Photo: Alexander Spatari/Getty Images
Gustave Eiffel, who died 100 years ago today, is best known for Paris's most famous landmark, the tower that bears his name. But during a long and fruitful career, the Dijon-born civil engineer also built dams, bridges and lighthouses as far away as Russia, Senegal, Vietnam and Brazil. He worked on an early attempt to build a Panama Canal, and was accused of misusing funds there and imprisoned (though later acquitted).
Around Paris itself, Eiffel's legacy extends to many surviving structures and works of art. And while none are as breathtaking as the tower, they show off the vast, dizzying scope of Eiffel's genius and impact. Here are some of the things to look out for in the capital.
Pedestrian bridge Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Eiffel made his name designing bridges, including the beautiful pedestrian bridge in the tree-lined Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th arrondissement. Crossing a lake to the Île du Belvedere with its Roman temple folly, its slender iron suspension bridge is 65 meters long and painted dark burgundy. Unfortunately, the bridge itself, plus the folly, will likely be closed until 2025 as work takes place to stabilize the island. You can view it from below, though, and nearby is a smaller, equally beautiful Eiffel Viaduct - a dark green former road bridge just inside the park's western entrance.
Subway: Buttes Chaumont or Botzaris. Free
Passerelle de l'Avre
The 24-meter-long, lamppost-lined cycle path and pedestrian bridge Passerelle de l'Avre runs above an aqueduct that was originally built to transport water to central Paris. It was designed by Eiffel and Fulgence Bienvenüe, known as the father of the Paris Metro, and inaugurated in 1893. It marks the westernmost point of Paris, crossing the Seine from the Bois de Boulogne park and offering beautiful views of the skyscrapers from La Defense. the north, and, appropriately, the Eiffel Tower. The riverside footpath leading there from Pont de Saint-Cloud metro station is pleasantly tree-lined and passes numerous houseboats.
Metro: Boulogne-Pont de Saint-Cloud. Free
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Notre-Dame-des-Champs Church
Eiffel's company provided the metal framework for several impressive buildings, including those underlying the Palais Galliera fashion museum, La Samaritaine department store and the former Calmann-Lévy printing house, Le Shack Paris, a restaurant, club and coworking space. He also helped build Notre-Dame-des-Champs between 1867 and 1876. This elegant church on Boulevard du Montparnasse in the sixth arrondissement, south of the Seine, is framed by classical Haussmanian buildings and replaces a Benedictine priory which was destroyed during the French Revolution. . Eiffel's iron frame allowed the building to be taller than most churches of the time, with more space and larger windows.
Subway: Vavin. Free
Replica of the Statue of Liberty
Eiffel played a key role in building New York State. The sculptor, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, needed help with the internal structure; Eiffel designed a special flexible four-legged mast that could withstand wind loads, and this became the core of the sculpture. The components were built in Eiffel's workshops in Paris before being shipped to New York. There is a wood, plaster and iron replica, one-sixteenth the size of the original, in the vast Musée des Arts et Métiers on rue Saint-Martin, plus photographs and related objects donated by Bartholdi's widow.
Metro: Arts et Métiers. Entrance €12
Paradise Latin
Yet another Eiffel frame anchors the oldest cabaret theater in Paris. Easy to miss on a side street north of the Jardin des Plantes, Paradis Latin was originally commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. After the Franco-Prussian War left it in ruins, Eiffel helped rebuild the theater prior to the Paris Exhibition in 1889. He installed metal columns in the remains of the old city wall of Paris, making possible a ceiling of cathedral-like height. This high roof space makes possible shows such as L'Oiseau Paradis, which fuse aerial acrobatics, burlesque and comedy elements. The restaurant is overseen by three-time Michelin star chef Guy Savoy.
Metro: Cardinal Lemoine or Jussieu. Evening show and drinks from €90pp
Bust and exhibition of Eiffel
The crowning glory of the 1889 exhibition was of course the Eiffel Tower. Despite the fuss, it was to be demolished after twenty years, but was given a stay of execution thanks to the usefulness of the scientific equipment installed by Eiffel. Today, almost 7 million people visit every year, with long queues forming early every morning. There is a bronze bust of Eiffel by Antoine Bourdelle next to the north pillar and until January 7 there is a special centenary exhibition on the esplanade about the creation of the monument, Eiffel - Higher and Higher. There are also fantastic views of the tower from Metro Line 6 as it crosses the Seine over the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, and almost all of the 38 bedrooms of Hotel Beauregard, a short walk south, offer beautiful views of it.
Metro: Bir-Hakeim. Entrance from €11.30
Aérodynamique Eiffel Wind Tunnel
Eiffel added a wind tunnel to the base of the tower in 1909 so engineers could simulate how storms affected planes and cars. However, it was very noisy and was later banished to the Eiffel research base, the Aérodynamique Eiffel Laboratory, in the 16th arrondissement across the river, where it is still used today. Eiffel concentrated on meteorology and aerodynamics after retiring from engineering, building weather stations and producing prototype aircraft. The lab is normally only open to the public during the annual European Heritage Days (the next one is September 21-22, 2024).
Metro: Exelmans
Eiffel's grave
Gustav Eiffel was buried in the family grave at the Levallois-Perret cemetery, in the suburb of the same name northwest of the city. His grave faces in a different direction from the rest of the row, so that it faces the Eiffel Tower. A 15-minute walk south is the site of the Eiffel et Cie workshops now Parc Gustave-Eiffel, a beautiful zigzag of greenery whose dense flower beds, playground and water features are framed by enormous murals of the Statue of Liberty, its Garabit viaduct in the Massif Central and, next to it, the Eiffel Tower.
Metro: Pont de Levallois-Bécon. Free
