The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located next to the Cathedral of Pisa in the City of Pisa, Italy. It took 199 years to build the tower. The construction began in August 1173. The foundation of this tower is only 3 meter deep which was built on a dens clay mixture. The tower began to lean in 1178 as the clay was not strong enough to hold it upright.
Originally it was called only the Tower of Pisa but after getting its tilt, it became the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The original completed height of the tower is approximately 60 meters, 56.67m on the higher side and 55.86m on the lower side.
Quick Facts: –
- There are 8 stories and a total of 251 steps from its bottom to the top.
- Weight of the tower is approximately 14,500 tons.
- There are a total of seven bells inside the tower. Each represents one note of the musical major scale.
- The tower didn’t begin to lean because of a faulty design. The real reason is, it is built on a silty subsoil ground.
- Germans used the tower as a lookout during World War I.
- It cannot be said for sure who built the tower because the records are not exactly clear.
- The top of the tower is more than 3.9 meters off the vertical.
- The tower curved slightly as many architects attempted to keep it from leaning more or falling over.
- The tilt in the structure kept getting worse.
- It was originally built as a freestanding bell tower for the cathedral in Pisa.
- Engineers have stated that the tower is currently stable.
