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France's Eiffel Tower's stairway section sold for 5 mln euros

Xinhua, November 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

An Asian collector paid five million euros (5.28 million U.S. dollars) on Tuesday for a section of the Eiffel Tower's spiral staircase, Artcurial auction house said.

Composed of 14 steps, the 2.6-meter high section once linked the second and third storeys of the Paris landmark "French Iron Lady" built in 1889.

The section of the staircase that Gustave Eiffel climbed to inaugurate the monument was removed in 1983 when elevators were installed. The staircase was cut into 20 sections and the 13th piece was sold on Tuesday.

The different sections are displayed at "prestigious locations around the world," with one piece in Foundation Yoishii in Yamanashi, Japan and another near the Statue of Liberty in New York, according to the auction room.

"The auction battle on the phone and in the room, and then the exceptional result of this Eiffel Tower's staircase shows the deep attachment of international collectors to French culture and an interest that is as strong as ever for the most emblematic monument in Paris and our country," said Francois Trajan, deputy chairman of Artcurial. Endit