How Tall is the Leaning Tower of Pisa | Height & Tilt
When you think of Italy, one of the foremost things that come to mind is the majestically tilting structure that has graced almost all children’s books. The Leaning of Tower Pisa’s height is among the most talked-about aspects of this structure. This page will discuss more regarding the stature of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
What is the Height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
The average height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is 57 meters.
How tall it was meant to be
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was meant to be an even 60-meter tall building. If the original plans of the structure had held, the structure would have remained upright at its current site.
The tower tilted
Five years after the construction began, work had to be stopped due to a noticeable tilt to the south side. This lean was later attributed to the weak subsoil and a rather shallow foundation.
The height after tilting
Currently, the Leaning Tower of Pisa stands 56.67 meters tall at its highest point and 55.86 meters tall at its lowest point. The present lean is at 3.99 degrees.
How Tall is the Leaning Tower of Pisa?
The Real Height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
When you talk about the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you have to understand that there is some room for interpretation. As the tower is tilted, it has a high point and a low point, and the real height wouldn’t just be as simple as an average of the two numbers. As the foundation of the tower sank about 2 meters deep, the real height of the tower would be 58.36 meters.
The Significance of 58.36 Meters
Over time, the scale of measurement has evolved quite a lot. Back when the Leaning Tower of Pisa was planned, measurements were done in arms and not meters. One little-known fact about the Leaning Tower of Pisa is that it was designed to have a height of 100 braccia pisane, or 100 Pisan Arms. The highest point of the Baptistery close to the Tower of Pisa is also 58.36 m or 100 arms tall. The first architect wanted the heights of these two buildings to be the same, and the different architects that worked on the tower over time made sure to keep this in consideration during their correction attempts. It may have been done so with a compromise (the height of the tower is 100 arms from the foundation and not the ground), but the compromises these architects made to reach the goal of 100 arms is truly commendable!
Leaning Tower of Pisa Compared to Other Buildings
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is about 60 meters tall. While 100 arms was a big deal back in the 12th Century, it’s not very tall in this day and age. The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall, the Empire State Building is 443 meters tall at its tip, and the recently built Burj Khalifa is 828 meters tall! However, what makes the Leaning Tower of Pisa appear tall is that all the other buildings in Pisa are quite small. The buildings surrounding the Cathedral Square have just 2-3 stories and aren’t more than 15 meters tall. This allows the Tower of Pisa to look monumentally larger, allowing you to enjoy stunning panoramic views of the city at the top of the bell tower.
Height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Numbers
Meters: 58.36 meters
Arms: 100 braccia pisane or Pisan arms
Feet: 191.47 feet or 191 feet and 6 inches;
Yards: 63.8 yards
High side of the tower from the ground: 56.67 m or 185.92 ft
Low side of the tower from the ground: 55.86 m or 183.26 ft
Height of every floor (2nd to 8th): 10 arms or 5.84 m
Other Measurements of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Elevation of the Cathedral Square: 2 m
Height of the tower from the ground: 55.86 m
Height of the tower of the foundation: 58.36 m
Outer diameter of the base: 15.48 m
Inner diameter of the base: 7.36 m
Weight of the tower: 14,700 metric tons
Thickness of the walls at the base: 2.44 m
Foundation Diameter: 19.58 m
Base Circumference: 48.6 m
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FAQs on How Tall the Leaning Tower of Pisa is
A. The Leaning Tower of Pisa stands 56.67 meters tall at its highest point and 55.86 meters tall at its lowest point.
A. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was meant to be 60 meters or 196.85 feet tall.
A. It would require unprecedented engineering and financial intent to completely straighten the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Currency, there are no such plans.
A. Yes, the Leaning Tower of Pisa can be scaled using the stairs inside the structure.
A. Tickets to the Leaning Tower of Pisa can be bought online here.
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