Marianne magazine said it has collected a lot of information about the current status of the Eiffel Tower and warned that the famous French symbol is in a "very degraded state".
The 324-meter-tall (10,063 ft) tower, made of forged iron, was designed by Gustave Eiffel at the end of the 19th century. This is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world, welcoming about six million visitors each year.
According to experts sharing with Marianne, the tower is in a state of disrepair and rust.
About 30% of the tower had to be scraped off and repainted with two new layers of paint, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed everything. In addition, the presence of lead in the old paint layer makes the tower only processed about 5%.
Most of the tower is rusty and needs to be completely renovated. But this location has only been painted at a cost of up to 60 million euros to serve the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This is also the 20th paint layer of the 133-year-old tower.
An unnamed manager at the tower told Marianne: If Gustave Eiffel visited the tower, he would have a heart attack. 133 years after construction, some places with rusty steel and termites have also appeared in places with wood
Another expert warned: On some parts of the tower, when you paint a new layer of paint, they will be removed and not stick to the tower body. Meanwhile, Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE) cannot comment on this issue.
Many experts also expressed concern that this tourist destination that attracts 6 million visitors a year (before the pandemic) is at risk of facing a similar disaster to Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019. When the church caught fire, about 400 firefighters worked for 9 hours to put out the fire.
Considered a symbol of France, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous architectural works in the world. The tower began construction in 1987 and took 2 years to complete.
After more than a century, perhaps it is time for the tower to be repaired and restored firmly instead of just repainting and repairing the exterior.
