Europe-Tower_of

         One of Europe's finest tourist attractions and wonders is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. No it is not the Leaning Tower of Pizza. Pisa. Which, as a matter a fact was not intended to be a leaning tower.
          Construction began on building a bell tower in 1173. It then took 200 years because of two long periods of interruptions. It is very hard to actually determine the real architect. There have been many different people who planned and built the Leaning Tower.
          On the tower, an inscription reads "A.D. MCLXXIV CAMPANILE HOC FUIT FUNDATUM MENSE AUGUSTI". This means, "In the month of August, A.D. 1174, this bell tower was founded". Unfortunately, no where on the Tower can the actual architect name be found. Some say Diotisalvi planned out the Tower's structure. Diotisavi also created the Baptistery.
           Some others say Biduino, who was active in the area of Pisa, as the architect of the Tower. Some also say Bonanno Pisano was the architect. So, truly the creator of this wonder, is a wonder. It is a mystery yet to be unraveled.
          It was once thought to be purposely placed leaning. But it was intended to be straight up and down. None the less it is among the greatest bell towers in Europe. It was once covered with wonderful little structures, like dragons and bears. But, only a few of these remain. The Leaning Tower was built next to the Cathedral. Usually bell towers were built near one side of a church.
          The Leaning Tower is basically a hollow cylinder made of mainly limestone. A spiral staircase with 293 steps, leads to the top. The Leaning Tower is divided into 8 segments. These segments are called "orders". The Tower is 58.30 meters tall from the base or foundation and about 55 meters from the ground.
          The Leaning Tower would not have been very famous if it had not leaned. Its ability to lean makes it visited by many people. It was once thought that the Tower was built leaning on purpose, or if when building it something went wrong. Both of these where then proved incorrect.
          The Tower leans because of the ground underneath it. The material, which is similar to clay, was easily shifted by the Tower's weight, causing it to tilt. Then in the late 1830s, the Tower began to lean faster.
          An attempt to slow it down was to free the base from the ground. Yet, after doing this it still tilted quickly for a few years. Soon, then it slowed down to only a millimeter per year. Since 1988, the Tower has been closed to the public because of danger hazards and to prevent it from leaning any faster.
          The Tower today is not as it was before. The erosion and damage done to it has caused multiple parts of the Tower to be refixed or replaced.
          The Leaning Tower of Pisa, not Pizza is an excellent wonder. Lets hope it lasts even longer.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

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