The Tower of Pisa, whose construction began 850 years ago and which is called the falling tower, continues to straighten by a few tenths of a millimetre a year. This statement was made by the representative office of the complex of monuments in Pisa’s central Piazza of Miracles. The bell tower is part of the ensemble of the city’s Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The construction of the tower lasted for two centuries because of this time lapse, as well as the combination of a small three-metre high foundation and weak soils, and an unintentional tilt occurred.
“The Leaning Tower of Pisa is in excellent condition, it continues to gain centimetres and is being monitored both from the ground and from satellites. This process amounts to a few tenths of a millimetre per year,” said Matilde Meucci.
On this anniversary, the day of laying the foundation stone of the tower in Pisa is celebrated with the ringing of the bells, which will start at 12 noon, and in the evening you can enjoy a colourful illumination and an open-air concert. The anniversary year will be marked by many events: seminars, exhibitions and musical performances.
At the end of the last century, the tower was closed to the public due to fears that it might fall. At that time, work was started to strengthen the foundations and install counterweights. At the beginning of this century, it reopened.