Was the Leaning Tower of Pisa Ever Straight?
The short answer is no. It was never straight. But it is more interesting than that. But first, what is the Leaning Tower of Pisa? The Leaning Tower is the bell tower of the Duomo Square, a religious complex. The construction of the tower began in 1173 but the location was not ideal. The land was, and still is, spongy - AKA wet. As a result, the structure began to noticeably lean not long after construction began. The builders noticed the issue while working on the third floor. But, then a war broke out among the Italian city-states. This delayed further work on the tower by about a century and allowed the base to settle. This abandonment may have prevented it from collapsing at the time. The engineers attempted to compensate for the lean when construction began again. One method was making the stories slighter taller on the shorter side. But, the extra masonry added weight which caused more sinking. The tower was completed in 1372. Leaning Tower of Pisa, 2022 Over the next four c
