Energy crisis to cast Eiffel Tower into early darkness

The Eiffel Tower, whose twinkling lights define the night-time Paris skyline, is to fall dark earlier because of the energy crisis.

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 twinkles for five minutes on the hour from nightfall, thanks to 20,000 flashing bulbs.

The city hall is expected to propose that the tower fall dark at 11.45pm when the final visitors leave, meaning it will no longer twinkle at midnight.

The move to curtail the lighting is seen as a way to set an example for the reduction of city illumination in general.

The night-time lighting of the monument accounts for 4% of its annual energy consumption. The tower, which was completed in 1889, has returned to pre-Covid visitor numbers at more than 20,000 a day.

Other city authorities are also reducing the night-time lighting of important sites. Monuments in Marseille including the Pharo Palace will switch lights off earlier from the end of September in order to save energy.

In Berlin this summer, night-time lighting was reduced on several monuments, including the Victory Column, Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and the Jewish Museum.