Leaning Tower of Pisa

cathedral bell tower in Pisa, Italy

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a building in Pisa, Italy. It is a bell tower. It is famous for its nearly four-degree lean. In 1990 the tower was leaning at 5.5 degrees and increasing. After that, much restoration work has been done to stop it from falling over completely. There was scaffolding all around the tower for 20 years. On 26 April 2011, the last bit of scaffolding was removed so that the tower can be seen properly again.[1]

Leaning Tower of Pisa
Religion
AffiliationRoman Catholic
DistrictTuscany
ProvincePisa
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusopen
Location
Location Italy
Geographic coordinates43°43′24″N 10°23′39″E / 43.72333°N 10.39417°E / 43.72333; 10.39417
Architecture
Architect(s)Bonanno Pisano
Groundbreaking1173
Completed1372
Specifications
Height (max)55.86 metres (183.3 ft)
Materialsmarble,stone
Website
http://www.opapisa.it/en/home-page.html

The height of the tower is about 56 metres from the ground. Its weight is about 14,500 tons. It now leans at about 88 degrees. The tower has 294 steps.

The tower construction began in 1173.[2] When the second floor was built in 1178, the tower started to lean. This was because it had a small three-meter foundation in soft soil. The design of this tower was bad from the beginning. Construction was stopped for almost 100 years because the people of Pisa were often at war with Genoa, Lucca, and Florence.

There is an old story that Galileo Galilei used the Tower for a physics experiment.

Why it is leaning change

The reason why it's leaning is because of the weak, unstable subsoil.

Earthquake survival change

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has survived four earthquakes since 1280.

Some photos change

 
External loggia
 
A tourist next to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in June 2009
 
The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Related pages change

References change

  1. "Standing corrected" in The Independent, 27 April 2011 p.31
  2. "Architecture of Leaning Tower of Pisa". Retrieved 2023-08-22.