France: Paris
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Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889 commemorating the centenary of the French Revolution. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England, opened the tower. Of the 700 proposals submitted in a design competition, Gustave Eiffel's was unanimously chosen. However it was not accepted by all at first, and a petition of 300 names - including those of Maupassant, Emile Zola, Charles Garnier (architect of the Opéra Garnier), and Dumas the Younger - protested its construction. The Eiffel Tower, which is 300 meters tall, was the tallest building in the world until 1930. It features 2.5 million revets, 15,000 iron pieces (excluding rivets), and 40 tons of paint Read more ...