Tower of Pisa, yes of course, but have you heard about the leaning tower of the Netherlands?
One of the most mesmerizing experiences while sightseeing in the Netherlands was visiting the leaning tower of Oldehove. It is situated in the town square of Oldehoofterkerkhof in the city of Leeuwarden located in the region of Friesland. A late Gothic-style monument, standing tall (hehe mostly) in the city.
History
The idea of construction was proposed when the citizens of Leeuwarden demanded a tower taller than the one in Groningen. Back then, the Oldehove tower was a tower of St. Vitus Church. This church collapsed due to a heavy storm in 1576 and was then demolished in 1595–96. The construction of the tower began during 1529–32 by Jacob van Aken and after his death later by Cornelis Frederiksz. Unfortunately, not everything went as planned. A gradual sinking in the land of the tower occurred which they tried to rectify using perpendicular supports for the construction work. They continued to build it above the leaning bottom but were eventually forced to stop the work in 1532.
Architecture
One must wonder why the tower started to sink and the talented architects from the sixteenth century couldn’t save it from tilting in the northwest direction. The tower was originally built on the western slope of a mound. To give it extra strength, the foundation pit had alternate layers of hard lime and clay with a massive base and added eight buttresses to the tower. Due to the poor choice of location, they still couldn’t save it from leaning and the dreams of the inhabitants came crumbling down!
The intended height of the tower was 120 m, however, it has managed to reach only 48 m today. It has 183 steps, and the tower is tilted at an angle of 1.99 m. The tower, built in the late Gothic style, has three sections with diagonal buttresses and it also has some decorations with natural stone. Originally planned stone vaults were never executed and the windows and passages of the tower at the upper levels were closed in 1599 most likely with the stones of the then demolished St. Vitus Church. The tower also has some interesting features such as the tombstone of Pieter van Dekama (1568) and Catharina van Loo (1581) were constructed in 1866 on the Southern facade. The tower has two bells, one by Hans Falck (1633) and the second by Jacob Noteman (1636). It consists of a clock by Cornelis Waghevens (1541). Historically, the tower has been restored several times in 1910–11 and again around 1975. It has been used as a clock tower, storage space, and an observation post in the past.
Today
Many tourists around the world visit this beautiful city with the tower. It is a central attraction of the city. It is declared a rijksmonument (national monument) and is protected by Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (Cultural Heritage Agency). Since 2010, it is managed by Historische Centrum Leeuwarden. You can also climb to the top of the tower to get an amazing view of the city.
Have you visited this tower, if yes how was your experience? Do let me know in the comments!
For more details, feel free to drop me a message on — www.linkedin.com/in/prachi-buche-marathe
References :
Monumenten in Nederland, Fryslan
