The unusual facts of 2024 in Aveyron: when the “Eiffel Tower” joined the town center of Capdenac

The ambitious project, initiated by a passionate carpenter, Alain Lacombe, has found its place as a structuring tourist facility in the city.

It all started in 2017 when Alain Lacombe, then president of the festival committee, took on the challenge of building an Eiffel Tower identical to the real one, but on a reduced scale. In his workshop, for two years, he painstakingly assembled each metal part to produce a faithful replica, made up of 10 tons of iron, 250 bolts and 600 kg of weld.

Two years later, the tower was completed, already overlooking the Rotunda area from its 28 meters high. It quickly became a source of pride for the town and a potential major tourist asset. In October 2023, the municipal council of Capdenac-Gare accepted the principle of donating the replica to the municipality, and in February 2024, elected officials approved its installation in the Locomotive parking lot, in the visual extension of rue de the Republic.

“A logistical challenge”

The tower move took place on June 18 and 19. “The size of the base of the tower posed a logistical challenge, making passage by public road logistically difficult”explains Benoît Falluel, director of technical services. The move was finally carried out in collaboration with the SNCF, which agreed to raise the tower above the railway tracks. After numerous technical meetings and

for safety, a 220-ton mobile crane was used. The ADLTP company managed the moving and lifting, while the Spie BatignollesGregory company carried out the structural work. The dismantling and reassembly were of course entirely monitored by its designer Alain Lacombe.