development, and in order to contribute to limiting the monument’s carbon footprint, the SETE has held to a principle of renovation that presents several advantages:

A more ecological system: the hydraulic system will be fuelled by an eco-friendly fluid, and will significantly reduce the quantities of water consumed during the cooling process.

A less greedy system: with the same consumption of electricity (300 KW), the lift will be capable of transporting up to 110 passengers (instead of 92 at the moment) at a speed of 2 metres/second.

kilometers travelled by the Tower's lifts

Their annual journeys combined are equal to two and half times around the world or more than 103,000 kilometers. 

The mechanism

A simple yet brilliant mechanism.

The passenger cabin is carried by a cab attached to cables, and is kept level by a recovery system. Underground, a hydraulic system sets 2 pistons in motion, which generate level movements for a cab.

The cab carries the cables that pull the cabin by a system of pulleys smoothly upwards along the 128 metres of its course between the ground and 2nd floor.

Until 1986, the pistons were set in motion by a hydraulic system, powered by three large accumulators of around 200 tonnes each, which ensured both that the water was kept under pressure (40-60 bars), and the smooth operation of the counterweight mechanism.

Since 1986, high-pressure oil hydraulic motors have taken over for driving the movement of the lift drive piston system, while two of the original three large accumulators serve only as a counterweight.

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Eiffel Tower

By: History.com Editors

Updated: June 7, 2019 | Original: June 13, 2011

When Gustave Eiffel’s company built Paris’ most recognizable monument for the 1889 World’s Fair, many regarded the massive iron structure with skepticism. Today, the Eiffel Tower, which continues to serve an important role in television and radio broadcasts, is considered an architectural wonder and attracts more visitors than any other paid tourist attraction in the world.

Designing and Building the Eiffel Tower

In 1889, Paris hosted an Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) to mark the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution . More than 100 artists submitted competing plans for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars, located in central Paris, and serve as the exposition’s entrance. The commission was granted to Eiffel et Compagnie, a consulting and construction firm owned by the acclaimed bridge builder, architect and metals expert Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel. While Eiffel himself often receives full credit for the monument that bears his name, it was one of his employees—a structural engineer named Maurice Koechlin—who came up with and fine-tuned the concept. Several years earlier, the pair had collaborated on the Statue of Liberty’s metal armature.

Did you know? The base pillars of the Eiffel Tower are oriented with the four points of the compass.

Eiffel reportedly rejected Koechlin’s original plan for the tower, instructing him to add more ornate flourishes. The final design called for more than 18,000 pieces of puddle iron, a type of wrought iron used in construction, and 2.5 million rivets. Several hundred workers spent two years assembling the framework of the iconic lattice tower, which at its inauguration in March 1889 stood nearly 1,000 feet high and was the tallest structure in the world—a distinction it held until the completion of New York City’s Chrysler Building in 1930. (In 1957, an antenna was added that increased the structure’s height by 65 feet, making it taller than the Chrysler Building but not the Empire State Building, which had surpassed its neighbor in 1931.) Initially, only the Eiffel Tower’s second-floor platform was open to the public; later, all three levels, two of which now feature restaurants, would be reachable by stairway or one of eight elevators.

Millions of visitors during and after the World’s Fair marveled at Paris’ newly erected architectural wonder. Not all of the city’s inhabitants were as enthusiastic, however: Many Parisians either feared it was structurally unsound or considered it an eyesore. The novelist Guy de Maupassant, for example, allegedly hated the tower so much that he often ate lunch in the restaurant at its base, the only vantage point from which he could completely avoid glimpsing its looming silhouette.

The Eiffel Tower Becomes a Permanent Feature of the Paris Skyline

Originally intended as a temporary exhibit, the Eiffel Tower was almost torn down and scrapped in 1909. City officials opted to save it after recognizing its value as a radiotelegraph station. Several years later, during World War I , the Eiffel Tower intercepted enemy radio communications, relayed zeppelin alerts and was used to dispatch emergency troop reinforcements. It escaped destruction a second time during World War II : Hitler initially ordered the demolition of the city’s most cherished symbol, but the command was never carried out. Also during the German occupation of Paris, French resistance fighters famously cut the Eiffel Tower’s elevator cables so that the Nazis had to climb the stairs.

Over the years, the Eiffel Tower has been the site of numerous high-profile stunts, ceremonial events and even scientific experiments. In 1911, for instance, the German physicist Theodor Wulf used an electrometer to detect higher levels of radiation at its top than at its base, observing the effects of what are now called cosmic rays. The Eiffel Tower has also inspired more than 30 replicas and similar structures in various cities around the world.

Now one of the most recognizable structures on the planet, the Eiffel Tower underwent a major facelift in 1986 and is repainted every seven years. It welcomes more visitors than any other paid monument in the world—an estimated 7 million people per year. Some 500 employees are responsible for its daily operations, working in its restaurants, manning its elevators, ensuring its security and directing the eager crowds flocking the tower’s platforms to enjoy panoramic views of the City of Lights.

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Paris. Exposition Universelle de 1900. La Tour Eiffel. Ascenseur © Neurdein - Roger-Viollet

Neurdein - roger-viollet, eiffel tower paris, france.

• Title: Paris. Exposition Universelle de 1900. La Tour Eiffel. Ascenseur © Neurdein - Roger-Viollet
• Creator: Neurdein - Roger-Viollet

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