We all know that the city of Pisa is known to the world for its main attraction - the Leaning Tower of Pisa. What sets her apart from other brethren is that she is not standing upright, as we are used to, but tilted. And if not for this, a very noticeable attraction, it is unlikely that this city would attract a huge number of tourists every year. Nevertheless, many do not even know that the tower is not a separate object, but is part of the 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?
In addition to the building itself, which is not just a tower, but a bell tower or, as the Italians say, Campanella, the ensemble includes: the Leaning Cathedral of Pisa, the Baptistery, the Campo Santo cemetery and the Square of Miracles, which is precisely the place where the main attraction is located Pisa. All of 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 can not fall for more than eight centuries. Even Italians themselves call their attraction "a protracted miracle." But the process still does not stand still, every year the tower "falls" by a millimeter. In general, the Pisa Tower is distinguished from the norm by five meters of deviation from the axis, and these are not small numbers at all. But despite these features, the tower survived even an earthquake and is still open for excursions to this day. 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 a 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 authentically who the author of the project is, historians can only assume that it was Bonanno Pisano. It is precisely because the author of the initial draft is still a mystery to us, to determine whether the tower was tilted or all this is an accident is impossible. Therefore, it may well be real that the curvature was formed as a result of subsidence of the soil. Be that as it may, the second option seems more plausible to historians, perhaps the initial draft already contained some errors.
Where is the truth?
In general, the most plausible version is as follows: initially the structure should have been exclusively vertical, but now, almost immediately after the first floor was completed, with a colonnade whose height was eleven meters, the tower began to slowly but surely lean southward . 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.
The rescue
In which country did the Leaning Tower of Pisa become a tourist attraction? Construction became a real problem for the city authorities, because the question arose of how to prevent the structure from falling. This problem was especially acute after the hurricane, which literally in just one day moved the Leaning Tower of Pisa by a fraction of a millimeter. To solve the problem, a contest was organized between the most prominent scientists, architects and anyone who came forward, who put forward their ideas on how to save the local attraction. The most important condition, which must have been fulfilled, is to maintain the inclination of the tower. That's because the construction has already become the main attraction of the city.
What theories have been proposed?
There were so many offers, from the craziest to the truly brilliant. Of course, the options in the spirit of “securing a large balloon on top of the bell tower that supported the structure” or “building the same tower nearby, but only with an inclination to the other side so that they were support for each other” were refused immediately. 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 land on the south side is much softer than on the north. Therefore, with the help of special tools, experts carefully transferred a certain amount of land from the north side to the south. Thus, the tower settled and the slope was reduced by about half a meter. After such an update, the tower became a hundred years younger. After such manipulations, all additional balances and supports were removed and to this day the Leaning Tower of Pisa pleases the eye 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. Surprisingly, the tower is a little away from the main tourist routes. That is why experienced tourists are advised to spend the whole day at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, rather than rushing there in a hurry, because in this Italian town there is still something to see. The easiest way to go to the bell tower from the station 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 hikes, use public transport. You need to go to the station Pisa Rossore, the tower is literally a couple of minutes walk from it. To get to the city from Rome, it is best to use the high-speed train that leaves from the central station. This pleasure costs 3 euros, takes three hours in time. You can save money and go on a trip by regional train for 24 euros, the journey will take about four hours. And if you plan your route in a few months, you can meet just nine euros. From Florence to Pisa runs an electric train, the cost of which is 8 euros, in time - only an hour on the way. Another good and convenient option is to rent a car.
Interesting Facts
The most important question that crowds of tourists are asked is: "Why does the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the country nevertheless fall?" A lot of interesting legends and stories are connected with this question. The most popular is as follows: the architect Pisano was asked to design a bell tower for the cathedral, which is being built, and the craftsman did his best. The tower turned out to be perfectly straight, but the Catholic clergy, who ordered the work, refused to pay the architect. This angered the master and, leaving, he waved his hand and called out to his tower: “Come with me!” And then the bell tower leaned into the eyes of eyewitnesses, 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 a minimum, a physicist dropped various objects from the top of the tower to prove his theory that body weight has no effect on the rate of its fall.
Entertaining features
In the country where the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located, but what is there in the country, in Pisa itself there are three "falling" structures! And if we 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 on the oldest street of Pisa and belongs to the church of St. Nicholas, only its inclination is not so visible, since others are densely dispersed around facilities.
On the expanses of the earth you can find about 300 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. Only now the tower, located in Pisa, for some reason, became 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 with which the photo was taken. If you stand at the north or south side of the bell tower, then in the pictures in front of you will appear an absolutely flat design. And if you go to the west or east side, you can enjoy the most important highlight of the falling tower.