LEANING TOWER OF PISA

THE LARGE FREESTANDING TOWER IN ITALY IS A BELL TOWER IN ITALY OF THE CATHEDRAL OF THE ITALIAN CITY OF PISA.  IT HAS A UNINTENDED TILT TO ONE SIDE.THE TILT BEGAN  DURING DURING CONSTRUCTION ASA THE FOUNDATION WAS ON TOO SOFT OF GROUND TO SUPPORT THE STRUCTURETOO SOFT GROUND TO SUPPORT  STRUCTURE.  THE TILT INCRESED  IN THE DECADES  BEFORE THE STRUCTURE  WAS RESTORED.  THE TOWER WAS STABILIZED IN THE 20TH CENTURY.

THE HEIGHT OF THE TOWER WAS 55 METERS, AND 4 METERS WIDE AT THE BASE.  IT HAS 296 STEPS AND LEANS ABOUR 4 DEGREES,...
IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 40 YEARS.  IN 1174 THE FIRST FLOOR WAS BUILT WITH MARBLE.  BECAUSE OF UNSTABLE SOIL CONSTRUCTION FOR 100YEARS. THEY HAD BATTLES TO FIGHT.

BY 1272 CONSTRUCTION RESTARTED BY ANOTHER ARCHITECT.  THEY BUILT UPPER FKLOORS. WITH A TILT TO COMPENSATEFOR THE LEAN THAT BEGAN.  ANOTHER BATTLE BY GENOAN'S HALTED BUILDING IN 1280. THE 7TH FLOOR WAS WAS COMPLETED IN 1319.  THERE ARE 7 BELLS ONE FOR EACH NOTE.  IT IS STILL BEING RESTORED.  IN1172 DONNA BERTA HAD 60 SOLDIERS  TO THE OPERA CAMPANIELLIS.  THE MONEY WAS USED TO BY THE PURCHASE OF A STONES AT THE HEAD BASE.  AFTER 4 CENTURIES A SCULPTOR LAID FOUNDATIONS OF THE BELL TOWER OF THE CATHEDRAL.  THE MASTER BUIDER WAS PERHAPS GERARDO.    WHO KNOWS?  BY 1260 THE BELL TOWER WAS BEGUN.

GALILEO DROPPED 2 CANON BALLS OF DIFERENT MASSES FROM THE TOWER TO DEMONSTRATE THEIR SPEED OF DESCENT WAS INDEPERNDENT OF MASS.

IN WORLD WAR II GERMANS USED THE TOWER AS A POST.  A U.S. ARMY SERGENT SENT TO CONFIRM PRESENCE OF GERMAN TROOPS HERE WERE SO IMPRESSED BY BEAUTY  HE REFRAINED FROM AN ARTILLERY STRIKE.  IN 1964 THE GOVERNMENT PREVENTED THE TOWER FROM TOPPING OVER.

A MULTINATIONAL GROUP STUDIED SITE AND DECLARED IT A WORLD HERITAGE SITE.  ANOTHER TOWER IN PAVIA COLLAPSED IN 1989.  SO IN 1990 THE TOWER WAS  CLOSED.  THE FINAL SOLUTION TO PREVENT  ITS COLLAPSE WAS TO REMOVE 38 CUBIC METERS OF SOIL UNDER THE RAISED END OF THE TOWER. THIS RETURNED IT TO THE 1838 POSITION.  BY 2001 THE PUBLIC ABLE TO COME HERE.  AGAIN IN 2008 THEY REMOVED MORE GROUND TO PREVENT COLLAPSE!

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