The Leaning Tower of Toruń is Still Standing 800 Years Later

That leaning tower in Pisa, Italy, is not the only ancient structure that wouldn't pass inspection today. Poland has its own such tower, built of brick, in the town of Toruń, the birthplace of Copernicus. 

The tower dates back to the 13th century, when the Teutonic Order, a Catholic military/monastic order born of the Crusades, held the city of Toruń in the Baltic region. They built two towers as part of the city's fortifications against attack by the pagan Prussians and Lithuanians. The brick towers were quite heavy, and as soon as they were completed, they started leaning to one side as they settled into the soft ground underneath. At least, that's the practical explanation. An old legend says that one of the Teutonic Knights was commanded to build the towers to lean as punishment for falling in love with a local woman. 

Only one of the leaning towers is still standing, and it's been used as a prison, apartments, shops, and offices through the centuries. We can assume that the floors inside have been leveled, otherwise it wouldn't be useable. Read about the leaning tower of Toruń and the knights who built it at Kuriositas.  

(Image credit: Scotch Mist)