Leaked reports cited by French magazine “Marianne” said the Eiffel Tower is riddled with rust and in need of full repair.
However, 60 million euros were allocated to give a cosmetic makeover to the tower ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“If Gustave Eiffel visited the place he would have a heart attack,” one unnamed manager at the tower told Marianne, according to Reuters.
The 324-meter-high wrought-iron tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, is among the world’s most visited tourist sites, receiving about 6 million visitors each year.
It has an estimated 2.5m rivets and was built using puddle iron, invented in Britain during the Industrial Revolution through a process that produced the highest quality, purest wrought iron by removing carbon from iron ore in the melting process.
Before the tower opened it was given four coats of red lead paint, now banned but then considered the best anti-corrosive agent.
Nevertheless, confidential expert reports cited by the French magazine indicate that the tower is in poor condition and riddled with rust.
The magazine was unable to contact the company that oversees the tower for comment on reports of rust in the Eiffel Tower.
The tower is currently undergoing a 60 million euro repaint in preparation for the 2024 Olympics, knowing that it is the twentieth time the tower has been repainted.
