Perret tower (Grenoble)

The Perret tower, with its 95 meters height and octagonal section, stands at the heart of Grenoble, in the Paul Mistral public park. Originally called La tour pour regarder les montagnes ('The tower for looking at the mountains'), it was the first tower built of reinforced concrete in Europe. Constructed for the International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism, it was the orientation tower and the symbol of the exhibition, which took place between May 21 and October 25, 1925.

Criticism arose during the construction of the Perret tower, but it was later deemed a success, costing half as much as the other buildings in the exhibition. The International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism showcased the generation and transmission of electricity and tourism. At the exhibition's opening on September 6, 1925, Prime Minister Paul Painlevé, Édouard Herriot, and André Hesse were present. More than 2,000 visitors reached the top of Perret Tower on the day of the opening.

Two lifts were used to carry visitors to the observation platform on Perret Tower. A floodlight was installed at the top of the tower to light the buildings during the exhibition. On September 6, 1925, Herriot and Hesse became stuck in one of the lifts, creating some panic. The International Exhibition of Hydropower and Tourism attracted more than a million visitors. The Perret tower is the only remnant of the exhibition.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons