A five-times smaller imitation of the Eiffel Tower was built in an incredibly short time of four months in 1891. It consists of a light octagonal truss steel structure, which consumed 175 tons of iron. The eight arms of the structure were anchored in massive stone blocks at the tops of the octagon, the diagonal of which measures 20 m. The way to the top has 299 steps to the observation cabin at a height of 51 meters, the total height of the lookout tower is 60 meters. An interesting feature are the two spiral staircases winding around the tube with the elevator
Interesting fact: the lookout tower is 60 meters high and has 299 steps.
One of the main landmarks of Prague is the Petřín Lookout Tower. Thanks to this, it is certainly one of our most famous lookout towers. In addition, a certain resemblance to the Eiffel Tower in Paris does not escape our eye. However, its builders from the Czech Tourist Club were inspired by Mr. Eiffel at the World Exhibition in Paris and decided to create a similar monumental building – of course, within the limits of available funds. The beginning of work on the top of Petřín dates back to March 16, 1891. The structure of the lookout tower was built, the stairs and the elevator were installed. The building itself is very interesting: after all, the fitters assembled it in just four months! But there is nothing surprising – they were extremely skilled even for today. For example, the rivets with which the structure was assembled were heated by the designers on the ground in pliers, and then thrown to those on the tower who skilfully caught them with pliers. At the same time, the well-known cable car from the workshop of the Ringhoffer company was built on the top of Petřín. The whole building was ceremonially handed over to the public on August 2, 1891. Later, it served not only as a destination for tourists, but antennas were also placed at its top. It was even inaccessible for a long time in the second half of the last century. And so it is not surprising that it left its mark. After that, in 2000, an extensive reconstruction of the 175-ton tower began, which was carried out by the Excon company. Two years later, the dominant feature of the capital was successfully opened to the public.
