The Leaning Tower Of Pisa

Built in the twelfth century, this tower was to become the centerpiece of Pisa's wealth thanks to its successful port. 'Campo dei Miracoli' was designated as a construction site ... unfortunately without taking into account the poor ground.

Already when the second floor was put on the tower, it started to sink on one side. The builders tried to compensate for this by placing higher arches and columns on this side. For the fourth floor, the low side was already five centimeters taller, but the tower remained skewed for the following centuries.

Mussolini was ashamed of the Leaning Tower which he saw as a failure. He had holes drilled and filled with cement, but this only made matters worse.

In the second war, the American soldiers were ordered to destroy any building that could serve as a vantage point. Luckily they decided to spare the tower...

In 1990 the slope was the dangerous 5.5 degrees. Therefore, it was restored and now slopes almost 4 degrees and is declared stable for the next 200 years.

Willem Vandenameele