21015 The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Retired. Box is worn)

The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Torre pendente di Pisa) took almost 200 years to complete and has stood beside the Cathedral of Pisa for over 600 years. Thanks to its famous tilt, it has become one of the world’s most recognizable architectural landmarks. The story behind the bell tower spans over 800 years of European history and provides a fascinating glimpse into a miracle of medieval engineering.


La construction de la tour penchée de Pise (Torre pendente di Pisa) dura presque 200 ans, et elle se tient à côté de la Cathédrale de Pise depuis plus de 600 ans. Grâce à sa célèbre inclinaison, elle est devenue l’un des monuments architecturaux les plus célèbres du monde. L’histoire de ce clocher couvre plus de 800 ans d’histoire européenne et offre un regard fascinant sur un miracle d’ingénierie médiévale.



The story of the tower of Pisa begins in January 1172 when the widow Berta of Bernado left 60 soldi (gold coins) in her will to purchase stones for the construction of a bell tower. A year later, in August 1173, the first foundations for the tower were laid in the ground behind the existing Pisa Cathedral. At that time, Pisa was a rich, independent trading port and it was hoped that the new tower would become a symbol of a city at the height of its cultural and economic power. Therefore the circular, freestanding tower was designed to be one of the tallest in Europe and included finely elaborately carved columns and intricate bas-reliefs. Within five years, and with only two floors completed, the builders faced a serious obstacle – a combination of shallow foundations and soft, unstable subsoil was causing the tower to lean. Construction was stopped, and with Pisa’s prosperity and power on the decline, a hundred years would pass before building was resumed. Four more floors were added in 1272, the seventh floor in 1319 and the bell-chamber in 1372. On completion, the tower would stand 185 ft. (56.4 m) tall and consist of eight stories, including the bell-chamber. A total of seven bells, one for each note of the musical scale, were installed – adding even more weight to the already heavy structure. Throughout the construction period, and especially during the last one hundred years, many have tried to solve the tower’s overriding structural problem, more often than not, making the problem worse. It would be 2008 before engineers could confirm that the tower had stopped moving for the first time in its history.