Eiffel Tower Will Go Dark Early

Paris is taking steps to reduce power consumption by at least 10% amid an energy crisis—and the city's most famous monument is not exempt. Mayor Anne Hidalgo said Tuesday that as of next week, the Eiffel Tower will be going dark earlier than usual, CBS reports. The tower is normally illuminated from nightfall to 1am and twinkles for five minutes every hour. The lights will now be switched off at 11:45pm, leaving it dark at midnight. With energy costs soaring due to the war in Ukraine, Paris also plans to turn off the lights in municipal buildings at 10pm. The set temperatures in some public buildings will be adjusted, though buildings like nursing homes will be exempt.

The lighting accounts for just 4% of the tower's annual energy consumption, but officials say having it go dark early will send a strong message. "It’s a highly symbolic gesture—part of the growing awareness around energy sobriety," says Jean-Francois Martins, the head of the tower’s management, per the Guardian. Paris says it is facing the worst energy crisis since the 1970s, with prices at the end of August more than 10 times higher than a year earlier. "Faced with the risk of shortages, a national sobriety effort at all levels must be put in place," the city said. (More Eiffel Tower stories.)