The
Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a
wrought iron lattice tower on the
Champ de Mars in
Paris, France. It is named after the engineer
Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Constructed in 1889 as the entrance to the
1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticized by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become a global
cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The tower is the
tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world: 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.