Discover the Building That Took 200 Years to Build

Old cathedrals often took the longest time to build. They were made with elaborate decorations and archways that required some time to complete and get just right. Some cathedrals took upwards of 500 years. In comparison, the rather small building that took 200 years to build may not seem as impressive.

Though it didn’t take a long time to finish in comparison, it was a building that should never have taken that long. It wasn’t all that big or that complicated of a design.

So what is the building that took 200 years to build, and what made it take so long? You’ll want to keep reading to find out.

What Is the Building That Took 200 Years to Build?

The Tower of Pisa is a freestanding bell tower of Pisa Cathedral. It’s often called the Leaning Tower of Pisa because it leans at an angle. Even during the construction, the tower began to lean at an angle of four degrees. This lean happened because of an unstable and thin foundation.

As time went on, the lean became worse. By 1990, the lean was close to five-and-a-half degrees. There was a slight worry that the tower would just collapse one day if left on its own.

Work done on the tower between 1993 and 2001 managed to reduce the tilt and stabilize the tower somewhat. Now, the lean is again just under four degrees (3.97 to be exact).

The tower is rather impressive. It’s just over 183 feet tall on the shorter side, and just under 186 feet on the taller side. It’s also about eight feet wide and weighs 16,000 short tons.

Because the tower was leaning even as it was being built, engineers adjusted the tower to compensate. Technically, the Tower of Pisa isn’t only leaning, but slightly curved. One staircase, the seventh, has fewer stairs than other staircases to help adjust the building a little.

Where Is it Located?

The Tower of Pisa can be found in Pisa, Italy. Specifically, it’s found in the Pisa Cathedral Square, alongside the cathedral and the Pisa Baptistry.

Why Did it Take So Long to Build?

Though the tower is rather impressive, it’s not a large or complicated enough building to explain why it took 200 years to build. So what happened?

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was first started in 1173. It wasn’t finished until 1372, making it take just under 200 years to finish.

There are a few reasons why the tower took so long. For one, there were issues with the building from the first day. Thanks to a foundation that wasn’t deep enough and the soft soil it was built on, the leaning tower caused headaches for engineers from the beginning. Adjustments to try and reduce the lean and compensate for it took some time.

However, these weren’t the biggest issues. Mostly, it was due to political and financial problems, and even a war.

The first stop was due to the lean. By the time the third story was complete, it was obvious that the tower was beginning to lean. Engineers and builders figured out that it was due to the foundation. While they figured out what was happening and how to fix it, they decided to halt construction.

The Biggest Issue

Shortly after this, Pisa went to war with other Italian republics. This halted the construction for roughly 100 years, between 1178 and 1272. During this time, the soil settled more and the tower tilted further.

This is when adjustments were made to the original design to account for the tilt. Based on the tilt it was at around 1272, the adjustments would have made it so that the top of the tower was almost perfectly horizontal, despite the lean.

Unfortunately, the tower wasn’t yet done learning. Not only did the tower lean more and more as time went on, but it would also occasionally change its direction.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Gian Lorenzo Ferretti Photography