Rescue of leaning tower will cost millions
Italy's lesser-known leaning tower is to be extensively renovated. In Bologna, the city council is planning to secure the Garisenda Tower. This could cost 20 million euros and, above all, could take a long time.
The Italian city of Bologna will probably have to worry about one of its landmarks for another decade: According to Mayor Matteo Lepore, the renovation of the badly leaning Garisenda Tower will take another ten years or so. Experts fear that the Torre della Garisenda could collapse. During a site visit, Lepore put the cost of saving the 48-metre-high tower at at least 20 million euros.
The building from the Middle Ages now has a tilt of 3.20 meters or four degrees. Right next to it is the Asinelli Tower, which is much more upright despite its greater height. On Wednesday afternoon, Lepore referred to the experience with the renovation of the even more famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, around 200 kilometers away in Tuscany. "The planning and intervention on the Tower of Pisa took ten years. We have no indication that we will need less time."
Due to the cracks and unusual swaying of the Garisenda Tower, the city council has closed the area around the leaning twin towers since October. This is unlikely to change in the next few years.
For many centuries, the two so-called twin towers have shaped the image of the city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, which today has a population of almost 400,000. Seen from the air, they rise up from the narrow city center like skyscrapers. Italy's national poet Dante Alighieri wrote about the Garisenda Tower in his "Divine Comedy".
The Torre della Garisenda was built on behalf of a wealthy family in 1109, when the wealthy classes were keen to build their own family tower even higher than their neighbors. Originally, the building was even 60 meters high. However, it had to be lowered as early as the 14th century due to initial construction errors. Today, experts cite the foundations and the lowering of the groundwater as the reasons for the increasing inclination. Since 2018, a team of experts has been monitoring the two towers - in particular the cracks in the masonry as well as fluctuations and vibrations that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The masonry has also already been reinforced all around with an iron structure.
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The Garisenda Tower, a notable example of Medieval Italian Architecture, is not only a symbol of Bologna but has also attracted the attention of international architectural circles due to its unique lean. The city council's efforts to save this tower reflect Italy's commitment to preserving its cultural heritage on an international scale.
Source: www.ntv.de
