Piece of Eiffel Tower to be sold at auction

Everyone can buy a copy of miniature Eiffel Towers, but one lucky bidder will soon be able to buy a piece of the real thing.

Photo: Piece of Eiffel Tower to be sold at auction

A section of the winding iron staircase that Gustave Eiffel climbed to inaugurate the monument in 1889 will be sold at the Hotel Drouot auction house on Monday.

In 1983, the 1,911-step staircase was removed to make room for new elevators and was cut into 24 pieces that were auctioned off to museums and collectors around the world.

The 4.5-meter (14.7-foot) piece for sale once helped link the monument's second and third levels and may be the last piece available to the public, said auctioneer Remi Ader. It is expected to sell for between 20,000 EUR and 30,000 EU(US$29,000 and US$44,000), Ader said.

The 312-meter (1024-foot) Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris that celebrated the centennial of the French Revolution. About 6 million people visit the landmark every year.