The Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and others: what the world's most popular monuments looked like during the construction phase. Photo

We know what famous landmarks look like today, but such iconic structures as the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower were something else when they were built.

Meanwhile, the famous Sagrada Familia Cathedral by Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, decorated with towers and stained glass windows, has been under construction since 1882. This was reported by Business Insider.

Construction of the Eiffel Tower began in Paris in 1887, on the eve of the 1889 World's Fair

The Gustave Eiffel Tower, which was designed by his senior engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nugier, consists of 18 thousand pieces of wrought iron. As of now, the cost of its construction is about 44 million dollars (more than 1.7 billion hryvnias), Inc. reported in 2022.

When it was completed, the Eiffel Tower, which stands 300 meters high, was the tallest building in the world

It was supposed to be a temporary structure, scheduled to be demolished in 1909, but the city authorities did not realize its potential as a radio and telegraph station – the Eiffel Tower is now one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

Today, the tallest building in the world is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai

At 828 meters tall, the Burj Khalifa, completed in 2009 after five years of construction, is almost three times the height of the Eiffel Tower.

It is also currently the tallest free-standing structure in the world

In addition to being the tallest building in the world, the Burj has broken several other architectural records: the tallest structure and the tallest free-standing structure. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the building can also claim the records for the tallest elevator in the world, the most floors in a building, and the tallest restaurant located above ground level.

The Statue of Liberty, erected in 1886, was a gift from France. Its parts were made in Paris before being shipped to the United States

Gustave Eiffel designed the frame of the monument, and Edouard de Laboulaye, a French political thinker and abolitionist, was behind the construction of the statue, according to the National Park Service. He proposed that the monument be built to honor the United States' commitment to freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was sculpted by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, who modeled her face after his mother.

After the statue was built in France, it was disassembled and shipped to the United States in pieces. Once the pedestal was ready, the monument was quickly reassembled and unveiled in 1886. For her centennial in 1986, Lady Liberty received a new torch covered with thin sheets of 24-carat gold.

The construction of Barcelona's Sagrada Familia, designed by Antoni Gaudi, began in 1882 and is still underway

The famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi worked on the impressive Gothic and Byzantine-style cathedral from 1883 until he died in 1926. At the time, he had completed only a quarter of the building. Construction began under the direction of architect Francisco Paula de Villar in 1882.

It is expected to be completed by 2026, just in time for the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death

According to chief architect Jordi Fauli, the building entered the final stage of construction in 2015. It is expected that the cathedral will be completed by 2026, but the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death may require additional time to add the final decorative elements.

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