Authorities respond to claims Eiffel Tower in dismal state
The landmark Eiffel Tower “has never been looked after better than now,” said its directorate on Monday, commenting on reports alleging that the symbol of Paris is in a dismal state.
Patrick Branco Ruivo, general manager of the Eiffel Tower operating company, has provided assurance that the tower will “continue to stand, with its iron being flawless,” according to the news agency AFP.
“For the first time in its history, the tower was scrubbed of all the layers of paint,” he said. “We discovered that the wrought iron was flawless despite the fact we inspected the part that had suffered [from rust] the most.”
The French magazine Marianne reported last week, citing confidential sources, that the iconic tower was in dire shape, and that the authorities had only undertaken cosmetic measures instead of comprehensive repairs.
According to the magazine, the 1,083-foot-tall (330-meter) and 7,300-tonne symbol of Paris is plagued by rust but is receiving just a paint job, albeit to the tune of €60 million ($62 million), ahead of the 2024 Olympics. The outlet claims the effort will be the most expensive, but probably the most useless, in the tower’s history.
“If Gustave Eiffel visited the place he would have a heart attack,” an employee of the site reportedly said, referring to the engineer who designed the structure. “In case of an emergency, a simple layer of paint is just put over the existing layers, which flake off and do not hold, this is absurd.”
