http://www.ceepackaging.com
http://www.pbn.com.pl
http://www.youtube.com/alanheath
Here is a quick visit to see the leaning tower of Pisa which is a very unusual structure.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower of the cathedral. It is situated behind the cathedral and is the third oldest structure in Pisa's wonderful Cathedral Square which you can see in this film.
Although intended to stand vertically, the tower began leaning to the southeast soon after the onset of construction in 1173 due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that has allowed the foundation to shift direction. The tower presently leans to the southwest.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m from the ground on the lowest side and 56.70 m on the highest side. The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m and at the top 2.48 m . 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. The tower leaned at an angle of 5.5 degrees but after the restoration works between 1990 and 2001 the tower leans at an angle of 3.99 degrees. This means that the top of the tower is 3.9 metres from where it would stand if the tower were perfectly vertical..
On February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid in preventing the tower from toppling. It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt, due to the vital role that this element played in promoting the tourism industry of Pisa. A multinational task force of engineers, mathematicians and historians was assigned. It was found that the tilt was increasing in combination with the softer foundations on the lower side. Many methods were proposed to stabilize the tower, including the addition of 800 metric tonnes of lead counterweights to the raised end of the base.
In 1987, the tower was declared as part of the Piazza dei Miracoli UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the neighbouring cathedral, baptistery and cemetery.
The tower was closed, the bells were removed to relieve some weight, and cables were cinched around the third level and anchored several hundred meters away. Apartments and houses in the path of the tower were vacated for safety. The final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle, by removing 38 cubic metres of soil from underneath the raised end. The tower was straightened by 45 centimetres, returning to the exact position that it occupied in 1838. After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts, the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001, and has been declared stable for at least another 300 years.
In May 2008, after the removal of another 70 metric tons of earth, engineers announced that the Tower had been stabilized such that it had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years.
My channel on you tube : http://www.youtube.com/alanheath is one of the most prolific from Poland. I have produced a number of films, most in English but also in Polish, French, Italian, Spanish and the occassional hint of German and Hebrew. My big interest in life is travel and history but I have also placed films on other subjects
There are a number of films here on the packaging industry. This is because I am the publisher of Central and Eastern European Packaging -- http://www.ceepackaging.com - the international platform for the packaging industry in this region focussing on the latest innovations, trends, design, branding, legislation and environmental issues with in-depth profiles of major industry achievers. Most people may think packaging pretty boring but it possibly effects your life more than you really imagine!
In 1997 I founded Polish Business News http://www.pbn.com.pl .There are a number of business related films here and I intend to do many more on CRM (customer relations management).
My blog can be found via http://www.ceepackaging.com and http://www.pbn.com.pl and contains background information and more details of many of my films. This information is in English.
I have also a second blog on the site http://www.navigeo.net/blog/alan-heath-blog . This site has been recently started by a friend and I think it will soon be one of the leading travel sites in Poland, if not Central Europe. It contains additional information about some of the places and events shown in these films but most of that is in Polish.
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Europe 2007 Part 35 San Miniatoby alanheath2,327 views
awesome i like this video
pisa is a beautiful city
thank you
kasn2 3 years ago 3
Very interesting video. Really leaning :)
polandmail 4 years ago 3