Just when we thought nobody loved the Eiffel Tower as much as the woman who married it in 2007, someone buys an actual piece of it. The tower is an iconic feature of the Parisian skyline and attracts millions of visitors from around the world.
Image by The Digital Artist
A 2,6-metre section from the Eiffel Tower’s iron spiral staircase, dating back to 1889, went up for auction yesterday by French auction house Artcurial and was bought by an unidentified collector from the Middle East. The 127-year-old piece of history connected the second and third floors, however, these stairs were removed from the tower in 1983 to make room for an elevator. The section is made up of 25 steps and weighs about 900kg. The auction price was €169 000 (approximately R2.6-million).
Image by Nuno Lopes
The famous structure won’t go on sale, but it’s not the last time a chunk of the tower will be sold. The Eiffel Tower is continuously evolving and being renovated. Other sections of the staircase can be found in sites around the world such as the Yoishii Foundation gardens in Japan, near the Statue of Liberty in New York in the United States and in Disneyland, Florida in the United States.
Featured image: Victor Lam via Unsplash
