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A souvenir can technically be whatever kind of keepsake you want, and while most people might opt for a T-shirt, fridge magnet, or bottle of local wine, some hard-core and cash-rich Francophiles will be interested in something a little more substantial.
The Eiffel Tower was constructed way back in the 1880s ahead of the 1889 World’s Fair, and French engineer Gustav Eiffel designed it with three main floors. This was obviously in the era before elevators, so climbing all the way to the third floor meant one hell of a lot of stairs.
Today, those connecting the ground and the first plus the first and the second have been restored and modernised, but what about the whirling spiral staircases connecting the second and third floors (where Eiffel placed his office)? Well, those were removed from the building in 1983, chopped up into 24 individual parts, replaced with elevators and sold at auction.
Recommended: You can now walk across the Eiffel Tower via a new suspension bridge.
Most of them were, at least. One remains on the Eiffel Tower’s first floor, and the Musee d’Orsay, La Villette and the Iron History Museum in Jarville-la-Malgrange each possess a portion of it, too. The rest are scattered all over the planet, in places such as Disneyland and the Yoishii Foundation gardens in Japan – and, soon, one lucky person’s living room.
A buyer of one of the original 20 sold is flogging his at auction. Having been in possession of the 8.5 foot section for over four decades, the anonymous seller has decided to part ways with the memorabilia. So, mark your calendars for May 21, everyone – French auction house Artcurial is hosting the auction, and according to artnet, it could fetch up to €50,000.
Have other chunks of the Eiffel Tower’s spiral staircases been sold?
Yes – this is actually the fifth sale by Artcurial of the staircase pieces since 2013. A 19-step segment sold for €212,458 that year, but in 2016 an eye-watering €523,800 was fetched for an 8.5 foot piece, after a brutal bidding war.
More on Paris news
Paris’s Museum of Romantic Life has just reopened, and next up is a brand-new space dedicated to sculptor Giacometti. The city was named as the best place for a romantic city break this year, oh, and it’s home to what Time Out named as the very best thing to do in the world this year – read more in our guide from Time Out Paris.
📍 Check out Time Out’s guide to the best things to do in Paris.
Plus: The world’s most essential streets for a stroll have been named by The Telegraph.
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