![]() The tower was officially completed about 1370. ![]() In 1360, work began on the bell chamber, the eighth and final story, and workers attempted to compensate for the lean by building the chamber at a slight slant with the rest of the tower. By that time, the southward tilt was nearly three feet. In 1278, workers reached the top of the seventh story, and construction was halted again. The 95-year pause in construction allowed the building to settle somewhat, and the new chief engineer sought to compensate for the tower’s visible lean by making the new stories slightly taller on the short side. The ground is made up in large part of water and silty sand, and one side of the heavy marble building began gradually sinking into the ground as soon as the foundation was laid. In recent years, it has been determined that the tower’s lean is caused by the remains of an ancient river estuary located under the building. It may have been because of economic or political strife, or the engineers may have noticed that even then, the tower had begun to sink down into the ground on one side. However, when the tower was just over three stories tall, construction stopped for an unknown reason. On August 9, 1173, construction began on the Leaning Tower, which was to house the bells of the vast cathedral of the Piazza dei Miracoli, the “Place of Miracles.” Pisa at the time was a major trading power and one of the richest cities in the world, and the bell tower was to be the most magnificent Europe had ever seen. ![]() Proposals to save the Leaning Tower arrived in Pisa from all over the world, but it was not until 1999 that successful restorative work began. Experts warned that the medieval building-one of Italy’s top tourist attractions-was in serious danger of toppling in an earthquake or storm. The top of the 180-foot tower was hanging 17 feet south of the base, and studies showed that the tilt was increasing by a fraction every year. On February 27, 1964, the Italian government announces that it is accepting suggestions on how to save the renowned Leaning Tower of Pisa from collapse. ![]()
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