Giant Eiffel Tower replica presented at Burning Man to be auctioned in Paris

“Eiffela Broken Dream,” a gigantic replica of the Eiffel Tower split in two and presented at the end of August at the Burning Man festival in Nevada, United States, will be sold at auction in Paris on September 14, the auction house announced Tuesday, according to AFP.

This one-tenth-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, created by French entrepreneur Philippe Maindron, is impressive in its monumental dimensions: 15 meters high and 30 meters long, equivalent to a 10-story building lying on the ground, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

Named “Eiffela Broken Dream,” it is made up of 5,000 metal pieces and more than 10,000 bolts, representing 30 tons of steel.

Ever since it was displayed in the middle of the desert during the 40th edition of the Burning Man festival, which ended on September 7, the creation has sparked a wave of discussion online.

“It’s surreal. Eiffela has gone around the world thanks to social media; I didn’t expect that,” Philippe Maindron told AFP. He has four other Eiffel Tower replicas in his portfolio.

“We came from Los Angeles to see it with our own eyes. It’s amazing,” said Ashley and Matthew, two festival participants interviewed during Burning Man.

In a “chaotic” world shaken by “climate, economic and war-related crises,” the Eiffel Tower “decided to travel around the world,” Philippe Maindron explained. “Eventually, it crashed in the Nevada desert at Black Rock City. That’s how Eiffela Broken Dream was born, a symbol of a new and better world.”

During the festival, held from August 30 to September 7, several marriage proposals took place in front of the creation, which also hosted performances by dozens of artists.

The project represented a major logistical challenge. Disassembled into separate pieces, the metal bars traveled 10,000 kilometers in containers to reach the Burning Man site on August 28, where they were assembled.

Eiffela will be completely dismantled before being put up for auction by auctioneer Aymeric Rouillac. “The buyer of this creation will choose its final destination,” he explained. According to Rouillac, the cost of these operations could exceed €50,000, based on the estimate.

The auction, which will have a starting price of €435,000, will take place in front of the real Eiffel Tower. Philippe Maindron, 66, says he took out “a bank loan” and invested “all his savings, more than €435,000,” to build the project he had dreamed of.

Photo: Eiffela Broken Dream/facebook