Keith McGill, age 12 of Louisville, Ky., for his question:
WHY DOES THE TOWER OF PISA LEAN?
One of the favorite tourist spots in Italy is Pisa, a town with a population of 90,000 located on both banks of the River Arno. The city has a famous university founded in 1343 and an academy of fine arts established by Napoleon. But most of the tourists come to see a spectacular bell tower called the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Many historians rate the Leaning Tower of Pisa as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. The beautiful bell tower leans dramatically so far to one side that it appears as if it is about to topple over.
But the bell tower has stood for hundreds of years and promises to continue to stand for a long time to come.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa took 200 years to complete. It was started in 1173 with the final touches made in 1372. The ground beneath the tower started to sink by the time construction had reached the third story, but building continued slowly despite the noticeable leaning. Unstable ground is responsible for the tower's stance.
Just recently a measurement was taken of the bell tower and it was found to be about 14 feet out of line. Measurements have been taken on a yearly basis since 1918 and it has been determined that the lean is increased each year by about one millimeter. This would indicate that the tower is a long way from falling and there is certainly no immediate danger.
The bell tower, actually called the campanile, is part of a complex of buildings which includes a cathedral and a baptistery. The tower is one of the world's most famous buildings.
From ground to top, the leaning tower measures 182 feet. The walls measure 13 feet thick at the base and are six to seven feet thick at the top. A circle of arches resting on 15 columns surrounds the first story, with each of the next six stories surrrounded by 30 columns. The top story has 12 columns circling it. It is on this top floor that a fine set of bells is housed.
Visitors to the Leaning Tower of Pisa can climb a winding staircase to the building's top where they'll find a spectacular view of the city and the beautiful countryside around it. Almost 300 steps form the inner staircase.
There's a story told by many people in Italy that Galileo, a resident of Pisa, made his famous falling weight experiments in 1589 from the top of the tower. There is no proof that this is where the scientific tests were completed. In fact, scholars now discount the theory. But rejecting this bit of folklore doesn't take away one bit of the Leaning Tower of Pisa's special magic.