The lean isn’t just a fascinating oddity; it is integral to the historical character of the tower. It’s a big part of why we care. Unlike the millions of photos of tourists pretending to hold the Pisa tower up, the contractors, restoration experts, and engineers actually did it (for the next few centuries, at least).
source.image: Practical Engineering
The Tower of Pisa began to lean almost right from the start. The monument has been leaning for nearly 850 years now ever since the masons began construction work back in 1173.Watch the video from Practical Engineering:
Numerous efforts have been made to restore the tower to a vertical orientation or at least keep it from falling over. Most of these efforts failed; some worsened the tilt. On 27 February 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling.
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It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa. Starting in 1993, 870 tonnes of lead counterweights were added, which straightened the tower slightly. It has been reported that the monument will continue to straighten and it will keep doing so for many years to come.
