It turns out that in France one can buy not only residential and commercial real estate, but also a piece of the world 's most famous landmark. Staircase of 19 steps once used on the Eiffel Tower was sold for €170,000, according to ee24.com citing The Local.
Before 1983, soft security rules were in action, and at winter time tourists used a spiral staircase instead of lift to climb the tower. According to historian and architect Bertrand Lemoine, climbing the staircase was so dizzy that sightseers felt themselves literally between the sky and the ground.
30 years ago, the staircase was dismantled and divided into 24 parts. One remained in the tower as a historical heritage, three parts were sent to Paris museums, and the remaining 20 parts were decided to be auctioned.
Now one of parts, of 3.5 m height and 750 kg weight, was sold. The organizers planned to gain from €27,000 to €40,000 but at the last they got €170,000. Collector from Portugal who's bought the monument, hopes to resell it at a higher price.