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France: Eiffel Tower staff goes on strike

December 27, 2023

Visitors were unable to enter the world-famous Paris landmark on Wednesday as its workers strike over their contracts. The staff scheduled the closure to start exactly 100 years after the death of Gustave Eiffel.

https://p.dw.com/p/4acbZ
A pigeon flies by a blooming magnolia tree at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The Eiffel Tower usually sees around 20,000 visitors a day at this time of year.Image: Gao Jing/Xinhua/picture alliance

The Eiffel Tower closed to the public until further notice after a breakdown in negotiations over workers' contracts.

The strike was declared ahead of contract negotiations with the city of Paris, which owns the 134-year-old monument, an Eiffel Tower spokesperson said.

Union representatives did not immediately respond for comment, and it was unclear how long the strike would last.

Tourists can still access the glass-enclosed esplanade beneath the tower, but access to the 300 meter (984-foot) tall landmark itself is closed until further notice.

One of the world's most-visited sites, the Eiffel Tower is typically open 365 days a year and is expected to play a central role in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Europe's famous landmarks: The Eiffel Tower

The attraction usually sees about 20,000 visitors per day this time of year, said the spokesperson for the landmark, who was not  publicly named in accordance with tower management policy.

A special music show marking the death of Gustave Eiffel on December 27, 1923, was still scheduled to air on social networks and French television Wednesday night because it was prerecorded, the spokesperson said.

The Eiffel Tower was constructed between 1887 and 1889 to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the start of the French Revolution.

mds/dj (AFP/AP)