The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a historical building. It is one of the most interesting buildings in the world. It has a very interesting story of it being built, what its purpose was, why it is called the leaning tower, and what it is like today.

The city of Pisa had started out as a little port. Because of it being a port the city prospered so they grew and made an army. One day Pisa attacked Palermo and to celebrate their victory they decided to build a cathedral complex. (Tower of Pisa Historical facts) On August 9, 1173 the construction of a bell tower for the Piazza Del Duomo started.  The tower was built with lots of columns and arches. This showed the knowledge of the architects back in the 11th century.  The construction was stopped for 100 years because of war, debt, and a lean the tower had accommodated (Tower of Pisa Historical facts). In 1272 the construction started back up again and four more stories were added on. In 1284 the construction was stopped again because of a battle that they had lost. The seventh floor of the tower was added in 1319, and finally the bell chamber was put on top in 1372. Because of its lean people couldn’t get into the tower, so Alessanre Pella Gherardesca dug a pathway to the entrance of the tower. This pathway caused the tower to lean even
  Stiehl2
more. The Tower Barely survived World War Two because the U.S. was destroying all the buildings. The only reason it survived was because the U.S. retreated right before they were going to blow the tower up. In 1964 Italy was looking to be able to keep the towers lean but have the tower not fall over, so a group of engineers and historians got together to discuss the issue. As a solution they decided to install an 800-ton counterweight. (The History of the Leaning tower of Pisa)

The leaning tower of Pisa is the bell tower of a cathedral complex called the Field of Miracles. The Field of Miracles is located in Pisa. The purpose of the tower was to house the bells of Piazza dei miracoli (History.com Staff). The complex was created to show off the cities wealth. They got the money to build the tower by attacking the city Palermo, which is a city on the island of Sicily. (Tower of Pisa Historical facts) The city of Pisa was a major trading power and was one of the richest cities in the world. The build of the tower was not a success though. This was because there were many things that stopped the construction for long periods of time like war, battles, debt, and of course it’s famous lean.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is world famous because it leans. The tower is said to lean because of a river estuary under the building. Because of this, the ground is clay. In 1550, the lean of the tower was 12ft. In 1838, a person dug at the base of the tower in an attempt to stop the lean, but water sprouted and the tower tilted another couple of inches to the south. In 1934, 200 tons of concrete was
Stiehl3
Poured into its foundation but it didn’t help. In 1990 the tower was closed to the public because even an earthquake or big storm could topple it over. Restoration work on the tower began in 1999 in attempt to make it safe for the public again. First they froze the ground, but that didn’t help. Next they extracted some soil on the north side and it helped. (History.com staff) At last they installed an 800-ton counterweight so the tower will not lean any more. It was reopened in 2001 and is still open today. (The History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa)

Today the Leaning tower of Pisa is one of the most visited historical places in the world. It is one of Italy’s top tourist attractions. The Italian government has done a lot to keep the tower open and safe for the public. It is also one of the world’s neatest historical structures standing today. The top of the tower today leans at seventeen feet and most likely wont change for a long time.

The leaning tower of Pisa is a very interesting structure because of its History, and what it has been through. There has been a lot of hard work put 9into this structure being built and being saved. It is a symbol of how humans will pursue a goal and make it happen, and if there is a problem we will fix it. Hopefully this fantastic structure will stay standing for hundreds of more years.

Works Cited

History.com Staff. “Leaning Tower Needs Help.” History.com. A&E Television  Networks , 2010. Web. 08 May 2016

“Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy: Guide to the Tower of Pisa.” Leaning Tower of Pisa.  N.P., n.p. Web. 11 Mar. 2016

“The History of the leaning Tower of Pisa.” History of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  N.P., n.p.web. 02 Mar.2016