Strike Closes Eiffel Tower Down on 100th Anniversary of Creator Death

This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)
This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)
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Strike Closes Eiffel Tower Down on 100th Anniversary of Creator Death

This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)
This photograph taken on December 27, 2023 in Paris shows the reflection of tourists and the Eiffel Tower in a board informing visitors that the site is closed after staff went on strike. (AFP)

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of its creator's death, due to a strike, the company that oversees the tower, Societe d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), said on the website of Paris' most famous landmark.

"A symbolic action on a symbolic date," said the CGT union in a statement, adding that staff members wanted to call out the current financial management of SETE.

They said they feared poor decisions could lead to a cash shortage, due in part to a lack of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to expensive repairs needed on the historical building.

The statement added that if the city did not revise its management, the tower could be closed during Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The wrought-iron 324-meter (1,063 ft) high tower, built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 19th century, is among the most visited tourist sites in the world, welcoming about six million visitors each year.



Paris' Orsay Museum Opens up the Wonders of Art Restoration to the Public Gaze

Art restorers work on Gustave Courbet's painting titled "A Burial at Ornans" (Un enterrement a Ornans), created between 1849 and 1850, at the Orsay Museum in Paris on May 7, 2025. (AFP)
Art restorers work on Gustave Courbet's painting titled "A Burial at Ornans" (Un enterrement a Ornans), created between 1849 and 1850, at the Orsay Museum in Paris on May 7, 2025. (AFP)
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Paris' Orsay Museum Opens up the Wonders of Art Restoration to the Public Gaze

Art restorers work on Gustave Courbet's painting titled "A Burial at Ornans" (Un enterrement a Ornans), created between 1849 and 1850, at the Orsay Museum in Paris on May 7, 2025. (AFP)
Art restorers work on Gustave Courbet's painting titled "A Burial at Ornans" (Un enterrement a Ornans), created between 1849 and 1850, at the Orsay Museum in Paris on May 7, 2025. (AFP)

As they painstakingly scrape grime off a monumental painting by French artist Gustave Courbet, the restorers do a remarkable job of ignoring their unusual surroundings: They're watched by crowds of people, many recording on mobile phones.

Paris' Orsay Museum has thrown open to the public a process that often happens behind closed doors.

The cleaning and repairs to "A Burial at Ornans," one of the museum's signature works that Courbet painted between 1849 and 1850, are taking place in a bespoke enclosure with windows for visitors to peer through.

"A great idea," said Jennifer Dasal, a visiting art historian from North Carolina. "If it’s lasting for a while, people can come back and they can watch the restoration over time."

The restoration is expected to take about a year. The painting hasn't had a major overhaul for about 50 years. Layers of varnish that yellowed over time have dulled Courbet's colors. The weight of the huge work has deformed its frame, and its canvas has stitching, folds and tears that need attention.

The museum also plans free guided tours of their work for those who register on its website, with three time slots every Thursday morning from June 5.