Nevyansk is one of the most interesting cities in the Middle Urals. It was founded by Peter I in 1701, on the day of the first metal smelting in Russia. The symbol of this ancient city is the patrimony of the Demidovs, and at their first factory there is an inclined tower. Now the area on which it is located is called Sq. Revolutions.
History of the building
When exactly the Nevyansk Leaning Tower was built is unknown. Historians do not know who designed it either. The estimated time of construction is the beginning of the 18th century. Various sources date the laying of the Nevyansk Tower in the period from 1721 to 1745. It was erected by Akinfiy Demidov.
Modern architects classify this most interesting structure not as falling, but as inclined. The tower is called so by local residents, as well as guides. Why exactly she leaned over, no one knows. There is a legend according to which such changes in the construction of the structure occurred through the fault of Demidov himself. Allegedly, a workshop was once located in the basement of the tower, and there were machine tools. The work was carried out with gross violations. Upon learning of the imminent arrival of the auditor, Demidov ordered to flood the basement along with the machines. As a result, the tower was skewed.
However, modern architects who examined this building completely refuted this version. It can be seen from the design itself that its slope is either the result of the architect's idea, or a mistake during construction. The fact is that the first tier of the tower deviates from the vertical axis very much - almost two meters. The upper floors have a slight slope in the opposite direction. Thus, we can conclude that the builders were simply trying to compensate for their mistake made at the stage of laying the foundation and walls.
Description of the building
Nevyansk leaning tower - the structure is quite high (57.5 m). The length and width of the first tier is 9.5 m. The tower is installed on a rectangular two-story building. The lower tier is a regular quadrangle. The top three are octahedrons with large arched windows. Each subsequent tier is slightly smaller in area than the previous one. The roof of the tower is pyramidal, also octagonal. The building is crowned with a metal spire, which is decorated with a weather vane in the form of a flag with the Demidov family coat of arms.
Mysteries of the Tower
Inside the Nevyansk inclined tower is divided into nine floors. The purpose of some of them is still unknown. Historians only know that Demidov's personal office was located on the second. In Soviet timesthere was a prison. There is a room on the third floor of the Nevyansk tower, the walls of which are stained with soot, and gold and silver were found in the corners. According to legend, the Demidovs used to print counterfeit coins here. However, historians also doubt this. The Demidovs, in their opinion, were rich enough to take risks and engage in illegal activities.
Another room of the tower with an arched, slightly flattened ceiling is also very interesting. If you stand in this room in a corner, facing it, you can make out the whisper of a person located at the opposite wall. At the same time, absolutely nothing is heard in the center of the room.
Nevyansk leaning tower (you can see the photo on this page) is a structure that hides one more mystery. On its spire, archaeologists discovered a strange structure resembling a conventional grounding. Presumably, the spire of the building was nothing more than a lightning rod. However, according to official history, this cannot be at all. The lightning rod was invented only at the end of the 18th century.
Clock tower
This is another interesting attraction of the building. Installed the chimes on the Nevyansk tower Demidov himself. He ordered them, according to one version, in England. It is known for certain that the watch cost him more than a round sum for those times - 5000 rubles. For comparison: the construction of the tower itself cost a little more than 4,000 rubles.
A feature of the Nevyansk chimes is that they can play several different melodies. The clock strikesevery 15, 30 and 60 minutes, each time in a new way. A niche for loads of chimes was made along the entire length of the tower. The watch is currently serviced by a trained technician and is very accurate.
Doors and stairs
The Nevyansk Tower is not a very large building. And so all the interior spaces in it are quite cramped. This also applies to stairs. Walking on their narrow and steep steps is not very comfortable. Moreover, the ancient architect did not provide for the railing.
The walls of the tower are sometimes pulled together with iron beams that go out and secured with special locks. Mechanical pressure gauges have recently been installed on the ceilings to monitor the tilt of the structures. By the way, no changes have been identified so far. The thickness of the walls of the tower is 2 m at the bottom and a little more than 30 cm at the top.
Tower today
Today this building is a historical monument. The first thing that guests of the city go to see is the Nevyansk Leaning Tower. Excursions are held here regularly and begin at intervals of 15 minutes (1.5 hours each). Despite the fact that not so many people come to see this Ural miracle, the program has been developed very rich and interesting. Having visited one of the excursions, you will hear in all details the chilling legend about the reasons for the tilt of the tower, the atrocities of Demidov, who allegedly walled up runaway workers in the walls of his patrimony, you will be able to personally print a commemorative coin, etc.
The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk has been preserved (despitethe fact that in Soviet times they did not treat her very carefully) is very good. No one was going to blow up or disassemble any of its structural elements. After all, this is a social building, not a religious one.
Other attractions
In the immediate vicinity of the tower are the ruins of an old factory and the Transfiguration Cathedral. The latter is also very well preserved. In the Soviet years, it housed workshops for the production of bombs for the defense industry. The cathedral was founded after the sale of the plant by the Demidovs (the reasons for this can also be found by visiting the excursion). This was done by the new owners - the Yakovlevs. According to legend, we althy breeders wanted to build a building that was as tall as a tower. However, during the construction process, it turned out that this was impossible.
Nevyansk leaning tower: how to get there
To visit this ancient city, you need to move from Yekaterinburg towards Nizhny Tagil along the Serov tract. It won't take too long to drive. The distance from the regional center to Nevyansk is only about 60-70 km. When entering the city, you need to move towards the central square. The settlement of Nevyansk is not too big, and therefore it is impossible to get lost in it.
In addition to the tower and the cathedral, you can see other sights in the area. For example, 7 km from Nevyansk is the village of Byngi - an old Old Believer settlement with St. Nicholas Church, one of the first stone ones built in the Urals. There is an old pottery workshop in the village of Nizhniye Tavolgi.
You can also get to the city by train in the direction of Nizhny Tagil. You will need to take a ticket to the Nevyansk station. Buses with minibuses also go to this town (from the "Northern" bus station).
How much can a visit to such a sight as the Nevyansk Leaning Tower cost? Museum opening hours: from 9 am to 6 pm (during the summer - until 7 pm). The cost of the tour is 1500-2800 rubles (depending on the number of people in the group). For photos you will have to pay 100 rubles. (for 1 piece). Self-printing coins costs 200-300 rubles.
It will cost to visit this interesting attraction, so not particularly expensive. In this case, you can get more than enough information. The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk (address: Revolution Square, 2) is a truly mysterious and extremely interesting building.
