Eiffel Tower

Built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle marking the centenary of the French Revolution, the Eiffel Tower was designed as a temporary structure meant to stand for twenty years — intense criticism from artists and writers of the day, who considered it an eyesore, nearly got it dismantled on schedule. It survived because Gustave Eiffel had it fitted with a radio antenna, giving it a practical military and scientific use that made demolition impractical, and it has stood ever since, growing into the defining symbol of Paris and, arguably, of France itself.

At 330 metres including its antenna, it held the title of tallest structure in the world for 41 years until New York's Chrysler Building surpassed it in 1930. Built from 18,038 individual puddled-iron pieces held together by 2.5 million rivets, it remains a working engineering marvel as much as a monument — repainted every seven years using roughly 60 tonnes of paint, in a colour ('Eiffel Tower Brown') specifically formulated for the structure.