We all know that the city of Pisa is known to the world for its main attraction - the Leaning Tower of Pisa. What distinguishes it from other brothers is that it does not stand vertically, as we are used to, but at an angle. And if it were not for this very noticeable attraction, then this city would hardly have collected a huge number of tourists every year. And yet, many do not even know that the tower is not a separate object, but is part of an architectural ensemble. Where, in what country is the Leaning Tower of Pisa located? This is Italy, the city of Pisa.
What surrounds the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
which is the mainLandmark of Pisa. All these buildings together are truly a world masterpiece of Italian architecture of the Middle Ages. In addition, this architectural composition had a strong influence on the development of Italian culture. The well-known tower is falling and has not been able to fall for more than eight centuries. Even the Italians themselves call their landmark "a protracted miracle." But the process still does not stand still, every year the tower "falls" by a millimeter. In general, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is distinguished from the norm by five meters of deviation from the axis, and these are not small numbers at all. But despite such features, the tower survived even an earthquake and is still open for tours. Of course, everyone knows what country the Leaning Tower of Pisa is in.
Construction history
Literally from the moment of construction, the Leaning Tower of Pisa has become not only the main attraction, but also the real symbol of the city in which it is located. Construction began in August of the distant 1173, and the entire construction process took at least two hundred years, of course, with interruptions. The final version of the campanella, which we can see today, was ready only in 1370. Unfortunately, it is impossible to say for certain who the author of the project is, historians can only assume that it was Bonanno Pisano. Precisely because the author of the original project is still a mystery to us, it is impossible to determine whether the tilt of the tower was intended or if it was all an accident. Therefore, it may well be true thatcurvature was formed as a result of subsidence of the soil. Be that as it may, in fact, the second option seems more plausible to historians, perhaps the original draft already contained some errors.
Where is the truth?
In general, the most plausible version sounds like this: initially the building was supposed to be exclusively vertical, but in fact, immediately after the first floor was completed, with a colonnade that was eleven meters high, the tower began to slowly but lean right to the south. It all started with some inconspicuous four centimeters, but because of them, construction work was suspended and resumed only after a hundred years. By 1275, the slope had grown from four to fifty centimeters, the builders tried to correct the situation, but the attempts were in vain. Therefore, the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa had to be reduced by four floors.
Salvation
In which country did the Leaning Tower of Pisa become a tourist attraction? Construction has become a real problem for the city authorities, because the question arose of how to prevent the building from falling. This problem became especially acute after the hurricane, which literally in just one day moved the Leaning Tower of Pisa by a fraction of a millimeter. To resolve the issue, a competition was organized between the most prominent scientists, architects and anyone else who put forward their ideas on how to save the local landmark. The most important condition that had to be fulfilled without fail was the preservation of the inclination of the tower. This is because the building has already become the main attraction of the city.
What theories have been proposed?
There were so many proposals, from the craziest to the truly brilliant. Of course, options in the spirit of “fix a large balloon on top of the bell tower to support the structure” or “build the same tower next to it, but with an inclination to the other side so that they support each other” were immediately abandoned. Only those proposals remained that were supported by scientific evidence. And the efforts were not in vain, by the end of the twentieth century an impressive result was obtained. Scientists have found that the earth on the south side is much softer than on the north. Therefore, with the help of special tools, experts carefully moved a certain amount of land from the north side to the south. Thus, the tower sank and the level of inclination was reduced by about half a meter. After such an update, the tower became younger by as much as a hundred years. After such manipulations, all additional counterweights and supports were removed, and to this day the Leaning Tower of Pisa pleases the eyes of local residents and tourists, remaining in a stable condition.
Where is the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Country and city, exact address
Of course, the symbol of the city of Pisa has a specific address (Piazza del Duomo, 56126 Pisa), but getting to the sights is not so easy. The tower is located, no matter how surprising it may be, a little away from the main touristroutes. That is why experienced tourists are advised to allocate a whole day to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and not to run there in a hurry, because there is still something to see in this Italian town. The easiest way to get to the bell tower from the station is on foot. It will take about forty minutes, but along the way you can see many more picturesque views and take a bunch of photos. If you don’t have the strength to go on such trips on foot, use public transport. You need to go to the Pisa Rossore station, the tower is literally a couple of minutes walk from it. To get to the city from Rome, it is best to take the high-speed train that leaves from the central station. This pleasure costs 3 euros, it takes three hours in time. You can save money and go on a trip on a regional train for 24 euros, the journey will take about four hours. And if you plan your route for several months, then you can meet only nine euros. There is an electric train from Florence to Pisa, the cost of which is 8 euros, in time it is only an hour on the way. Another good and convenient option is car rental.
Interesting facts
The most important question that crowds of tourists ask is: "Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa fall in the country?" There are many interesting legends and stories associated with this issue. The most popular is the following: the architect Pisano was asked to design a bell tower for the cathedral that is being built, and the master did his best. The tower turned out to be perfectly straight, only the Catholic clergy, who ordered the work, refusedpay an architect. This angered the master and, leaving, he waved his hand and shouted with his tower: “Come with me!”. And then, in front of the eyewitnesses, the bell tower leaned, as if trying to take the first step.
The story of Galileo
Confirmed is the fact that it was in Pisa in the distant 1564 that the well-known physicist and philosopher Galileo Galilei was born. History tells us that the scientist, with the help of the main attraction, conducted many experiments. At the very least, the physicist dropped a variety of objects from the top of the tower to prove his theory that the weight of a body has no effect on the speed of its fall.
Entertaining Features
In the country where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located, what is there in the country, in Pisa itself there are three "falling" structures! And if we have already talked about the first, then the second is located in a pine park, this is the bell tower of the church of St. Michael, the third is located on the oldest street in the city of Pisa and belongs to the church of St. Nicholas, only now its inclination is not so visible, since others are densely dispersed around facilities.
On the vastness of the earth you can find about 300 more of the same falling buildings. The most popular of them are the tower in Izmir, the towers of Bologna, the tower of Nevyansk and even Big Ben in England. But for some reason, the tower located in Pisa has become the most popular. Every self-respecting traveler has a photo with the famous bell tower, because they have become a real classic. In the pictures you can even try to align the structure,since the angle of inclination depends on the side from which the photo was taken. If you stand at the north or south side of the bell tower, then in the pictures you will see an absolutely flat structure. And if you go to the western or eastern side, you can enjoy the most important highlight of the leaning tower.
