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Originally regarded as an ugly monstrosity and meant to be only a temporary structure when it was erected in 1889, the 1,063-foot-tall Tour Eiffel is now one of the most recognizable man-made structures in the world. In my opinion, it's also one of the most beautiful, with its tracery of iron girders, braces and cross-beams. The Eiffel Tower has greatly helped in making both Paris and France iconic in the modern world. La Tour Eiffel is a marvel of 19th-Century engineering and it still is an utterly awe-inspiring experience to stand underneath it and look up. (In all the many times I've been there, I've never braved the crowds to go up in the lift.)