Eiffel Tower To Be Shielded By 2.5-Metre Glass Security Walls

The Eiffel Tower, the symbol of Paris, will soon be protected by bulletproof glass walls 2.5 metres (eight feet) high, part of a plan to prevent attacks at the monument, the city said Thursday.

The walls costing some 20 million euros ($21.4 million) will be erected this autumn at the northern and southern ends of the monument area, city hall said in a statement.

On the western and eastern sides, "inelegant temporary" barriers that were thrown up around the 324-metre (1,063-foot) tower during the Euro 2016 football tournament in France last year will be replaced by ornate fencing.

"The terror threat remains high in Paris, and the most vulnerable sites, starting with the Eiffel Tower, must be the object of special security measures," deputy mayor Jean-Francois Martins told a press conference.

The glass walls will prevent individuals or vehicles storming the site visited by six million people each year, he added.