The Leaning Tower of Pisa has long been a household name, and its name is firmly established in everyday life, meaning a continuous fall with an unpredictable end. It represents the era, as well as many architectural buildings made in the spirit of the time. It’s not the tower’s roll itself that is especially surprising, everything is quite transparent here - the architects made a mistake in the calculations, so it is leaning toward the ground. It is strange why it is so famous, because, in addition to the Leaning Tower, there are many towers in the world that also have no less, if not more, slopes!
1
Jamaican minaret in Afghanistan
The minaret was built at the end of the XII century on the territory of modern Afghanistan and older than the Leaning Tower of Pisa for a century. The height of the Jamaican minaret reaches 65 meters, which is 9 meters higher than the world-famous tower in Italy, while its slope is slightly less and amounts to 3.47 degrees.
The construction of the minaret was carried out by the Sunni dynasty of the Gurids, who were the rulers of vast territories running from India to Iran. The location of their ancient capital, Firocko, is still unknown. Scientists suggest that Turquoise Mountain (as it was called) was located near the inclined tower.
The reason for the minaret roll lies in the weakness of the swampiness of the soil. The fact is that near the base of the tower two mountain rivers converge, eroding the soil. In addition, there are two gorges, which also does not contribute to the "leveling" of the soil.
Visitors rarely spoil the minaret with their attention due to its inconvenient location. To get to the shrine you have to overcome a long and exhausting path through the mountains. Earlier on the road, bandits often attacked travelers, now it’s not easier - the territory is controlled by the Taliban. Problems are added by the river, which overflows from the banks every year in the spring-summer period.
2
Minaret of the An-Nuri Cathedral Mosque in Iraq
The mosque was erected by Nur al-Din Mahmoud Zangi in the 70s of the XII century. She was named after this glorious ruler, who controls the territories of modern Aleppo and Mosul. He waged a fierce war with the crusaders who came from Europe. During the jihad, Muslims managed to recapture Damascus, which then again fell into the hands of Christians.
Also, Nur ad-Din was a well-known adherent of the Sunni movement, elevating him above the Shiites. Is it worth recalling that it was in this mosque in 2014 that the leader of the so-called ISIS declared to the whole world about the revival of the caliphate. He made a statement immediately after the battle was won by the Iraqi army for the right to control Mosul.
The ancient mosque has not existed for a long time, a new one was built in its place, however, the minaret has remained standing since the time of Nur al-Din. The nickname of the tower, which is a little short of 50 meters, the "hunchback" speaks for itself. The reasons for the roll are unknown, but historians have established that the slope became noticeable already in the XIV century.
A beautiful legend says that the minaret bowed before Muhammad, heading to paradise. Of course, this is just a fairy tale, since the Muslim messiah went to another world much earlier than the construction of a mosque. Most likely, the roll is caused by a weak solution of the foundation, gusts of wind and sunlight, falling on the structure from only one side.
During the bombing of extremists during the first Gulf War, the sewage pipes of the minaret were damaged. As a result, water began to erode the earth, leading to an even greater roll of the minaret. In 2012, the international community started to learn about the imminent destruction of historical heritage. However, the problem of preserving the building was eliminated by itself - IS fighters destroyed the minaret, completing its history.
3
Zuurhusen Inclined Tower in Germany
The more we learn about inclined towers, the more surprising is the popularity of Leaning Tower of Pisa. For example, the Zuurhusen building has the largest slope in the world, equal to 5.19 °, while the "Leaning of Pisa" does not even reach 4 °. The German tower adjoins ... a standing church.
It was erected on swampy soil during the time of chivalry and the Inquisition. To strengthen the foundation, it was necessary to use oaks that were dug into the soil before laying it. While the oaks were being fed by the ground, the tower stood like a guard on duty. But as soon as the soil was exhausted due to the drainage of the marshes, the oaks dried up and the building tilted.
By the second half of the 20th century, the tower became such a “slouch” that the government was worried about the safety of people and attempted to demolish the building. The townspeople stood up for his defense, offering to independently carry out work to maintain the tower. Although no work is underway, entry into the tower is simply prohibited.
You can admire her, as well as the church, only from the side. In addition, you must be at a safe distance, no one knows when exactly the grief-structure will fall.
4
The slanting tower of Zaragoza in Spain
The Spanish Leaning Tower was built in Zaragoza in the first decade of the 16th century. The roll of the 80-meter tower became immediately noticeable, and its popularity at that time was in no way inferior to the Leaning of Pisa. The reason for its inclination was the rush when erecting, as well as the use of low-quality building materials. Every year its slope became more noticeable, and the city governors were afraid of the fall of the building. To save the situation, at the end of the 19th century the spire was removed from the tower, but this did not stop the fall. Having signed in their own impotence, the Zaragoza administration ordered the demolition of the building, causing a storm of indignation among the townspeople.
5
Bad Frankenhausen Tower in Germany
The medieval Germans didn’t have any way of building towers, and the bell tower in Bad Frankenhausen, which reaches a height of 56 meters, is tilted much more than the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The angle of inclination is measured by the spire of the tower, the roughness of which was noticed in the first half of the 1600s.
Builders sin on the features of the soil under the building. According to historians, 250 million years ago there was an ocean on the site of the town. When it dried, the soil was unusually rich in salt deposits, and another 150 million years later the Kifhäuser massif formed, in the southern part of which the bell tower was built.
At the site of the massif, cracks were formed, filled with sediments, which washed out salt deposits, leaving gaping voids inside the soil in their place. To stop the process of collapse of the bell tower with the church, the German government has developed a federal program, the implementation of which will help to level the structure, preventing the destruction of the historical monument.
6
Teluk Intan Water Storage Tower in Malaysia
The Malaysian tower at Teluk Intan is relatively young. Its erection was completed in 1885, and the purpose is quite banal - the preservation of water supplies for the population. However, with the growth of the tower, it acquired special significance for local residents, and at the end of construction, when it was equipped with a huge clock, it became a real pride and a place of pilgrimage for tourists.
Funds for the construction were allocated by local residents themselves. It belongs to the Chinese architectural style. This is due to the fact that the vast majority of city residents in those years were Chinese. During the construction, brick and wood were used, but these building materials could not qualitatively maintain a container with such an amount of liquid. In addition, the soil under the tower was too soft, which led to the roll of the building.
7
Due Torri Bologna in Italy
Translated from Italian Due Torri means "Two towers." They are located in Bologna and are called Asinelli and Garisenda. Each of them has a record: Garisenda is the most inclined tower in Italy, and Asinelli is the tallest building with a slope in the world. They were built in the second half of the XII century and named after the names of two influential dynasties, which assumed all the construction costs.
In those years, towers of this type were built mainly for military operations, but the wealthy of Bologna did it rather out of vanity. The situation in the city was tense, Bologna was divided into two camps of Ghibellines and Guelphs. The former supported the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, while the Guelphs were supporters of the power of the ruler of the Vatican. Throughout the city, like mushrooms, towers grew, but only two were with a noticeable roll.
By the way, about other sights of Italy, read the article on our site most-beauty.ru.
8
Huju Pagoda in China
The construction of the Khuju pagoda was completed at the end of the XI century. It was intended to be placed inside 5 Buddha statues, which General Zhou Wenda received from the Chinese emperor. Apparently, the builders made a mistake in the calculations, since the construction began to heel immediately after construction.
The situation worsened after 7 centuries, due to a fire that arose during the fireworks fair. A hundred years later, a rumor passed in the city that gold was buried near the pagoda, and ordinary Chinese dug a huge hole there, which further aggravated the situation. From the side it might seem that someone had bitten the tower from one side.
Today, the slope of the pagoda is more than 7 degrees, which is almost twice as much as the leaning leaning tower of Pisa, as well as the slope of the Zuurhusen tower, which holds a record among unintentionally tilted buildings.
Despite the strong roll and damage done in the past by people, the tower is not dangerous and firmly “stands on its feet”. Locals joke that she will stand still for a thousand years. The reason for the initial slope is called different types of soils under the foundation.
9
The bell tower of Oldehov in the Netherlands
Oldehov - this is an unfinished banked belfry. Its construction lasted only three years, and was abandoned in the 30s of the XVI century, when it became clear that it was tilted. Architect Jacob Van Aken tried to stop the fall by twisting parts of it, but failed.
Initially, the height of the bell tower was supposed to reach 120 meters, but in fact the tower "froze", not even reaching 50. Also, according to the project, the bell tower was supposed to be supported by the church, but they did not even begin to build it. Today, the curved building is operated for tourist purposes. Inside there is a gift shop, and a watch is attached on top.
10
Curve Tower in Poland
The curve tower in Torun, Poland was part of the city walls, and was built around the 14th century. It was surrounded by only three walls so that the defenders could quickly raise ammunition to the top of the building. In the Middle Ages, the tower began to roll.
The reason for the slope is called sandy soil, not strong enough to support the building. But the religious population of Poland found its explanation for what happened. Legend has it that God showed his strength in response to the discoveries of Copernicus, which questioned his existence.
Folk legends say that the tower was ordered to be built by a local knight who fell in love with a girl who did not match his status. The ruler deliberately forced the knight to build a curved tower to punish him for cheating. The city grew, and in the XVIII century the tower ceased to be part of the defensive wall. She completed the last wall, making the prison a prison for criminals. After the building was retrained for the manufacture of weapons, as well as inhabited by people.
Today, the building has a beer hall and offices, and the building itself has passed under the control of the city institute of culture.
On our site most-beauty.ru there is an article about the most beautiful places in Poland. Look at them!
On this our article came to an end. And what unintentionally leaning buildings do you know? We are waiting for your answers in the comments.