Advertisement

Culture For Members

What the Eiffel Tower will look like in 2024

The Local France
The Local France - [email protected]
What the Eiffel Tower will look like in 2024
The Esplanade du Trocadero near the Eiffel tower (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP)

Ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, Paris' Eiffel Tower is getting a facelift - here's what the famous Champ-de-Mars is set to look like, and why the revamp has sparked protests.

Advertisement

After concern over plans to cut down the 42 trees lining the Eiffel Tower in order to build tourist facilities, Paris' Mayor’s office has agreed to revise plans for the renovation of Champs-de-Mars. 

But the Eiffel Tower and the whole of the Champ-de-Mars area are still expected to be completely transformed ahead of the 2024 Olympics.

Here is what it’s set to look like:

Advertisement

The tower will be painted gold

For its latest paint job, the famous Iron Lady will be returned to the "yellow-brown" colour Gustave Eiffel intended for it in 1907. The tower was originally painted red when it was first presented during the 1889 World's Fair, and it has sported 20 different shades over the years. The "yellow-brown" colour is intended to be a nod to the colour of Olympic medals.

READ MORE: Plan to fell trees near Eiffel Tower causes backlash from residents in French capital

"It will give the Eiffel Tower a more 'golden' look during the Olympics compared to the colour we used to have," explained Patrick Branco Ruivo, general manager of the Sete, the operating company of the Parisian monument to AFP

Rope access technicians repaint the Eiffel Tower on February 1, 2021 in Paris. (Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP)
 

The Pont d'Iéna will become pedestrian only

The bridge connecting the Eiffel Tower on rive gauche to Trocadéro on rive droite will soon become no-car zone, lined with trees and greenery. Only public transport and emergency vehicles will use the lanes that have been built in place of the current sidewalks.

"It was time to make it easier for pedestrians to get around," explained the Mayor's office to French daily Le Parisien.

 

A walkable area under the Tower

The space under the Eiffel Tower will be revitalised with walking paths and grass. 

 

Advertisement

 
A new, green amphitheatre at Trocadero
 
There will no longer be a traffic circle around the statue of Marshal Foch. Instead, cars will circulate in two directions on the outside side. New tiered seating will be built onto the Place de Trocadero, offering over 12,000 seats and a lovely view of the tower. 

 

A green promenade on the quai Branly

The Quai Branly will also become green and walkable, with hedges and shrubs planted along the roadway to protect pedestrians from traffic. The number of lanes for cars will be reduced from four to two, and a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour will be implemented to give pedestrians the priority.

READ MORE: Anne Hidalgo’s eco-friendly plans for Paris: Speed limits, parking spaces and bikes

Not everyone is too pleased with these plans, particularly those living in the immediate vicinity.

Danièle Giazzi, mayor of the 16th arrondisement, told Paris daily Le Parisien that he fears the "risk of blockage in the whole sector" and that he "does not like the fact that one can no longer go from the left bank to the right bank and vice versa, except by scooter."

To visualise the change in traffic patterns, Le Parisien created this infographic

La fontaine de Varsovie

The walkways on the east and west sides of the Warsaw Fountain will be redesigned to be more accessible for families and for those with mobile disabilities. Lawned steps and terraces, covered with grass, will be used for festive events.

The majority of the Warsaw Square will be reserved for pedestrians, and eventually it will be used for other festive events. 

Advertisement

Paris' own 'Central Park'

When all of the work has been completed, this Champ-de-Mars gardens will extend all the way to the École Militaire. This will become a promenade of more than 1.5 kilometers, or 50 hectares, the equivalent of about 70 soccer fields.

Speaking of the new 'lungs' for the city, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: "We're going to have an extraordinary garden to hear the birds sing again."

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

Anonymous 2022/05/05 17:36
This kind of reflex anti-car stuff is one reason Hidalgo did so badly in the election. Nothing is thought thru, and there are no alternatives for those who, for various reasons, need cars. Not everyone is a super-fit cyclist of 30 with nothing to carry.
Anonymous 2022/05/05 09:49
I like this plan, a mix of old and new and that part of Paris needs more park space.

See Also