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The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre di Pisa) is the campanile, or bell
tower, for Pisa's cathedral, the Duomo di Pisa. It was built to stand
vertically but began leaning soon after construction started in August, 1173.
The height of the tower is 55 metres from the ground. Its weight is estimated at
14,453 tonnes. The current inclination is about 10%. The tower has 293 steps.
The government of Italy asked for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling
over on February 27, 1964.
On January 7, 1990 the Tower was closed
to the public due to safety concerns.
Recently, reconstruction work was done to try to reduce the tower's angle. The tower was reopened to the public on June 16, 2001 after the completion of ten years of
work.
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