10 World Famous Landmarks That Were Almost Destroyed

8. The Eiffel Tour Was Petitioned To Be Destroyed

The iron-lattice structure that dominates the Paris skyline is now synonymous with the French capital - but originally the Eiffel Tour was only supposed to be left standing for 20 years, and there were even petitions to have it destroyed. In 2011, 6.98million people ascended the 324-metre tower - making it the most-visited paid-for monument in the world - yet it very nearly did not get "off the ground". Designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel, it was erected as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair and became the tallest man-made structure on the planet (a title it held until the Chrysler Building was completed in New York City in 1930). However, many key figures of the French arts establishment - including Adolphe Bouguereau and Guy de Maupassant - were disgusted by the design and signed a petition to first prevent it being constructed, and then to have it destroyed. Paris' residents eventually came to love the tower, and accepted it as a landmark of the city - but it was nearly destroyed again in 1940 when Adolf Hitler demanded it to be torn following France's surrender in World War II. Luckily though this order was never carried through.