Admire the 850-year-old Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Representatives from the Opera della Primaziale Pisana (OPA) stated that the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which recently celebrated its 850th anniversary, remains "very sturdy" to this day.
In a statement marking the tower's 850th anniversary, Andrea Maestrelli, President of the Opera della Primaziale Pisana (OPA), the body overseeing the cathedral complex encompassing Pisa, said: "To this day, the bell tower remains a solid monument."
However, in the early 1990s, the tower was measured to be leaning 4.5 degrees, prompting Italian authorities to seek solutions to prevent it from tilting. The work to correct the tower's tilt lasted eight years, beginning in 1993.
Specifically, the tower is returning to a vertical position and is 4 cm taller than it was about two decades ago, since efforts to maintain and stabilize the tower were launched.
The latest report from the monitoring group "highlights that the tilt trend has decreased by approximately 460 mm." Maestrelli added that the tilt has returned to what it was at the beginning of the 19th century.
Furthermore, experts believe the future of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is "very bright" now that it has been equipped with a ground-based monitoring system, with satellites tracking even the slightest changes to the tower. This move makes the tower one of the most closely monitored monuments in the world.
"Considering that this is an 850-year-old patient, with a tilt of about 5 meters and a subsidence of more than 3 meters, the health condition of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is excellent," said an OPA spokesperson.
The first foundation stone of the tower was laid on August 9, 1173. It was only when construction reached the third level that the tower began to lean north. One of the reasons for this leaning is the geographical characteristics of the city of Pisa itself, with its soft soil composed mainly of mud, sand, and clay. Construction of the tower was interrupted until 1275 and completed in the mid-14th century.
Many other buildings in Pisa also lean due to being built on soft ground, including the 12th-century San Nicola church south of the Leaning Tower and the San Michele degli Scalzi church east of the tower.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the name of a famous tower in the city of Pisa (Italy), begun in 1173, and standing nearly 60 meters tall. Each year, the tower welcomes over five million visitors.
The unique characteristic of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is that it tilted due to subsidence from the moment it was built. To stabilize the tower's structure, engineers used several geotechnical measures to keep it in its current state.
For centuries, engineers, scientists, and the general public have often held their breath over the fate of this iconic bell tower.
To date, it has survived four earthquakes and numerous instances of swaying. Yet, somehow, the tower remains standing, its tilt not deviating too much from its original position.
