Whaou! The Eiffel Tower Just Got 20 Feet Taller

On the morning of March 15, 2022, a helicopter lowered a large antenna into the hands of workers harnessed to the top of the Eiffel Tower, where they fastened it to the structure. The antenna is six meters tall, which means that the Eiffel Tower has added an extra 20 feet to its height, taking it from 1063 feet to its current 1083. 

It’s still far from being the world’s tallest building. That title, as Travel + Leisure reports, is held by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, a gleaming skyscraper that measures approximately 2716 feet. In fact, the Eiffel Tower isn’t even the tallest structure in France: The Millau Viaduct, which also happens to be the tallest bridge in the world, boasts a high point of roughly 1115 feet. 

But the goal of this new antenna wasn’t to move the Eiffel Tower up in any height rankings. Instead, according to a statement released on the landmark’s website, it aims to “improve the quality of digital radio coverage for Paris and the Île-de-France region.” The antenna, which is owned by transmission company TDF, will make it easier to send radio signals for DAB+, a high-tech, high-efficiency form of digital audio broadcasting that has gained popularity in recent years.

The Eiffel Tower’s previous increases in stature have also been the result of technological advancements. In 1957, broadcasting dishes and a radio transmitter gave the tower a 26-foot boost, for a total height of 1050 feet; an ultra high frequency antenna installed in 2000 added another 13 feet.

No matter how tall the Eiffel Tower is, it’s technically illegal for photographers to snap photos of it at night—find out why here.

[h/t Travel + Leisure]