Ten Interesting Facts About the Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is an architectural oddity and probably the most famous leaning building in the world. Construction of the tower started in 1173 and wasn’t officially finished until 1370, but it was doomed to lean as soon as the first stones were laid. Here are some things you might not know about this impressive structure.

1. The tower began to lean after the third floor had been constructed after 1173. The builders had set the foundation on soft earth made of clay and sand. Work on the tower was stopped shortly after that time due to a conflict with Genoa and didn’t start up again until 1272. Four more stories were then constructed until there was yet another work stoppage. It would be almost another hundred years before the Tower of Pisa was completed with the construction of the final eighth story in 1370.

2. Initially, the tower leaned to the north, and the builders tried to correct the lean by lengthening the columns on that side. By the time work began again in 1272, the tower was leaning the other way to the south completely and away from the correction. Builders tried to correct the lean again on the fifth and sixth floors by lengthening the columns and arches on the south side of the tower. The corrections give the tower a slightly curved, banana-like appearance.