Matchstick Eiffel Tower sets world record

Richard Plaud said he had been on an "emotional rollercoaster" this week, after spending 4,200 hours over eight years building a model of the Eiffel Tower from more than 706,000 matchsticks and 23kg of glue.

Eiffel Tower made of matchsticks by Richard Plaud

"For eight years, I always thought I was building the world's tallest matchstick tower," he told Reuters .

However, Guinness World Records initially said he did not use "commercially available" matches.

Plaud started by using commercial matches, cutting off the heads of each match. Tired of this tedious process, he asked the manufacturer if he could buy wooden sticks without heads, causing Guinness World Records to reject his record.

Richard Plaud and the Guinness World Record certificate

Richard Plaud, who works for the local council, wrote in French on his Facebook page: "The 'judges' of the Guinness Book of World Records gave their verdict without actually seeing how I did it. Disillusioned and disappointed. Explain to me that 706,900 individually connected rods are not matchsticks? And they are so cut that they are unrecognizable!"

The current record holder is Toufic Daher, from Lebanon - who made the 6.4-metre-high Eiffel Tower out of matchsticks in 2009 using 6 million matchsticks.

Richard Plaud spent 4,200 hours over 8 years building a model of the Eiffel Tower from more than 706,000 matchsticks and 23 kg of glue.

According to French newspaper Le Parisien , since December 2015, Plaud has been working hard to build the tower, aiming to surpass the 2009 record. Plaud told Le Parisien : "Setting a world record is a childhood dream. I always had it in my mind."

Plaud completed the tower on December 27, 2023, the 100th anniversary of the death of French engineer Gustave Eiffel - the creator of the world-famous Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/thap-eiffel-bang-que-diem-lap-ky-luc-the-gioi-185240209095625911.htm