facts about the leaning tower of pizza facts about the leaning tower of pisa

But this still didn’t explain why the tower leaned and didn’t just settle evenly over time.Īn English geotechnical engineer named John Buland solved the final mystery and discovered that the lean was caused by fluctuations in the water table on the tower’s north side.

It wasn’t until restoration efforts were underway in 2001 when it was discovered that the tower had been built on shallow, soft soil. The reason why the tower was leaning was a mystery for 800 years. Nicola church, along with the cathedral and baptistery, are sinking and leaning as well, although to a much less extent.ĥ. The Tower of Pisa isn’t the only thing in Pisa that leans. Pisa’s name came from a Greek word that meant “marshy land” when it was named in 600 BC.Ĥ. It’s not really a surprise that the tower leans. The corrections give the tower a slightly curved, banana-like appearance.ģ. Builders tried to correct the lean again on the fifth and sixth floors by lengthening the columns and arches on the south side of the tower. By the time work began again in 1272, the tower was leaning the other way to the south completely and away from the correction. Initially, the tower leaned to the north, and the builders tried to correct the lean by lengthening the columns on that side. It would be almost another hundred years before the Tower of Pisa was completed with the construction of the final eighth story in 1370.Ģ. Four more stories were then constructed until there was yet another work stoppage. Work on the tower was stopped shortly after that time due to a conflict with Genoa and didn’t start up again until 1272. The builders had set the foundation on soft earth made of clay and sand. The tower began to lean after the third floor had been constructed after 1173. Here are some things you might not know about this impressive structure.ġ. Construction of the tower started in 1173 and wasn’t officially finished until 1370, but it was doomed to lean as soon as the first stones were laid. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is an architectural oddity and probably the most famous leaning building in the world.

Facts about the leaning tower of pizza facts about the leaning tower of pisa