Was the Eiffel Tower Originally Designed for Barcelona?

💡 The Answer

• In the early 1880s, Gustave Eiffel proposed a towering iron structure to Barcelona city officials, who rejected it as too strange and impractical for their city.
• Eiffel then adapted the design and successfully pitched it to Paris as the centerpiece for the 1889 World's Fair, celebrating the French Revolution's centennial.
• The tower was always intended to be temporary, and a 20-year demolition deadline was set — it was only saved because its height made it ideal as a radio antenna.
• Today the Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world, hosting millions of tourists each year.