1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
IranIsrael-Hamas warIndia elections
Travel

Eiffel Tower to be surrounded by glass wall

March 28, 2017

The famous wrought iron tower in Paris has been surrounded by metal fences since last year's European football championships. A new bulletproof anti-terror glass wall should soon be set up instead.

https://p.dw.com/p/2a6gJ
Bildergalerie Metropolen der Welt
Image: Fotolia/lapas77

Paris' iconic Eiffel Tower will be surrounded by a 2.5-meter-high (eight-foot-high) bulletproof glass wall to prevent terror attacks, the city has announced on Monday. The 20-million-euro ($21.4-million) barrier is to replace existing metal fences that were installed for the Euro 2016 football tournament.

"We have three aims: Improve the look, make access easier and strengthen the protection of visitors and staff," Jean-Francois Martins, a city official, said. The glass will serve as an aesthetic substitute for the metal fencing, which was "useful in security matters," but "spoiled the view."

A statement from Paris City Hall said the transparent bulletproof panels would replace the existing fences at the north and south of the 324-meter (1,063-foot) monument, which is visited by several million people each year. The proposal was part of a 300-million-euro project announced in January to modernize the 128-year-old tower.

is/ks (afp)