Top 10 Leaning Towers

On August 9, 1173, the first stone was laid for the bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta or the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the most famous "leaning" tower in the world. It turns out that such structures are not so few. You will learn about the ten most famous from our selection.

(Total 10 photos)

1. Suurhusen Church, Germany

Suurhusen is a late medieval building in the East Frisia region of northwestern Germany. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it was the most inclined tower in the world, although in 2010 the new Capital Gate tower in Abu Dhabi broke this record. The Suurhusen spire remains the most leaning tower in the world, with a tilt that outpaced the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa by 1.22 degrees.

2. Big Ben, London, UK

The British Parliament Clock Tower (better known as Big Ben) leans to the northwest by 0.26 degrees or 43.5cm, according to documents that were recently released. The level of inclination has increased to 0.9 millimeters per year since 2003, and constant underground works and the London Underground are affecting the slope.

3. Two towers of Bologna, Italy

The two towers Asinelli and Garisenda in the city of Bologna are steadily falling despite all the efforts of the city authorities. The high tower is called Asinelli, the smaller but more deviated Garisenda, its deviation from the vertical is already 3.22 m

4. Frankenhausen Church Tower, Germany

Tower on a hillside on the outskirts of the city, constantly exposed to strong winds Engineers have noticed that the rate at which the tower is now falling is 6 cm per year. In that case, it could reach a tipping point within the next decade or so. Local and state officials agreed to spend $1.5 million to try and stabilize the tower.

5. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy

Built on soft clay, the tower began to fall a few years after construction began. When completed in 1350, the tower leaned about four and a half feet. By 1990, the tower had tilted another 4m and the authorities had spent almost two million pounds of lead on ingots that had to be placed on one of its sides to keep it from falling.

6. Nevyansk Tower, Russia

The Nevyansk tower is also falling. The tower is located in the center of Nevyansk and is one of the most famous in the Middle Urals. The construction was financed by Peter the Great and was built in the first half of the 18th century by the well-known Russian builder Akinfiy Demidov. The height of the tower is 57.5 m. According to the latest measurements, the deflection of the top of the tower with a right angle is currently 2.20 m. The exact date of the tower's construction is unknown, but various historical sources mention dates between 1721 and 1745.

7. Tiger Hill Pagoda

Tiger Hill Pagoda or Huqiu Tower is located in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. The tower was built during the later period of the Five Dynasties (907-960 AD). The tower rises at a height of 47 m. It is a seven-story building built with blue brick octagons. For more than a thousand years, the tower has been gradually tilting due to the forces of nature. The slope of the tower is 2.32 meters. The entire structure weighs about 7,000,000 kg.

8. Burana Tower, Italy

Burana Tower, or the Church of St. Martino is located on the Venetian island of Burana. The building was built in the 15th century. It does not fall down because it rests on a nearby building.

9. Oude Kerk Church, Netherlands

Oude Kerk (Old Church), nickname of the church Oude Jan ("Old John"), is a Gothic Protestant church in the old city center of Delft, the Netherlands. At 75 meters high, it is deflected 1.98 cm from the vertical.

10 Bedum Tower, Netherlands

The Bedum Tower in the northern Dutch city of Bedum also leans more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. At 55.86m high, the tower of Pisa leans about 4m while the tower of Bedum leans 2.61m (8.6ft) at a height of 35.7m.