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Leaning Tower of Pisa Facts

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa is freestanding bell tower of the cathedral of Pisa, Italy. This campanile is world-renowned for its unintended tilt. The tower, which is third oldest structure in the city's Cathedral Square, is located behind the Pisa Cathedral - a medieval Roman Catholic cathedral.

The tower is 183.27 feet tall from the ground on the low side and 185.93 feet on the high side. Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons

Below are some of the facts about the Leaning Tower of Pisa:

  • Leaning Tower Of Pisa was built as the free standing bell tower of the Cathedral of Pisa.
  • It took around 176 years for completion of the Tower. The construction started in 1174 and was completed at 1350 due to different wars that were occurred in Italy in that period.
  • By 1178 the third story of the tower was built with a tilt in the north. Different military conflicts stopped the construction of this tower and it resumed during 1272.
  • There is no correct information about the architect who has first designed it. Some consider it as Bonanno Pisano, some other as Gherardo di Gherardo.
  • The construction of this Romanesque style tower was resumed in 1272 by Giovanni di Simone who designed the upper side with one side taller than the other.
  • The tower was funded with the money that came from pillaging. It was the money looted by the Pisans from the then Muslin city Palemo, Siciliy.
  • The main reason the tower tilted during construction was that it was build on marshy shallow land.
  • The stop in construction work of the tower proved to a blessing as during the period the land compressed and the tower construction could be completed.
  • On the north side of the tower there are approximately 294 steps while on the south side there are 296 steps.
  • There are seven bells inside the tower. Each bell represents the seven notes of the musical scale.
  • During World War II the Germans were believed to use it as their observation post. However, after looking at the beauty of the tower the Allies refrained from destroying it!
  • There are eight floors in this eight floor Tower. All the7 bells are located on the 8th floor.
  • After the recommencement of construction of the leaning tower, the builders constructed it shorter on the other side, to make it look straight. However, it didn’t work.
  • The tower started leaning the other way as the center of gravity has shifted. It lean from northern side to southern side.
  • From 1911 regular measurements were taken in order to find out the annual change.
  • During 1964 the lean was most odd position, it was 17 feet off center. Open calls were made by government for restoration of the tower.
  • Different plans like freezing the ground around the tower, anchoring the tower underground and others didn’t work.
  • From 1989 to 2001 the tower was closed from public so that restoration work can be carried on without any hazards. After this, no further tilt is measured from 2008.