The Leaning Tower of Pisa tilts at about a four-degree angle.
(Photo: ANTARTIS/DepositPhotos)
TheLeaning Tower of Pisahas long fascinated visitors from around the world.
Tourists arrive in droves to take photos creating the optical illusion of supporting the tilted building.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa tilts at about a four-degree angle. (Photo: ANTARTIS/DepositPhotos)
The tower has even been immortalized in more dignified fashions by the likes ofRene Magritte.
So, what is the history behind this symbol of Italy?
Discover over 800 years of Pisa history with these fascinating facts.
“Game of the Bridge, Pisa,” designed by Stefano della Bella, etched by Antonio Francesco Luccini , 1634. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
Read on for some fascinating facts about the medieval Leaning Tower of Pisa.
It was constructed between 1173 and 1399.
While any building project of this magnitude takes time, repeated wars interrupted the tower’s construction.
The Pisa Baptistry (left) and Pisa Cathedral (middle), part of the Campo dei Miracoli. (Photo: Florian Hirzinger viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
Over its construction, the tower passed through multiple generations of architects.
The tower is part of theCampo dei Miracoli, a cathedral complex.
The Pisa Baptistry (left) and Pisa Cathedral (middle), part of the Campo dei Miracoli.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, circa 1890-1900. (Photo:Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
After a successful military expedition, Pisa decided to build a magnificent cathedral known as theDuomo di Pisa.
It’s been leaning for over 800 years.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa, circa 1890-1900.
Galileo Galilei painted by Justus Sustermans, circa 1637. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
However, the tower actually began to lean as early as 1178when only three stories had been built.
Unfortunately, the choice of location had something to do with it.
It was anchored upon shifting clay and sandy soil which was not ideal for a 14-ton structure.
“Pisa,” by Sir Francis Seymour Haden, 1843-44. (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Public domain)
Galileo used the tower to test his physics theories.
Galileo Galilei painted by Justus Sustermans, circa 1637.
He dropped two equal-sized cannonballs of different masses to clock their impact.
Left: The Crocifisso bell, cast 1572. (Photo: Lonewolf1976 viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0) | Right: A loggia along the Tower. (Photo: Lonewolf1976 viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
The tower has survived at least four earthquakes.
Pisa, by Sir Francis Seymour Haden, 1843-44.
But surprisingly, the tower is still standing after at least four significant quakes.
Weighting down the Tower during restoration. (Photo: Rolf Gebhardt viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0)
In 2018, a team of engineers sought to understand why the tower never fell.
Theirpublished findingsclaim the sinking structure has dynamic soil-structure interaction.
It has seven bells.
The Leaning Tower of Zaragoza, Spain. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Left: The Crocifisso bell, cast 1572.
(Photo: Lonewolf1976 viaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 3.0) | Right: A loggia along the Tower.
The seven bells are perched at the top of the tower.
Photo: CITALLIANCE/DepositPhotos
The oldest was cast in 1262, and the most recent was recast in 2004.
Each bell is named.
The tower was stabilized and the lean was partially corrected in the 1990s.
Weighting down the Tower during restoration.
Over the years, significant efforts have been made to ensure the tower does not completely collapse.
From 1990 to 2001, the tower was closed to visitors while precise stabilization efforts were underway.
Seventy metric tons of dirt were removed from underneath the taller side of the tower.
When all was said and done, it was straightened by 17.7 inches.
The tower is not expected to require further stabilization for another couple hundred years.
There have been other leaning towers like that of Pisa.
The Leaning Tower of Zaragoza, Spain.
Leaning slightly more than that of Pisa, the medieval Leaning Tower of Suurhusen is still standing in Germany.
In India, one can still view the Leaning Temple of Huma in the state of Odisha.
A TikTok trend had people pretending it had fallen down.
Millions of users filmed themselves reacting to the fake news that the tower had fallen.
The tower can be visited (and climbed) near the medieval town of Pisa, Italy.
Photo: CITALLIANCE/DepositPhotos
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is open to visitors once more.
verify to check out this incredible historical site next time you are in Italy.
For even more history, nearby Pisa also boasts the medieval University of Pisa and countless museums.
