Lean on This for a Second...

Aug. 12, 2010 - PRLog -- The leaning tower of Pisa is located in Pisa and is a tower that has gained its popularity due to its leaning nature.  It was originally built as a bell tower for the Cathedral of the city and is situated behind it.  It is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square after the Cathedral and Baptistry.

The tower is 55.68 metres high from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 metres on the highest side.  The width at the base of the tower is just over 4 meters, while at the top it's over 2 meters.  In order to get to the top of the tower you will need to climb 294 steps but it will be worth it as once you get up there you will have one of the best views in Pisa.  It is synonymous with Italy a symbol of the country and you find some of the most luxurious villas in Italy.

The construction of the tower went through three stages, which took around two centuries to complete.  The first floor was started in August 1173 AD, the tower started to lean as the third floor was being constructed in 1178.  This was due to the tower having a narrow base and the fact that it was being built on unstable soft soil.  In 1198 AD a few clocks were temporarily installed on the unfinished construction.  At the beginning of the 13th century the construction on the tower came to a stop due to continuous battles between Italy and her neighbouring cities such as Genoa, Lucca and Florence.  The good thing about this is that it allowed the soil to settle which was crucial as the tower would have toppled over. The bell chamber on the last was completed and installed in 1372 AD.  Over the years attempts to make the tower straight were made  but in the end they just settled on making the structure more stronger undergoing surface restoration.

In order to keep the structure secured they have relieved weight in the tower such as the bells being removed, cables cinched and taken away.  Also safety measures were taken apartments and houses in the path of the tower were vacated.  In 2008 they removed 70 metric tons of earth, engineers announced that the Tower is stable to the extent where it has stopped moving for the first time in history and stated it would be stable for the next 200 years.

The title of most lop sided building has been challenged a few times, two of them in Germany The 15th-century square leaning Tower of Suurhusen and the 14th century bell tower in the town of Bad Frankenhausen.  In 2009 Guinness World Records had measured both Pisa and Suurhusen and found that the Suurhusen was the most tilted out of the two thus taking the title although that title is short lived as the Capital Gate building in Dubai whereas the Pisa tilted at 1.32 degrees and the Suurhusen tower tilted at 3.97 degrees, the Capital Gate has been deliberately engineered to tilt on a 18 degree slope.