Paris city hall is expected to propose this week that the monument, which is among the world’s most visited, should go dark more than an hour earlier than usual as Europe faces spiraling energy costs exacerbated by the invasion of of Russia in Ukraine. The Eiffel Tower is currently illuminated after dark until 1am. by an elaborate lighting system that gives it a golden glow. In addition, the monument glows for five minutes an hour after dark, thanks to 20,000 flashing bulbs. The town hall is expected to propose that the tower go dark at 11.45pm when the final visitors leave, meaning it will no longer glow at midnight. The Eiffel Tower went dark on Thursday night – an extraordinary measure – to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The move to limit lighting is seen as a way to set an example for reducing the city’s lighting in general. Jean-François Martins, head of tower management, said: “It’s a highly symbolic gesture – part of the growing awareness around energy sobriety.” The night lighting of the monument represents 4% of its annual energy consumption. The tower, which was completed in 1889, has returned to pre-Covid visitor numbers of more than 20,000 a day. Other city authorities are also reducing nighttime lighting of important sites. Monuments in Marseille, including the Pharo Palace, will turn off their lights earlier than the end of September to save energy. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In Berlin this summer, nighttime lighting was dimmed at several monuments, including the Victory Column, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Jewish Museum.
