But Pisa isn’t the only famous leaning tower you can visit. If you’re really interested in seeing more of these odd-looking structures, then here are some of the next best ones.
The Leaning Tower of Nevyansk, Russia
In 18th century Russia, the powerful industrialist family, the Demidovs, constructed this pleasant-looking tower. And over the years, it’s been used as a belltower, a watchtower, and even a prison and a laboratory during the Soviet era!
But many think that the leaning was intentional! The theory is that the builders made it point toward Tula, the family’s home city. Others say it was a defect during construction.
Huma Temple, India
Believed to be the world’s only leaning temple, this Shiva temple has been around since the 16th century. Funnily enough, other smaller nearby temples also lean, albeit in the opposite direction. But Huma’s the big one. Some historians believe that the locals built the temples this way on purpose to protect them from monsoons.
Suurhusen Church, Germany
At one point, this quaint, gothic church was regarded as the most slanted manmade building on the planet. Suurhusen Church’s bell tower has an incline of 5.19 degrees, which is a whole 1.19 degrees more than Pisa’s. The marshland it stands on was drained, causing the tower to lean.
Asinelli and Garisenda Towers, Italy
Pisa isn’t the only leaning tower in Italy. The people of Bologna consider their landmark to be just as impressive. Not just because of its leaning properties, but because there are two of them – right next to each other!
Both Torre Degli Asinelli and Torre Garisenda are on a slant, but the latter is even more vulnerable because it was built on fairly unstable ground.
In recent times, the city has marked Garisenda as being in critical condition, building a barrier around the tower to protect citizens from fallen debris.
The Leaning Tower of Torun, Poland
Built in medieval times, this leaning tower in the Polish city of Torun is part of its ancient city walls. Over the years, the tower has been used as a women’s prison, a garrison, and even as a cafe!
Although it’s generally believed that the tilt is due to the tower having stood on weak soil for so long, legend has it that a monk betrayed his religion and his punishment was to build it.