Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa not fall and even withstand earthquakes? Leaning Tower of Pisa Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa fall briefly.

When I was in Pisa, the view of the tower simply enchanted me - a photo cannot fully convey its charm, lightness and intricacy. The columns are so massive that they cannot be grasped, but from a distance they seem like just a weightless lace pattern. But, alas, the building was designed with an unfortunate mistake and on completely unsuitable soil, which is why the tower tilted even at the time of its construction. After the builders erected the third floor of the structure, it suddenly fell to the side.

Nowadays, the fact of the possible fall of the Leaning Tower of Pisa has given rise to many jokes, however, perhaps even its builders could not take their creation seriously - the tower was built for more than two hundred years and in order to level (at least visually) this structure, they came up with many tricks - sometimes very ridiculous and absurd from the point of view of engineering and architecture. For example, some floors of the Leaning Tower of Pisa were deliberately built askew - taller and more massive columns were placed towards the slope. But how could this hide such an annoying defect?

As a result, the Leaning Tower of Pisa not only was not leveled during its construction, but also continued to inevitably tilt more and more. The result is visible today - now the difference between the vertical projection and the edge of the base of the tower is approximately 5 meters - a tilt that is visible to the naked eye and looks very scary - as if the pompous building is really about to fall. But she doesn't fall. Why? The merit of modern engineers.

When the decision was made to stop the fall of the tower, there were various and, at times, very unusual projects for strengthening it. Engineers, architects and simple dreamers proposed:

1. level the tower by partially reconstructing it;
2. install some kind of supporting frame;
3. “unfold” the structure so that it begins to settle in the opposite direction and eventually levels itself out.

But all these ideas were rejected, since the Italians did not want to lose the authenticity of their architectural monument or somehow disfigure it by erecting fortifications or supports. They chose a series of reconstructions and strengthening works as acceptable measures, which, by the way, even “leveled” the tower by one degree. About two decades ago the following measures were taken:

• the foundation of the tower and the soil around it were strengthened;
• Lead counterweights have been installed that balance the building and seem to pull it back.

Today, the famous symbol of Pisa has practically stopped tilting (compared to the previous rate of its fall, the tower began to deviate from the vertical axis at a snail’s pace - 1 mm per year), but work has not stopped. This can be observed by endless tourists who are very upset when the tower turns out to be closed from visiting its internal apartments - work is underway and for the safety of the curious they are not allowed in. But maybe one day it will be possible to stop the fall of the tower altogether. True, its slope will still be left - everyone is familiar with this appearance of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Thus, the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa does not fall simply because it is not allowed to fall! I want to preserve this “architectural embarrassment” both for history and simply for the joy of all the inhabitants of the world.

However, scientists are not yet very optimistic in their forecasts - like all ancient objects, the Leaning Marble Tower of Pisa is collapsing and may well fall, even despite all the preventive measures and work to strengthen it. However, this will happen, with careful care of the structure, no earlier than in about five hundred years. So the tower will delight more than one generation of tourists with its unusual appearance.

I have also seen other forecasts that futurologists give to this Pisa architectural miracle - for example, in the film “Life After People”, if all of humanity suddenly mysteriously disappears on earth, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, continuing to tilt, will collapse in 250 years. But we will all Let us hope that humanity will not disappear, and that engineers will one day come up with a way to forever protect this outlandish building from destruction.

The most famous landmark Italian city Pisa (Pisa, region of Tuscany) is its Tower. It is known primarily for the fact that it does not stand strictly vertically, but at an angle from the main axis. After all, if it were not for this flaw, it is unlikely that crowds of thousands of tourists would come every year to look at this “falling” landmark that has become a global landmark.

Not everyone knows that the “leaning” tower is not a separate structure, but part of an architectural ensemble. In addition to the tower itself, which is actually a bell tower or campanella (from the Italian word campanella, What means bell), it includes (Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta), (Battistero di San Giovanni), (Campo Santo) and (Piazza dei Miracoli) on which it is all located. The bell tower is located near the northeast corner of the cathedral. And the entire ensemble is considered a world masterpiece of Italian architecture of the Middle Ages, which has had big influence for the development of culture in Italy.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has been falling for eight centuries. Because of this, the Italians themselves call it a “protracted miracle.” The deviation increases by one millimeter every year. In total, the building deviated from its axis by more than five meters, which is not so little. But, no matter what, the campanella survived even today and is open to the public.

Since its construction, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has become almost a symbol of the city. Its construction began in August 1173, in the middle of a green meadow on the outskirts of Pisa, along with the city's cathedral and baptismal church. Including interruptions, the duration of the work was about two centuries. The bell tower was finally ready in 1370.

It is not known for certain who was the author of the original project. However, historical chronicles suggest that it could be Bonanno Pisano ( Bonanno Pisano ) . Today, it is no longer possible to determine whether the curvature of the building was intended initially or was formed as a result of soil subsidence. Although the second option looks more plausible. Most likely, the original project was already mistaken in some ways. And the tower was originally planned as vertical.

However, almost immediately after the construction of the first floor with a colonnade 11 meters high, the structure began to tilt towards the south. And at first it was only four centimeters. After this, construction work was suspended and resumed only 100 years later. In 1275, when the tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was already 50 centimeters, they tried to correct the situation. For this purpose, when constructing subsequent floors, an excess of 10 centimeters in height on the side of the roll was taken into account. Unfortunately, this did not help much, and the construction of the bell tower had to be stopped ahead of schedule, reducing it by four floors from the original project.

Architectural features

The Romano-Pisan style of the Leaning Tower of Pisa amazes everyone with its grace and beauty. The height of its eight tiers after completion of construction was 58 meters 36 centimeters. In the highest part the height is 56 meters 70 centimeters, and in the lowest part - 55 meters 90 centimeters.

The diameter of the base of the bell tower, which has a cylindrical shape, is 15 meters 54 centimeters. The thickness of the external walls at the base is 4 meters 90 centimeters, and at the top - 2 meters 48 centimeters. Its deviation from the vertical axis at the base level is 4 meters, and at the top level - 5 meters 30 centimeters. The campanella is raised to the upper level 294 steps. And from there, tourists who have completed the climb will see beautiful view on the Field of Miracles and the immediate surroundings.

The entire tower is made of stone and decorated with colored marble (light gray and white). At its entrance there are bas-reliefs depicting mythical animal figures. The top of the lunette is decorated with a statue of the Madonna and Child by Andrea Guardi ( Andrea Guardi). The first tier is bordered by blind arches with fifteen semi-columns and decorated with caissons, inside of which you can see rosettes identical to the decorations on the baptistery and the cathedral. The six subsequent floors are surrounded by decorative Romanesque arcades. Their grace is reminiscent of Byzantine architecture. The building is crowned by a belfry, cut through with arches for seven bells. Their weight ranges from 300 kilograms to 3.5 tons. In addition, each of them has its own name and tone. Subsequent ones joined it already in the 16th and 17th centuries. By the way, they are all in working order and still delight tourists with their ringing.

Bells

The very first one was cast in the mid-13th century. His note is G-flat, and his name is Pasquereccia ( Pasquereccia). Second Terza ( Terza) with the note B sharp appeared in 1473. Little Vespuccio ( Vespruccio) with the note E was smelted in 1501. Crocifisso ( Crocifisso) with the note C-sharp was made by master Vincenzo Posenti ( Vincenzo Posenti), and in 1818 it was melted down by Gualandi da Prato.

Dal Pozo ( Dal Pozzo) – the salt note was made in 1606. It was destroyed during the bombing of World War II. After the war it was restored and sent to a museum. And in its place in 2004 an exact copy appeared. Assunta ( Assunta) with the note B - the largest of the seven bells, appeared thanks to Giovanni Pietro Orlandi. The last addition to the belfry was San Ranieri (note D-sharp). Moreover, it was repeatedly melted down. The last time this happened was in 1735.

Since the cathedral, to which the Pisa Bell Tower belongs, is active, before each mass, as well as at noon, everyone can hear the chime of these bells. It is interesting that in the Middle Ages the bells did not ring simultaneously, but each at its own specially established liturgical hour.

Tower Rescue

After the completion of the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the city authorities faced new problem: how to prevent it from falling?

This question became especially relevant after the hurricane that swept over Pisa and moved the tower by a fraction of a millimeter in just one day. For this purpose, a special competition was even announced among scientists, architects and just ordinary citizens, which accepted ideas for saving the tower. The main condition for stopping the “fall” was maintaining the slope of the structure. Indeed, by this time the “protracted miracle” had become a symbol of Pisa and its main attraction. In response to the call, many proposals were received, and everything was there.

For example, building a sculpture of a would-be architect near the tower so that he could hold his unsuccessful creation. Or attach a huge one to the top of the bell tower balloon, which would support the structure without allowing it to deviate. In one of the options, it was proposed to run a tram around the tower, which would compact the soil with its weight so that the tower would not shrink further. A number of ideas boiled down to building a similar one near the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but tilted in the opposite direction so that they would support each other.

The strangest and most curious projects, of course, were abandoned. Leaving only those proposals that were based on scientific achievements. At the end of the 20th century, the incredible efforts of scientists yielded results. It was found that under the southern side of the foundation the soil is much softer compared to the northern side. With the help of additional steel cables, insuring the structure from falling, part of the soil from under the northern foundation was very carefully and painstakingly removed. As a result of the subsidence of the tower after preparatory work on the north side, the slope was reduced by about 50 centimeters, rejuvenating the tower by a couple of hundred years. After this, the cables, counterweights and supports were removed. Today, the pride of Pisa is in almost stable condition.

Working hours

Due to the threat of destruction, visiting the campanella was banned in 1990. The re-opening took place in December 2001.

Today the Leaning Tower of Pisa is ready to receive tourists all year round.

• April-September: from 8-30 to 20-30.
• October-March: from 9-00 to 17-00.

From June 14 to September 15 there are separate night visits. From closing until 23-00. This initiative was introduced to allow tourists to enjoy the view from the observation deck of the Leaning Tower of Pisa at sunset. At this time, the city is illuminated with a thousand lights and appears in a completely different image.

Official website of the Leaning Tower of Pisa: www.opapisa.it/it/la-piazza-dei-miracoli/torre-pendente/larchitettura.html

How to get inside - ticket prices

Due to the fact that tens of millions of euros were spent on trying to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the cost of visiting this attraction is also quite high. Today it is 18 euros and, according to forecasts, can only increase. If you decide to visit inside, do not forget that no more than 30-40 people can be there at the same time.

Despite the considerable cost, it is still worth taking care of tickets in advance. Excursions are most often already scheduled a day in advance. And coming to the tower early in the morning, you will, at best, have the opportunity to take a ticket for the evening. In summer, the situation only becomes more complicated.

Tower from inside

It is worth arriving at the starting point of the excursion to the Leaning Tower of Pisa in advance. This is due to the fact that you will (necessarily) have to hand over all your belongings to the storage room (it is located in the next building). You can only take a photo or video camera with you. And women's handbags (including the smallest ones) are strictly prohibited.

Perhaps this is done so that visitors to the tower do not have the desire to put themselves in Galileo’s place and throw something off the top.

Upon entering, you can see that the foot of the stairs is quite wide. It rises up the inner circumference of the tower. Despite the fairly comfortable steps, many people experience dizziness after a while. I always want to grab the walls on both sides so as not to fall. The steps are made of natural marble. However, since this material is mainly used for decorative purposes, it could not withstand the pressure of millions of visitors, and in some places it is severely worn out. With each step, the width of the stairs decreases. On the last tier it is about 40 centimeters.

The inside of the tower is hollow and the staircase wraps around it in a spiral. There are viewing windows along the inner wall that allow you to look into this frightening void. After the fifth tier it is allowed to go to the outside observation decks. For reliability and safety, they are covered with mesh and fences. Some remain in the belfry (penultimate tier) and do not rise to the very top. But in vain. Because for those who overcome the final test, the view simply takes their breath away. There is no mesh, and the height of the fence is only waist-high. Nothing prevents you from enjoying the view. From above, the cross of the cathedral is clearly visible. And only at the very top can you realize how uneven the surface is under your feet.

After the pleasure you have received, you should take a deep breath and prepare for the last test - the descent down. On each tier there are special people regulating one-way traffic. That is, the movement alternates either up or down. It's more difficult to go down. Worn marble is an excellent basis for sliding, increasing the chance of sliding down. So be very careful.

If you don’t feel the strength to rise to the top, try visiting the “Hall of Fish”. The room was named so because of the fish depicted on the bas-relief located inside. Hall for a long time was closed to visitors due to the instruments located in it, with the help of which the tilt of the tower was constantly monitored. A hole in the ceiling allows you to watch the starry sky over Pisa during a night visit to the tower.

An evening visit to the campanella includes a tour of the Santo Campo Memorial Cemetery. It is used not only for burying the dead, but also for life training seminars. There you can examine and ponder the cycles of frescoes on the walls, which have special lighting.

How to get to the tower

• The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located at: Piazza del Duomo, 56126 Pisa

If you are planning to visit Campanella, and it is located slightly away from the main tourist routes, try to set aside at least a day for this. After all, in this small town there is not only a leaning tower.

From the station you can reach the main attraction of the city in 40 minutes on foot. If you don’t want to walk, you can use public transport. It will take you to the Pisa Rossore station, from which it is just a stone's throw from where you want to go.

• See instructions:

Why does it fall

One thing is associated with the appearance of the Leaning Tower of Pisa interesting story. It tells the story of how Master Pisano was asked to design and build a bell tower for a cathedral under construction. The architect did his best. He erected an elegant tower straight as an arrow. However, the Catholic clergy who ordered this work did not want to pay the master. The disgruntled architect turned around to leave. But finally, he turned around, waved his hand and said to the tower: “Come with me!” And in front of surprised witnesses, the campanile bent down in an attempt to take the first step.

Galileo Galilei

It is also reliably known that it was in Pisa in 1564 that the future famous scientist (Galileo Galilei) was born. Historical chronicles tell us that at that time a simple physicist and philosopher conducted various experiments with the help of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. He threw objects of various weights and volumes down from the top of the bell tower in order to prove his theory that the weight of a body falling down does not affect the speed of the fall.

Everything architectural complex, which includes the Leaning Tower of Pisa, was awarded UNESCO status at the end of 1986 World Heritage.

It turns out there are three of them

Surprisingly, there are not one “falling” buildings, namely bell towers in Pisa, but three. We have already discussed the first in detail. The second is located in the pine park area of ​​Piagge (le Piagge). This is the campanile of the Church of St. Michael ( San Michele degli Scalzi).

The third bell tower is lost on the oldest street of the city and belongs to the Church of St. Nicholas ( San Nicola). Its curvature is not so “catchy” because of the dense surrounding of other buildings. All the structures tilted at the time of construction in the distant past due to the heterogeneity of the soil and groundwater.

In total, about 300 “leaning” towers can be found in the world. Among them are the clock tower in Izmir (Turkey), Big Ben (England), the towers of Bologna, the Nevyansk tower (Russia). However, it is the “falling” one that has gained the greatest worldwide fame. Leaning Tower of Pisa ( Torre pendente di Pisa) .

Photo against the background

And finally, a reminder: don’t forget about the Pisa “falling” beauty. After all, photos against her background have become almost classics. With some effort, you may even be able to straighten the tower. After all, the angle of inclination in the photo will depend on the side from which the photo was taken. For example, if you stand on the north or south side of the campanile, then next to you there will be an absolutely level structure. But the western and eastern sides provide the opportunity to see the “zest” of the attraction in all its glory. By showing your imagination or at least wandering through the Internet, you will undoubtedly be able to create your own composition with the Pisa Bell Tower.

How to get to Pisa

• from : fastest by high speed train with central station Roma Termini FRECCIABIANCA for 37 euros - travel time 3 hours, or regional for 23 euros - 4 hours. If you plan your trip 2-3 months in advance, you can buy a high-speed train ticket for only 9 euros. Also, the train, costing 22 euros, departs daily from Roma Trastevere station. Tickets can be purchased directly at the station up to 7 days in advance. Read.
• from Florence: From the Firenze Santa Maria Novella station there is a train that costs 8 euros every day, 2 times an hour, the travel time is about an hour.
• from Milan: from Milano Centrale station the fastest way is by train FRECCIAROSSA with a transfer to the train in Florence at the Firenze Santa Maria Novella station. Travel time is a little over 3 hours. Cost 48-65 euros (27-37 euros for 3 months) depending on the time of day. Slower speed option - regional train for 34 euros (9 euros in advance), the journey takes 4 hours. Read.
• from Rimini: Most likely you will have to travel with transfers in Bologna and Florence, since there is no direct connection. The journey will take you about 4 hours. One-way tickets cost 39-53 euros. An alternative option is to rent a car at the airport for 50-60 euros per day and get there on your own without being tied to trains. .
• from Genoa: from Genova Piazza Principe station by regional or high-speed train for 15-20 euros. Travel time is about 2 hours.

Specify current schedule trains in Italy can be found on the official website in the TUTTI I TRENI section. See instructions without intermediaries.

Where to stay in Pisa?

Most often, tourists come to Pisa for one day, this option allows you to tick off and take a photo with the leaning tower in the background, but in order to visit other equally significant attractions of the city and feel its atmosphere, we recommend that you stay in Pisa for at least 1 day by booking hotel on Booking.com. The cost of decent accommodation options is between 60-100 euros. You can find a hotel near the tower using a special link. As an idea: come to Pisa at lunchtime, walk around the city, look around, have dinner in the evening, and at dawn take a walk and take a photo at the most popular places. Next to the hotel for breakfast and home.

Happy travels and photography!

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa is located in the city of Pisa (Italy) ten kilometers from Ligurian Sea and has long been considered an unofficial symbol of the city. She enters architectural ensemble Square of Miracles, consisting of the Cathedral of the Assumption Holy Virgin Mary (the tower is the bell tower of this church), the baptismal chapel of the Baptistery of San Giovanni and the Campo Santo cemetery.

Qukita92/CC0

In total, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has eight floors and its height is 58.36 m.

The diameter of the tower at the base is about 15.5 m. The structure deviates from the vertical axis by almost five meters (after restoration work, the angle of inclination decreased). The outer walls below are about five meters thick, at the top - 2.5 m. The outer walls of the building are decorated with marble. Near the entrance to the bell tower, on the walls there are bas-reliefs carved with fantastic animals, and above the doorway there is a sculpture of Mary and Child, added in the 15th century.

The wall of the lower floor of the building is decorated with blind arches with 15 semi-columns; the arches located on the next six floors, each of which has thirty columns, “rest” on them. The building is crowned with an elegantly decorated belfry with seven bells.

In the middle of the tower there is a huge number of covered galleries, connected by arches decorated with various ornaments. At the very bottom of the building is the Hall of Fish, which got its name because of the bas-relief of a fish, one of the symbols of Christianity, carved on the wall.

Since services in the cathedral to which the tower belongs are still held, seven bells are ringing before each service in the city. Now they ring at the same time, whereas previously each of them was assigned their own Mass.

The famous tilt of the tower arose due to design flaws - the depth of the foundation was only three meters, and the soil under southern part The building was too loose, and after the construction of the third floor the tower tilted.

To compensate for the tilt, subsequent floors were built with higher corridor ceilings on the side where the tower fell, which led to curvature from the central axis. This approach did not produce results, and the building continued to “fall.” At the same time, the bell tower, added decades later, stands straighter, which gives the building a banana-shaped shape.

Over the last century, many measures have been taken to maintain the tower's stability.

For example, in the 1930s, in order to make the foundation of the building waterproof, liquid cement was introduced into it, and in the 1990s, steel rings coated with special plastic were fixed at the height of the first floor to prevent subsidence of the structure.

Since the ground under the southern part of the tower is much softer than under the northern, using steel cables, counterweights and supports that were supposed to insure the building from falling, part of the soil was carefully removed from the base of the northern part of the tower. The earth was taken literally a millimeter at a time using a system of casing pipes, in the middle of which a rotating drill was placed, as a result of which the tower settled somewhat on the north side, as a result of which it was able to straighten out a little. After this, all the devices supporting the tower were removed, and there was hope that it would stand for at least another three hundred years.

In May 2018, why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa stand and not fall, despite the many strong earthquakes that have occurred in this region of Italy over the past hundreds of years.

Today the tower's tilt is almost four degrees, and the structure is known to have withstood at least four major earthquakes since 1280. After studying available seismic, geotechnical and construction information, scientists from the Italian University of Roma Tre concluded that the stability of the tower is ensured by effects associated with dynamic structure-soil interactions.

You've probably heard about the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which has stood tilted for several centuries without falling. The country where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located is called Italy, and the city is Pisa, which is located in Tuscany at a distance of 10 kilometers from the Ligurian Sea.. Despite other equally interesting sights of this country, the Leaning Tower of Pisa continues to attract tourists and simply amateurs who want to capture themselves against the backdrop of a masterpiece of architecture made in the Romanesque style.

The height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is 55 meters, the angle of inclination today is approximately 3° 54", so the difference between the vertical projection and the edge of the base is about 5 meters.

Why is the Leaning Tower of Pisa tilted and not falling?

As legend has it, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was created by the architect Pisano and was conceived as a church belfry. However, the Catholic Church refused to pay the master, citing the fact that he should be proud of himself for creating such a majestic bell tower and not accept earthly goods. Pisano was offended and, waving his hand, told his tower to follow him. The crowd around the tower was surprised when they saw that the bell tower had taken a step towards its creator. Such a legend has little truth and the fall of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is associated only with the mistakes of the designers.

When the Italians started building the tower, they didn't want it to be tilted. It was assumed that the tower would be completely vertical. However, external factors played a role.

It is believed that the tower began to fall because its base was in the sand for a long time. And they built the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a very long time, almost 200 years. Both factors influenced this angle of inclination of the tower. But the architects noticed such a tilt only after three floors had already been erected. They adjusted their project, but this was not enough. Sand, time and a mistake by the designers contributed to the fact that the tower began to lean more and more over time.

For a long time, tourists were prohibited from climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa because engineers believed it was unsafe. In 1994-2001, the tower was restored and lead counterweights were installed, and the third tier was also strengthened iron belt. However, the tower still continues to fall despite the additional reinforcement. Today, engineers believe that someday the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy may still fall to the ground, but this will not happen earlier than in three hundred years.

The tower weighs about 14 tons and has a height of 56 meters. The Leaning Tower of Pisa has 294 steps of a spiral staircase inside, which must be climbed to get a panoramic view of Italy. It has seven bells in number musical notes.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa itself is built entirely of white marble and is surrounded by a gallery with arches and columns. This combination makes the tower airy and light. But the power of the building should not raise the slightest doubt, since the thickness of the walls of the upper floors is 2.48 meters, and the lower ones - almost five meters.

In 1986, one of the main attractions of Italy was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has stood for almost 800 years in a tilted state and continues to remain above ground level, despite the skeptical comments of engineers. Tourists from all over the world are eager to see with their own eyes such a large-scale architectural ensemble, which is distinguished by its extraordinary beauty and stability despite the mistakes of the designers. If you are brave, you can climb to the very top of the tower via a spiral staircase, from where you will have an unforgettable view of the ancient Italian town Pisa.

If you talk about Italy, and in particular about the city of Pisa, then the first thing that comes to mind, of course, is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This is one of the most famous historical monuments modernity, regardless of what part of the planet you live in. Why is she so famous? There is no big secret about this - the fact is that it stands at an angle to the ground. It even gives the impression that the Tower is falling. But it is precisely this drawback of the Tower that attracts tourists from all over the world to Pisa. Perhaps if the Tower had not stood crookedly, no one would have wanted to look at it.

Surely you will be interested to know that the Tower itself is not a separate structure. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is part of the architect's idea; it is only one element from a whole architectural collection. The tower in this Italian courtyard is not just a decoration, it is actually a huge bell tower, or as it was called - Campanella (translated from Italian it means “bell”). So, what is included in the so-called Pisa ensemble. The Pisa Cathedral (Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta), the gloomy cemetery of Campo Santo, the Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovann) and, of course, the square itself where all these objects have found their home - Piazza dei Miracoli are comfortably located here. (Square of Miracles). And the bell tower itself - it is located a little further away behind the north-eastern corner of the cathedral. Taken together, all these objects are rightfully considered one of the best architectural creations in all of Italy.

“A protracted miracle” - this is what local Italians sometimes jokingly call their main attraction in Pisa. The fact is that the Tower is falling and falling, but it still won’t fall - and all this has been going on for 8 long years. The fall continued to the present day, its deviation increased annually by 1 millimeter, and in total, from the beginning to the end of construction work, the tower tilted by 5 meters. This persistent Campanella is not a timid person. The structure even survived an earthquake, but the Tower still stands and today is open to visits by thousands of crowds of tourists. Everyone, of course, tries to take an original photo with the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is definitely a symbol of the entire city. And it became such from the very moment of its construction. And oh, so many years have passed since then. Construction of the structure began in August 1173. The city leadership looked for a nice green meadow on the outskirts, and it was here that the first brick of the bell tower was laid. 200 years - that’s how long it took to build the entire Tower. Of course, for various reasons the work was suspended, but in total this is the period of time. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built in 1370.

Bonanno Pisano - according to historians who are in charge of this issue, it was this person who could be the original architect and author of the entire project. Unfortunately, this information has not reached us exactly until today, so this is only a basic theory. Was the Tower intentionally built at an angle, or was it all a flaw in the architect's plan? Today it is unlikely that this fact will be established reliably, but the second option is more likely to be true. Under the influence of soil displacement, the tower began to tilt. The architect did not take into account that this could happen, and as a result we have a tilted symbol of the city of Pisa.

The first floor was built, the colonnade was completed, and then the entire structure even then began to slope to the south. At the time the work began, it was only 4 centimeters - who would have noticed! But attention was paid, and construction was stopped for 100 years. In 1275, the Tower tilted by 50 centimeters, and then the builders decided to literally level this situation and place it vertically, as intended. When constructing all subsequent floors of the Tower, the height was increased by 10 centimeters on the inclined side. So within 5 floors it was planned to correct the situation. However, it soon became clear that this move was not very helpful. As a result, the Tower was 4 floors lower than planned.

Architectural features of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built in the Romano-Pisan style, traditional for its times. This style has always been able to amaze its admirers with the grace of its lines and discreet beauty. All tiers of the erected and completed Tower today are 58 meters high and have a small tail of 36 centimeters. In the highest part it reaches a height of 56 meters, and the height in the lowest part is 55 meters and 90 centimeters.

The diameter of the entire bell tower at the base is 15 meters and has the shape of a cylinder. The walls at the base are 5 meters thick, and closer to the top they are 2 and a half meters thick. To climb to the top to the observation deck you need to overcome 294 steps, and then you will see beautiful view on the Field of Miracles and the beautiful nearby surroundings.

The entire structure is built of stone, while the outside is covered with light gray and white marble. The entrance to the Leaning Tower of Pisa is decorated with a large bas-relief and images of mythical animals. The six floors of the Tower are furnished with decorative Romanesque arches, which in their grace are very similar to Byzantine architecture. At the crown of the tilted creation there is a belfry, in which there are slots for seven bells. The weight of the bells in the Leaning Tower of Pisa varies from 300 kilograms to 3.5 tons. Today there are more bells, as new ones were added in the 16th and 17th centuries. The interesting thing is that today all these bells are working and delight locals and tourists with their ringing.

Bells of the Leaning Tower of Pisa

From the 13th century, or rather from the middle of it, builders began to cast bells, which would later take their place of honor in the Pisa bell tower. The first such bell could sound the note G-flat. His name was Pasquereccia. Bell number two was called Terza and its note is B sharp. This object of architectural thought saw the light of day in 1473. In 1501, a Vespruccio bell, small in size compared to the previous ones, was cast, which carried the note “E” around the area. The largest bell, Crocifisso, was made by the master Vincenzo Posenti, and subsequently it was melted down by Gualandi da Prato, and this was in 1818.

Dal Pozzo - the salt note was made in 1606. It was destroyed during the bombing of World War II. After the war it was restored and sent to a museum. And in its place in 2004 an exact copy appeared. Assunta with the note B is the largest of the seven bells, thanks to Giovanni Pietro Orlandi. The last addition to the belfry was San Ranieri (note D-sharp). Moreover, it was repeatedly melted down. The last time this happened was in 1735.

The Assunta bell is capable, thanks to Giovanni Pietro Orlandi, of sounding the note B, and this particular bell is the largest of all seven. The last bell of the seven is the bell of San Ranieri (note D sharp). This one has been melted down many times. Today it is no longer possible to count which of them stands on the Tower.

Today, the Leaning Tower of Pisa serves the existing cathedral with its bells. Before each service, everyone and just onlookers nearby can hear the bells ringing. Today all the bells ring at the same time, but in former times each of them was assigned its own liturgical hour.

Saving the tower from falling

Closer to modern times, a terrible strong hurricane occurred in Pisa, which changed the tilt of the Tower by 1 millimeter in one night. The city authorities faced a serious question - how to preserve the Tower and prevent it from falling. An interesting move was even made and a competition was organized, during which city residents were invited to send their options for saving the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But there was one main condition - the slope must be preserved, because it was in this incarnation that this architectural object became a symbol of the city. The proposals were very diverse and unusual.

A very original proposal was to place a would-be architect under the tower, who could not properly ensure that his Tower stood. There was also a proposal to attach a huge balloon to the top of the tower so that it would hold the tower in a tilted state. A lot of ideas were sent, which generally boiled down to the fact that there should be a second similar tower nearby, but its tilt should be in the opposite direction, that is, so that the two towers would eventually meet and support each other.

Anyone can visit the attraction, but for this you will have to pay a lot for admission ticket. Nevertheless, more than ten million euros were spent on all work on the Tower, which today must be returned to the city budget. The ticket price is 20 euros, and everything suggests that it will only increase. It may be expensive here, but come to the Tower early, in the morning, and buy a ticket in advance; nevertheless, visiting hours here are scheduled a day in advance.

Tower from inside

So, you have handed over all your personal belongings to the storage room, taking only your camera and camera with you, now you can go inside the tower. The staircase here is very wide, and it leads up the circumference of the tower from the inside. Since you are constantly walking in a circle, these steps can make your head spin. The steps you have to climb are made of marble, which in some places is very worn down by the feet of crowds of visitors. The closer to the top, the narrower the stairs and in the end will be no more than 40 centimeters.

The inside of the tower is completely empty, and the staircase you have to walk on wraps around this emptiness, and through the small windows you can look out and see everything with your own eyes.

From the fifth tier, observation platforms begin that tourists can go out to. Everything here is equipped for safety reasons, so the observation decks are covered with mesh, which makes it difficult to take normal photos.

Climbing to the very top is not so easy for many tourists; some stop a couple of tiers before. But if you still climb to the very top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you definitely won’t regret it. The view here is simply stunning, and there is no net. That's how it is - a reward for your efforts.

If you come here in the evening, you can also visit the Santo Campo cemetery as part of the tour. Here on the walls there are mysterious frescoes that are illuminated very beautifully and invite you to deep thoughts about the meaning of life.

How to get to the tower

If you are planning to visit Campanella, and it is located slightly away from the main tourist routes, try to set aside at least a day for this. After all, in this small town there is not only a leaning tower.

From the station you can reach the main attraction of the city in 40 minutes on foot. If you don’t want to walk, you can use public transport. It will take you to Pisa Rossore station, from which you are within walking distance of your destination

Pisa may be a small city, but among its attractions it can boast not only the famous Tower that never falls, so if you go to these parts, leave at least one whole day to visit all the surrounding areas.

Arriving at the Pisa train station, you can easily reach your destination on foot in about 40 minutes. If you are lazy, then welcome to city transport. 15 minutes and you are there. From the stop "Pisa Station" to the site there are just a few steps.