Lego leaning tower of pisa - 21015 Betriebsanweisung

History

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.

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07/02/2013   3:00 PM