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 estate of the Demidovs, and at their first factory there is an inclined tower. Now the area on which it is located is called pl. Revolution.
Construction History
When exactly the Nevyansk inclined tower was built is unknown. Historians do not know about who designed it. Estimated time of construction - the beginning of the 18th century. Various sources date the laying of the Nevyansk tower in the period from 1721 to 1745. It was built by Demidov Akinfiy.
By modern architects, this interesting structure is not classified as falling, but rather as inclined. The so-called tower and locals, as well as guides. Why exactly she leaned in, nobody 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 the basement to be flooded along with the machines. As a result, the tower was skewed.
However, modern architects who examined this building have completely refuted this version. The construction itself shows that its slope is either the result of the architect’s idea, or a mistake in the construction. The fact is that the first tier of the tower is deviated from the vertical axis very strongly - almost two meters. The upper floors have a slight slope in the opposite direction. Thus, we can conclude that the builders simply tried to compensate for their mistake made at the stage of laying the foundation and walls.
Description of the building
Nevyansk inclined tower - the structure is quite high (57.5 m). The length and width of the first tier is 9.5 m. A tower is installed on a rectangular two-story building. The lower tier is a regular quad. The top three are octahedrons with arched large windows. Each subsequent tier is slightly smaller in area than the previous one. The roof of the tower is pyramidal, also octagonal. The construction is crowned by a metal spire, the decoration of which is a weather vane in the form of a flag with the family coat of arms of the Demidovs.
Mysteries of the tower
Inside, the Nevyansk inclined tower is divided into nine floors. The purpose of some of them is still not known. Historians only know that on the second was the personal account of Demidov. In Soviet times, a prison was located here. On the third floor of the Nevyansk tower there is a room, the walls of which are stained with soot, and gold and silver were found in the corners. According to legend, once the Demidov printed fake coins here. However, historians also doubt this. The Demidovs, in their opinion, were rich enough to take risks and engage in illegal activities.
Another tower room with an arched, slightly flattened ceiling is very interesting. If you stand in this room in a corner, facing it, you can make out the whisper of a person who is at the opposite wall. At the same time, nothing is heard in the center of the room.
The Nevyansk inclined tower (you can see the photo on this page) is a structure that conceals one more riddle. On its spire, archaeologists discovered a strange structure resembling ordinary grounding. Presumably, the spire of the building was nothing more than a lightning rod. However, according to official history, this cannot happen at all. The lightning rod was invented only at the end of the 18th century.
Clock tower
This is another interesting attraction of the structure. He installed the chimes on the Nevyansk tower by 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 - 5,000 rubles. For comparison: the construction of the tower itself cost a little more than 4000 rubles.
A feature of Nevyansk chimes is that they can play several different tunes. The clock strikes every 15, 30 and 60 minutes, each time in a new way. A niche for the loads of chimes was made along the entire length of the tower. The watch is serviced by a trained specialist, and they show the time very accurately.
Doors and stairs
The Nevyansk tower is not a very large building. And therefore, all the interior spaces in it are quite cramped. This applies to stairs. Walking along their narrow and steep stairs is not very convenient. Moreover, the ancient architect did not foresee the railing.
The walls of the tower are in some places pulled together by iron beams that go out and are secured with special locks. Mechanical ceilings have recently been installed on the ceilings to monitor the slope of the structure. 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 the city guests are going to see is the Nevyansk inclined tower. Excursions are held regularly and begin with a frequency of 15 minutes (1.5 hours each). Despite the fact that not so many people come to look at this Ural miracle, the program is very rich and interesting. Having visited one of the excursions, you will hear in every detail the chilling legend about the reasons for the tower tilting, the atrocities of Demidov, who supposedly fledged workers were walled up in the walls of his patrimony, you can personally print a commemorative coin, etc.
The Nevyansk inclined tower (despite the fact that it was not treated very carefully in Soviet times) is very good. Nobody was going to blow up or disassemble any of its structural elements. After all, after all, this is a building of social purpose, and not religious.
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 bombs for the defense industry. The cathedral was founded already after the sale of the factory by the Demidovs (the reasons for this can also be found by visiting the tour). This was done by the new owners - the Yakovlevs. According to legend, wealthy breeders wanted to build a structure that was not inferior in height to the tower. However, during the construction process, it turned out that this was impossible.
Nevyansk inclined tower: how to get there
To visit this ancient city, you need to move from Yekaterinburg to Nizhny Tagil along the Serov highway. It’s not going to take too long. The distance from the regional center to Nevyansk is only about 60-70 km. At the entrance to the city you need to move towards the central square. The village of Nevyansk is not too large, and therefore it is impossible to get lost in it.
In addition to the tower and the cathedral, the area offers other attractions. For example, 7 km from Nevyansk, the village of Byngi is located - an old Old Believer settlement with St. Nicholas Church, one of the first stone built in the Urals. In the village of Nizhny Tavolgi there is an old pottery workshop.
You can get to the city and by train in the direction of Nizhny Tagil. The ticket will need to be taken to the Nevyansk station. Buses with minibuses (from the "Northern" bus station) also go to this town.
How much can a sightseeing trip like the Nevyansk inclined tower cost? Opening hours of the museum: from 9 am to 6 pm (in 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 have to pay 100 rubles. (for 1 piece). Self-printing of coins costs 200-300 rubles.
It will cost a visit to this interesting attraction, so it is not particularly expensive. Information can be obtained more than enough. Nevyansk inclined tower (address: 2 Revolution Square) is a truly mysterious and unusually interesting structure.