The City of Light is building wall too. Yet this eight-foot-wall’s purpose is to protect its beloved landmark and its citizens after a horrifying succession of terrorist acts on the city. By this fall, the base of the Eiffel Tower will be enclosed by bulletproof glass, a measure that French authorities believe will hinder acts of terror.
Novermber 2015’s attacks on the city left many landmarks closed for days. The Eiffel Tower did not reopen to visitors until the following Monday afternoon, and shone brightly with the national colors after two days of darkness. France did not remain at peace for long after the tragic events of Autumn; terror struck the south of France when a large truck plowed through crowds on Bastille Day in Nice.
“The most vulnerable sites, led by the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures,” said Jean-Francois Martins, the assistant mayor of tourism for Paris. While you may be concerned that such a wall will inhibit your view of the grandiose sight, fret not—the glass wall will most likely be an aesthetic improvement from the metal fences set up for the 2016 Euro football tournament that currently encompass the tower.
Other changes may include increased security checks by showing identification and a trip through a metal detector prior to your climb up. But, if you’ve ever been through TSA, this shouldn’t feel like too much of an inconvenience if it’s in exchange for keeping one of the world’s most beloved cities safe.
Photo by Jay Buangan, CC-BY 2.0
Amanda Allbee is a travel intern for Paste and a freelance writer based out of Athens, Georgia.