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The Leaning Tower of PisaThe Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) is the campanile of the cathedral of Pisa (in Tuscany), known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side.
It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Baptistry. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178, due to a mere three-metre foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other making the tower curve.
The seventh floor was completed in 1319. The bell-chamber was finally added in 1372. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei is said to have dropped two cannonballs of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass Almost destroyed... During World War II, the Allies discovered that the Germans were using the tower as an observation post. A U.S. Army sergeant sent to confirm the presence of German troops in the tower was impressed by the beauty of the cathedral and its campanile, and thus refrained from ordering an artillery strike, sparing it from destruction. Tourism
On January 7, 1990, the tower was closed to the public, the bells removed and the tower was to slightly straighten to a safer angle. The tower was then reopened to the public on December 15, 2001, and declared stable for at least another 300 years, |
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Top banner licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Patrick Landy known as FSU Guy at en.wikipedia
Lean tower image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Attribution: Lee Cannon
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Attribution. wikipedia.org
Top banner licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Patrick Landy known as FSU Guy at en.wikipedia
Lean tower image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Attribution: Lee Cannon