LEANING TOWER OF PISA 500 PC JIGSAW PUZZLE

Description

Leaning Tower of Pisa 500 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is a freestanding bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa, known worldwide for its unintended tilt.

It is situated behind the Cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa’s Cathedral Square (Piazza del Duomo) after the Cathedral and the Pisa Baptistery. The tower’s tilt began during construction, caused by an inadequate foundation on ground too soft on one side to properly support the structure’s weight. The tilt increased in the decades before the structure was completed, and gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The height of the tower is 55.86 metres (183.27 feet) from the ground on the low side and 56.67 metres (185.93 feet) on the high side. The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons.  The tower has 296 or 294 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer steps on the north-facing staircase. Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and 2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees, but the tower now leans at about 3.99 degrees.  This means that the top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 metres (12 ft 10 in) from the centre.