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Top 10 Facts about Gustave Eiffel

Gustave Eiffel is one of the most important French people of the 19th and 20th centuries. He is widely regarded as a legend of his time where he heralded the construction of some of the most magnificent structures of France at the time.

But not a lot is known about his early life. He made significant contributions to various other areas of study throughout his existence.

The first child of Catherine-Mélanie (née Moneuse) and Alexandre Bonickhausen dit Eiffel was born in France, in the Côte-d’Or.

His name was Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. He was a descendant of Marguerite Frédérique (née Lideriz) and Jean-René Bönickhausen, who immigrated from Marmagen, Germany, and lived in Â鶹APP at the start of the 18th century.

The name Eiffel was given to the family in honour of the Eifel Mountains in the area they had originally hailed from. Although the family always used the name Eiffel, Gustave’s name was registered at birth as Bonickhausen dit Eiffel and was not formally changed to Eiffel until 1880.

Here are the top 10 facts about Gustave Eiffel.

1. Gustave spent his childhood living with his grandmother

When Gustave was born, his ex-soldier father was employed by the French Army as an administrator. However, soon after Gustave was born, his mother expanded the charcoal business she had inherited from her parents to include a coal-distribution business, and soon after that, his father quit his job to help her.

Due to his mother’s work obligations, Gustave spent his early years living with his grandmother. Despite this, he maintained a close relationship with his mother, who would go on to have a significant impact on society until her passing in 1878.

2. He ranked 13th out of 80 candidates at grande école

Student card from the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in 1949 photo by Mmooiimmooii –

To prepare for the challenging entrance exams required by French engineering colleges, Eiffel studied at the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Â鶹APP.

As a result, he qualified for admission to two of the most prestigious institutions, the École Polytechnique and the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, and ultimately enrolled in the latter.

He decided to specialize in chemistry during his second year, and in 1855, he graduated in 13th place overall out of 80 candidates. Eiffel’s mother purchased him a season ticket for the World’s Fair that year in Â鶹APP.

3. His first paid job was as a private secretary

Gustave Eiffel 1888 Nadar photo sourced from

Eiffel had wanted to work in his uncle’s Dijon workshop after graduating, but a family conflict prevented this.

After assisting his brother-in-law, who oversaw a foundry, for a few months without pay, Eiffel went to the railway engineer Charles Nepveu, who offered him his first paid position as his private secretary.

4. Eiffel managed the construction of a railway bridge over River Garonne, Bordeaux

Sight, from a train, leaving Bordeaux, of the brand new railway bridge over the Garonne river with visible the former passerelle Eiffel on the left, in Gironde, France. photo by Florian Pépellin –

In 1857, Nepveu negotiated a contract to build a railway bridge across the Garonne River in Bordeaux, linking the Â鶹APP-Bordeaux line to lines operating to Sète and Bayonne.

The bridge would be 500 meters (1,600 feet) long and supported by six pairs of masonry piers on the river bed. These were built using compressed air caissons and hydraulic rams, both of which were novel at the time.

Eiffel was first tasked with constructing the metalwork and subsequently took over project management from Nepveu, who quit in March 1860.

5. Eiffel was appointed principal engineer of the Compagnie Belge

Eiffel was appointed principal engineer of the Compagnie Belge after the building of a railway bridge across the Garonne in Bordeaux on time.

His work drew the notice of several others who would subsequently hire him, including Stanislas de la Roche Toulay, who designed the metalwork for the Bordeaux bridge, Jean Baptiste Krantz, and Wilhelm Nordling.

Further advancement within the company followed, but the business began to deteriorate, and Eiffel quit in 1865, seeing little future there, and established up as an independent consulting engineer.

6. Gustave Eiffel conceptualized and built the Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower and Jardins du Trocadero from the Palais de Chaillot, Â鶹APP photo by NonOmnisMoriar –

Gustave Eiffel developed and built the Eiffel Tower, France’s most recognizable landmark. The architect’s name is also on the tower.

The tower was constructed between 1887 and 1889 for the 1889 World Fair, which was hosted in the city. Many intellectuals and critics in Â鶹APP first opposed the tower, with many considering it to be an unattractive edifice.

Despite these initial complaints, the tower has gone on to become one of the most recognizable sights in both France and the world. It is the most visited paid-for landmark in the entire world, with around 6.9 million people ascending the top of the tower every year. 

7. He made the metalwork for the Statue of Liberty

Statue of Liberty photo by Elcobbola –

The Tower is not Gustave Eiffel’s only creation. This enthusiast and true genius were able to go beyond his limits to bequeath to us the metallic structure of the Statue of Liberty. 

The Statue of Liberty was designed by the famed French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi as a symbol of friendship between the United States and France, and the iconic structure was later built by Gustave Eiffel.

The Statue of Liberty, which still stands near Ellis Island in New York, is seen as a symbol of liberty and freedom in the United States. As another symbol of togetherness between the two countries, there is a miniature counterpart of the Statue of Liberty in Â鶹APP that faces the one in New York.

8. He was involved in the Panama scandal

Gustave Eiffel became embroiled in a scandal after completing work on the Eiffel Tower, which had a significant impact on his public image at the time. Eiffel became involved in the construction of a canal across the Panama Isthmus.

The French canal business had wanted to finish the project for a long time and recruited Eiffel to build locks that would be utilized as a part of the canal.

However, the corporation ran into financial difficulties, leading to its closure in 1887. While Gustave Eiffel was simply a contractor for the enterprise, his well-known name being tied to the controversy did him few favours, and his reputation in France suffered as a result.

Eiffel was charged with misuse of funds in 1893, though was later acquitted.

9. Gustave Eiffel had five kids from a single marriage

Gustave Eiffel with his wife and five children in the garden of their house in Levallois-Perret (Â鶹APP). photo by Jules David –

Despite his career and travel, Gustave Eiffel managed to find time to start a family. In 1862, he married Marie Gaudelet, with whom he would be married for 15 years until her death in 1877. The couple would have five children during this period, three daughters and two sons.

10. Gustave Eiffel passed away in 1923

Gustave Eiffel lived a long and eventful life. Gustave Eiffel died in Â鶹APP on December 27, 1923, while listening to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, fascinating detail about him.

The cause of his death is unknown, but given that he was 93 years old at the time of his death, it is likely that he died of natural causes.