The Eiffel Tower Is Corroded By Rust And Needs A Complete Repair

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is riddled with rust and in need of a complete repair, but instead it will only be given a €60 million cosmetic facelift ahead of the upcoming Olympics. This information follows from a secret report, accessed by the French magazine Marianne.

Built by Gustave Eiffel at the end of the 19th century, the 324-meter-tall tower is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world, attracting approximately six million tourists annually. According to a 2016 report, the monument has 884 damages, including 68 that pose a risk to the longevity of the structure.

A secret expert report, cited by Marianne magazine, suggests that the monument is still in poor condition and covered in rust. "If Gustave Eiffel visited this place today, he would have a heart attack," a manager of the Eiffel Tower told Marianne magazine.

In this regard, the Reuters agency also contacted the company SETE, which operates the Eiffel Tower. However, they did not immediately respond to the agency's questions. The Eiffel Tower is currently being repainted in preparation for the Summer Olympics, which will be hosted by France in 2024. This is the twentieth repainting of the tower since its construction.

As part of the renovation worth 60 million euros, about 30 percent of the tower was originally supposed to be cleaned of old paint and repainted. However, due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the presence of lead in old layers of paint, it is estimated that only five percent of the tower's surface will eventually undergo this treatment.

The company SETE is reluctant to close the Eiffel Tower for a longer period of time because of the revenue it would lose if tourists did not visit the tower, writes Reuters.