Tower clock: from simple to complex. Tower in Bukittingie, Indonesia. Rajabai clock tower, Mumbai, India

Psychologists consider the sense of time to be subjective. They are probably right: time runs on wristwatches and mobile phones, time on city towers goes in a different, measured, as if not today's rhythm

Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
New York, USA, 1909

The tower was built in the image and likeness of the campanile of the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice, but with a clock. Eight-meter dials are located on four sides at the level of 25-27 floors. The figures are 1.2 m high. The minute hands weigh half a ton. A clock is mentioned in Murray Leinster's story "The Fleeing Skyscraper": when the building moved in time, the hands turned back.

Abraj Al Bait Towers
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 2012

The clock on the Royal Tower is the largest in the world (43 m in diameter) and the highest (400 m). About 21,000 white and green lights are built into each of the four dials, forming Saudi flag. Blinking, they call Muslims to prayer. The flag is visible for 30 km.

Kostel Nejsvětějšího srdce Páně
Prague, Czech Republic, 1932

Two huge transparent dials on the wide tower of the Church of the Sacred Heart of the Lord also function as windows. Light enters through them.

Shell Mex House
London, UK, 1931

The largest clock in London (7.62 m in diameter) has long been known as the "Big Gasoline" because the monumental building on the banks of the Thames (80 Strand) was owned by an oil and gas company Shell.

Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower
Hong Kong, 1921

Clock tower- all that's left of railway station. Now it's just a monument. And the clock is ticking. Their work was interrupted only during the period of Japanese occupation during World War II.

Gare de Cergy-Saint-Cristophe
Cergy, France, 1985

Station RER Cergy-Saint-Christophe is built of glass and metal in the form of a huge cylinder hanging over a pedestrian street. At both ends of the cylinder - on a transparent dial. Clock with a diameter of 10 m, created by the company Huchez, claim to be the largest in Europe. The length of the second hand is 6 m. Its tip "passes" more than 45 km per day.

Zimmer toren
Lear, Belgium, 1930

The 13th-century medieval Cornelius Tower was rebuilt in 1930 to house the Jubilee Clock ( Jubelklok). Watchmaker Louis Zimmer presented them to the city for the 100th anniversary of Belgian independence. The rebuilt tower was named after him. The watch has 13 dials. The central one shows the time, the twelve surrounding it have special functions: displaying the day of the week, the sign of the zodiac, the month, the phases of the moon, the change of day and night on earth and other periodic conditions.

Helsingin päärautatieasema
Helsinki, Finland, 1922

original clock Central Station started manually. Until 1980, each dial had its own mechanism, later they were connected to electronic system hours of the Finnish Transport Agency.

Grazer Uhrturm
Graz, Austria, 1712

The clock tower on the Schlossberg is unusual in that the hour hand is longer than the minute hand. Initially, there was only one long hand that struck the hour. Later, a second, shorter one was added. Inside the tower is a clock bell dating back to 1382.

Palac culture and science
Warsaw, Poland, 2000

The Palace of Culture and Science was erected in 1955 in the style of Stalin's skyscrapers, and with Soviet money and by Soviet builders according to the project of Lev Rudnev. There were no clocks on the skyscraper then. The four facades of the top of the building were fitted with large dials in 2000, in honor of the millennium. For two years after that, the tower remained the world's tallest building with a clock until it was erected in Tokyo. NTT Docomo Yoyogi Building.

Supreme Court of Burma
Yangon, Myanmar, 1911

Building Supreme Court Burma (now Myanmar) was built in the then fashionable Victorian style (or rather, in one of its directions called the "Queen Anne style").

Torre Dell'Orologio
Venice, Italy, 1499

The clock on the tower of the Cathedral of San Marco showed the guests the wealth and glory of Venice. The golden hand indicates the hour, the disk with the signs of the zodiac indicates the position of the Sun. On the left panel, the number of hours (in Roman numerals) is displayed on the top, on the right - minutes (in Arabic).

Urania Weltzeituhr
Berlin, Germany, 1969

The Berlin Peace Clock, placed at Alexanderplatz on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the founding of the GDR, shows the time in 24 time zones and 148 cities around the world, whose names are engraved on a cylindrical dial. Today it is a favorite meeting place. Berliners say that a couple who hold hands for 24 hours at this place will never part.

Obraztsov Puppet Theater
Moscow, Russia, 1970

Around the dial are forged houses with toy animal inhabitants. At each change of hour, a rooster crows, the doors of the dwelling, which the arrow points to, open, and its owner looks out.

Kulla e Sahatit
Tirana, Albania, 1822–1970

The clock tower of Tirana was originally equipped with a bell from Venice, which struck every hour. In 1928, a German clock was installed, but it was damaged by bombing during World War II, and in 1946 it was replaced by a clock from a church in the Albanian city of Shkodra. And in 1970, Chinese-made watches appeared on the tower. They are still going.

Photo: Alamy / Legion-Media (x8), Getty Images / Fotobank.com (x2), Photononstop / Legion-Media, Westend61, Alamy, Zoonar GMBH / Legion-Media, Sergey Sobolev / Photobank Lori

Modern people, already accustomed to the accelerated pace of life, have long ceased to pay attention to watch, and many use only hours on mobile phone. Nevertheless, the city clocks on town halls and turrets still attract attention, as if taking us to the past. historical eras during their stop. Watches can tell a lot even now, strange watches can be called a work of art, masters have been working on their mechanisms for years, and today's watchmakers find it quite difficult to correct problems that have arisen over a long period of operation.

A journey into the past, counted by chronometers, can be started with a tour of London's Big Ben, which announces the time with the help of a powerful and sonorous bell, the echoes of which can be heard in all historical districts capitals of Great Britain. The birthday of the English Big Ben can be considered May 31, 1859, when for the first time the inhabitants of London, when the clock was wound for the first time, today they are the main attraction of the city and attract millions of foreign tourists.

Big Ben

Big Ben - an old clock created in 1859, it decorates the tower of St. Stephen, which is integral part Palace of Westminster in London, capital of Great Britain. The size of Big Ben strikes the imagination of tourists, the diameter of the dials of the old clock is seven meters, each dial is lined with small plates of unique frosted glass, and 312 glass panels were used to decorate one dial. The cast metal hour hand is 2.7 meters long, much larger than the height of one person. And only the numbers on the old London clock are small - the height of each number is only 61 centimeters, but the numbers are clearly visible from afar.

As for the name of the London clock, stories put forward two versions. According to the first version, the watch is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the master who supervised the important work of casting a large hour bell, which is why the watch was called Big Ben. According to the second version, the London clock got its name due to the heaviest bell, whose weight is 13.7 tons, it was associated with the then popular heavyweight boxer Benjamin Count. The system by which the accuracy of the old clock is carried out is surprising. For this, an ordinary English penny is used - a coin weighing only 1.5 grams. Such a coin is simply placed on the clock pendulum, which allows you to speed up the clock by 2.5 seconds per day.

Kremlin chimes

The Kremlin Chimes, created in 1851, adorn the Spassky Tower of the Moscow Kremlin, Russia's main clock eight years older than its British counterpart. The clock built into the tower has four identical dials, one on each side of the Spasskaya Tower. The dial diameter of the Kremlin clock is not much smaller than the English Big Ben - it is 6 meters 12 centimeters. The metal hour hand reaches a length of 2.97 meters, and the minute hand - 3.27 meters, and the pendulum of the chimes weighs 32 kilograms.

The ringing of the Kremlin chimes is achieved with the help of 10 bells of different weights and sizes, one of them only strikes the clock, and the ringing of nine bells, spreading throughout Red Square, can be heard every 15 minutes.

The name of the Kremlin Chimes comes from the French word "courant", which can be translated into Russian as running or current. In the old days in Russian Empire so called all the tower clocks located in various cities of the country. The Kremlin chimes occupy the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of the Spasskaya Tower, towering over Red Square.

Previously, the main Moscow clock was musical, before the revolution, their built-in mechanism was tuned to play various melodies - at noon the music “How glorious is our Lord in Zion” played, and at midnight - “Transfiguration March”. In 1917, during the memorable revolutionary events, an artillery shell hit the chimes, and after a long repair, the watch was able to show the time again only a year later. During the repair, the musical mechanism was changed, other melodies were put into it, reflecting the philosophy of the revolution, at noon the chimes played the anthem "International", and at midnight - "You fell victim", in 1935 the authorities Soviet Union decided to abandon the musical accompaniment of the chimes, and the unique musical mechanism was dismantled.

Puppet Theater Clock

The clock of the Puppet Theater was created in 1970 and is 4 meters high and 3 meters wide. You can see them by visiting the Obraztsov Puppet Theater, they are the decoration of the facade, arousing interest among young spectators of puppet shows. These unusual clocks are more designed for children than for adults, every hour a rooster flies out of a small clock window and starts to crow loudly, and after that the melody familiar to us from childhood “In the garden, in the garden” sounds, and from one of the windows of the clock appears some animal - in one hour a donkey, in another hour - a bear, and then a cat, after - an owl. All animals together can be seen only twice a day - at noon and at midnight.

The wolf shows at 11.00 am, and thanks to this animal, the concept of “hour of the wolf” appeared in Moscow. It was at this time that the sale of alcoholic beverages was allowed in the store located opposite the children's theater, this Soviet law was mandatory not only for this store, it was observed in all food stores in the USSR.

Astronomical clock “Orloi”

The astronomical clock "Orloj", located in the Czech capital of Prague, in the heart of the old city on the Old Town Hall, can be considered the oldest tower clock in Europe. It has been running smoothly since 1410, and the ancient clock mechanism is constantly maintained in perfect order. There are only two dials on the watch, each of them is 2.5 meters in diameter, significantly inferior to later watches. The name of the clock is just a transcription of the Czech word "orloj", which translates into Russian as a tower clock.

The authorities of the city decided to install an old clock of the 15th century with one goal - so that the inhabitants of Prague, engaged in trade right on the square, which then served as a market at the same time, would not be late for church at the beginning of the mass. And the design of the watch, as conceived by its creators, makes every person think about his soul, bringing him closer to God. Beating every hour, the clock bell is pulled by a skeleton, which symbolizes Death, ringing with coins. The stingy and proud looking in the mirror are associated with human vices. After their appearance, the procession of the twelve apostles begins, reminiscent of the true faith as a way of a righteous life.

The clock was first repaired in 1490, and the Czech master Gashush, who managed to understand the complex clockwork and eliminate the breakdown that had arisen, local authorities he was ordered to gouge out his eyes so that he could make a similar clock for any other city.

Moscow State University Clock

The Moscow State University clock appeared on the map of Moscow in the middle of the 20th century; since 1953, it has been decorating the facade of the Moscow State University built in the best traditions of Moscow architecture. The dial diameter of this watch is much larger than the Kremlin chimes, it is nine meters. The minute hand weighs 39 kilograms and is 4.2 meters long. And the hour hand weighs as much as 50 kilograms, and its length is 3.7 meters.

Until 1957, the mechanism for starting the clock at Moscow State University was rather complicated, it could only be started using a special huge pendulum, and the entire clock mechanism occupied the same place as a six-story building. The clock was serviced by a large staff, so later it was decided to change the old mechanism for an electric motor. Until the advent of the grandiose flower clock on Poklonnaya Hill The clock of Moscow State University was considered the largest in all of Europe.

Millennium clock

The millennium clock in Warsaw appeared only in 2001, it was decided to install it on the main skyscraper of the city, built in the middle of the 20th century - the Palace of Culture and Science. They are located at a height of 165 meters, just at the level of the 42nd floor of the building. Although the diameter of the Millennium Clock is only 6.3 meters, this clock is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as it is the tallest tower clock in the world.

Clock “World Time”

The German clock "World Time" is located in Berlin, on Alexanderplatz, it appeared on the city map in 1969, and is of interest due to its unusual design. "Universal Time" is not a tower clock. They are characterized by a unique rotating design, which is 10 meters high, and the rotating cylinder with digits 2.7 meters high looks more like a calendar than a watch.

The clock was built in the socialist era, Alexanderplatz at that time was located on the territory of the GDR in the eastern part of Berlin. The clock bears the names of all the socialist and communist countries of the world, including Beijing and Havana, and the numbers above each capital show its characteristic local time. The mosaic floor under the rotating clock structure symbolizes the wind rose, and the top of the composition is decorated with a metal planetary model resembling an atom in its shape.

Flower clock in Moscow

The flower clock on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow appeared relatively recently - in 2001, today it is the largest clock in Europe. The diameter of the hour dial is 10 meters, the length of the hour hand is 3.5 meters, and the minute hand is 4.5 meters. To cover the watch dial with fresh flowers, at least 8 thousand flowers are needed, which are planted in a certain sequence.

Walking along Poklonnaya Gora, one cannot see the complex clock mechanism, it is completely hidden underground, and on the surface there are only hands and the axis on which they are held. After dark, the clock is illuminated with a special backlight, so you can navigate it even at night. Unfortunately, the flower clock is open only from May to October, and every spring the flower pattern is renewed anew.

Flower clock in Geneva

The flower clock in Geneva, Switzerland, is located on the territory English garden, they were founded back in 1955, and, unlike Moscow flower clocks, they have not only hour and minute hands, but also a second one. The second hand of the Geneva flower clock is 2.5 meters long and the dial diameter is five meters. Each year, the floral pattern on the dial is laid out in a new way, and its creation requires 6.5 thousand fresh flowers.

Floral flowers in Geneva were created to emphasize the craftsmanship of Swiss watchmakers and show that they are the best in the world at all times, and on the original dial, fragrant with the scent of fresh flowers, there was also a second hand, symbolizing precision. A similar watch was presented to St. Petersburg in celebration of the 300th anniversary of its founding northern capital, but the gift of the Geneva mayor turned out to be of lesser quality - the clock soon began to fall behind, and subsequently was subjected to an act of vandalism.

Greenwich Clock

The Greenwich Clock in London appeared in 1852, seven years before the world-famous Big Ben. They are located at the gate of the building. Royal Observatory in Greenwich, are made of ordinary metal and glass, and their diameter is very small - it is only 92 centimeters.

Created by renowned watchmaker Charles Shepherd, the Greenwich Clock is known as the first clock to keep time accurately. It is on them that all countries of the world are guided, reporting the local time of their states and time zones, for each zone in the world it is typical to add a certain number of hours to the numbers on the Greenwich clock.

giant watches

In Saudi Arabia, in Mecca, the largest clock in the world began counting the time. They are located on one of the tallest buildings in the world with a height of 601 meters. The largest clock has a diameter of 43 meters and is located 400 meters above the ground. Four of their dials are set on the four cardinal points. The giant clock is visible from anywhere in the city. At the top of the tower, above the clock, there will be a 61-meter-high spire crowned with a crescent.

dial decoration

The dials are composed of 98 million mosaic pieces arranged in a strict pattern. It is decorated with the coat of arms of Saudi Arabia located in the center with a palm tree and swords crossed under it. Above the clock is the inscription “God” in Arabic.

According to the Al-Arabiya TV channel, a special high-precision movement with protection against adverse external influences was developed and manufactured for this watch. The watch is powered by powerful solar panels.

Project implementation

During the call to prayer, the watch will be visible even at a distance of 30 kilometers due to the special illumination of the dials, which is provided by a huge number of lamps (21 thousand) of white and green colors, symbolizing the color of Islam and the flag of Saudi Arabia.

On this moment the clock is working in test mode, as its installation and construction of the skyscraper is still ongoing. How much money was spent on the project is unknown, but the Saudi Arabian media mentions a figure of $ 800 million. So it is quite possible to say that this, in addition to everything else, is also the most expensive watch in the world.

Skyscraper with a clock

Plus, the skyscraper with the biggest clock will also be the most big hotel in the world. It should be noted that not all residents of the city and pilgrims equally favorably perceive the skyscraper with a clock hanging over the Masjid al-Haram mosque, sacred to all Muslims. But the craving of Arabs from Saudi Arabia for gigantomania is irremediable.

Not so long ago, wristwatches have lost their importance for us. But a couple of hundred years ago, it was they who replaced the tower clock in importance, making them just a decoration of cities. However, the clock towers, like many years ago, attract our attention, as they are the symbolic heart of the city.

Zytglogge - European old woman

Zytglogge, Bern, Switzerland
This medieval building is one of the most famous clock towers in Europe. Built at the beginning of the 13th century fortification, she for her long history had time to stay and a prison, until she became the city's keeper of time. The tower is decorated with moving mechanical figures and astrolabes.

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The Leaning Tower of Pisa is, of course, the most famous leaning tower in the world. Thanks to a mistake by the builders, this graceful but quite ordinary bell tower of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta has gained worldwide fame. However, not everyone knows that the Leaning Tower of Pisa is far from unique phenomenon in architecture. In Europe alone, there are several dozen so-called "falling" towers, and around the world there are more than a hundred of them.

Most often, the towers begin to deviate from the vertical axis, due to too soft soil, which unevenly settles under the weight of the structure. The second reason, often directly related to the first, is the human factor, in particular, miscalculations made during the design or already in the construction process.
Due to the peculiarities of the soil, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands are confidently leading in the number of falling towers in the Old World, but similar sights are also found in others. European countries. The most interesting falling towers of the Old Woman of Europe will be discussed in this article.

ITALY

Venetian towers

In Italy, there are quite a few a large number of falling towers, especially in Venice. Today the guests of this beautiful city have the opportunity to see as many as four towers that have a serious deviation from the vertical, although there were five of them 120 years ago.

, or the bell tower of the Cathedral of San Marco, was built in the XII century and had a height of 99 m. For several centuries, it served as a beacon for sailors, and its five bells informed the townspeople of the exact time and announced the beginning of public executions.
In the 18th century, during a thunderstorm, lightning struck the tower and a menacing crack formed on the facade. Campanilla squinted slightly, but held her ground. Due to the constant threat of its collapse, the authorities of Venice were even forced to issue a decree prohibiting noisy festive festivities in St. Mark's Square. Taken measures did not help and in 1902 the tower suddenly collapsed. Surprisingly, the collapse of such a massive structure did not cause any casualties, moreover, even nearby buildings were not damaged. After 10 years, the tower was restored and now stands exactly. Today it is considered one of the main attractions of Venice, and anyone can climb it. observation deck to admire the magnificent city from a bird's eye view.

A similar story happened with bell tower of the Cathedral of Santo Stefano. In 1585, lightning also struck the 66-meter tower, destroying its upper section. True, there was some damage here, falling debris seriously damaged neighboring buildings, and the bells melted from the high temperature. The tower was repaired over the next two centuries, but as a result of the incompetence of the builders, even in the process of restoration, it began to sag and lean. At the beginning of the 20th century, measures were taken to strengthen its foundation. They did not bring tangible results, and the tower is still considered a dangerous object.

The rest of the falling towers of Venice escaped destruction, however, some of them only by a miracle. So, tower of Saint Martin's church on the Venetian island of Burano, it would have long since shared the fate of Campanilla, but it was prevented by the wall of a nearby building, on which it still relies.

Another dangerously rickety building in Venice is considered Tower of the Basilica of San Pietro di Castello, which received a significant deviation from the vertical axis as a result of frequent floods.

And finally, the last leaning tower of Venice belongs to a small Orthodox Churches of San Giorgio dei Grechi. Unlike the others, it stands quite firmly on its foundations, is not considered dangerous for tourists and even serves as a reliable guide for those who get lost in the labyrinth of narrow Venetian streets and canals.

The swinging towers in Bologna

The fashion for the construction of high towers originated in Italy during the Middle Ages, this allowed noble families to have impressive and also well-fortified housing. The inhabitants of Bologna were especially fond of such construction; by the 13th century, there were more than a hundred towers in the city.
Two of them, located in the very heart of the city, have earned themselves worldwide fame not because of their beauty and grace, but again because of the banal mistake of the builders. Both of them have a significant, clearly visible to the naked eye, deviation from the vertical axis. The 97-meter Asinelli Tower is tilted at 1.2 m, and its younger sister, the 48-meter Garisenda, has an even greater slope of 3 meters.
After these structures were no longer considered residential, a prison worked in the Asinelli tower for several centuries, and in the 18th century, the scientist Giovanni Guglielmo studied the properties of gravity here. In the 20th century, the tower was used as an observation tower and even as a television antenna. Today, these two towers are considered the symbol of Bologna, and, according to experts, sudden destruction does not threaten them.

GERMANY

The Guinness record for the largest deviation from the axis (5.19 degrees at a height of 24.7 m) belongs to the bell tower of the church in the town of Zuurhusen, which is located near the city of Emden in Germany. The church itself was built in the 13th century, and the bell tower was added to it only two and a half centuries later. The tower was built on a wooden foundation and, of course, over time, the wood began to deteriorate and the tower began to lean. In 1975, the entrance to the bell tower was closed due to real threat its collapse, then urgent measures began to be taken to strengthen the foundation. The building has been stabilized, but the church is now collecting donations for further repairs.

Church in Bad Frankenhausen-Kyffhäuser

The Late Gothic Upper Church in the German town of Bad Frankenhausen-Kyffhäuser is now in a state of neglect. But a beautiful spire still continues to rise above the roofs of the houses, having a deviation from the vertical axis by 4.45 m, which is more than leaning tower of pisa. Let's hope that the church will eventually be restored, and its falling tower will not be allowed to fall at all. The townspeople are already raising funds for large-scale restoration work, especially since there is a healing mineral spring under the church.

Metzgerturm tower in Ulm

It is also called the "leaning tower of Ulm". Previously, the tower was part of the fortress wall of the city and played the role of a gate. It was built of brick in 1345. With a height of 36 m, the angle of deviation of the tower from the axis is about two meters. The tilt angle is now 3.3 degrees.
There is an interesting urban legend about the reason for the tilt of the tower. Once in Ulm there was a lean year, and in order not to suffer losses, local butchers began to add sawdust to their products. The price of low-quality meat products remained the same as in former times. Having found out about this, the townspeople started a riot, and the frightened butchers locked themselves from the angry townspeople in the gate tower. Then the inhabitants of Ulm turned to the burgomaster with a demand to severely punish the swindlers. And so, at the moment when the judicial representative entered the tower to announce the verdict to the butchers, fat merchants crowded in fear in one of the corners of the tower. The solid structure could not bear the weight of the well-fed burghers and leaned over. Since then, this tower has been called the "butcher's tower".

NETHERLANDS

The swampy soil of the Netherlands has always been a big problem for builders, and not all of them managed to cope with their task with honor.

In the 16th century, residents of the small Dutch town of Leewarden decided to build big church With high tower, which would overshadow the bell tower of St. Martin's Church in neighboring city Groningen. However, the ambitious plans of the provincials were not destined to come true. From the very beginning of the construction of the new church, something went wrong and the building began to tilt menacingly. The work was frozen, and soon, due to the threat of collapse, the already almost rebuilt cathedral was dismantled, leaving only its tilted tower as a warning to posterity. The clock and two bells remained on the tower, today it is considered the main attraction of Leerwarden.

Old church in Delft

beautiful clock tower old church in the Dutch city of Delft deviates from the vertical axis by almost 3 meters. It is said that the masonry could not bear the weight of the huge bell and still continues to heel under its weight.
The cathedral itself is considered one of the main attractions of the city. The famous Dutch artist Jan Vermeer and the natural scientist Leeuwenhoek are buried in it.

Another similar attraction is located in the town of Bedum. The tower of the church of St. Walfrid is tilted more than 2.5 meters from the vertical. If this tower were equal in height to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, then its deviation would be 6 cm, which is two centimeters more than that of the famous Italian.

UK AND IRELAND

Finally, another region of Europe where falling towers are found in abundance is the British Isles.

Church of Our Lady and All Saints in Chesterfield

The Church of Our Lady in Chesterfield boasts one of the most unusual spiers in the history of world architecture. However, its unusual shape cannot serve as evidence of the genius of the creator, rather, on the contrary, it is a vivid illustration of his unprofessionalism. The temple was built at a time when Europe was just coming to life after a terrible plague. The construction site lacked not only specialists, but even ordinary workers. As a result of incorrect calculations and the use of poor wood, the frame of the spire could not withstand the weight of the roof and was significantly deformed. Now it is not only deviated by 3 meters from the vertical, but also twisted in a spiral by 45 degrees.

Caerphilly Castle in Wales

The ancient Caerphilly Castle was built in the second half of the 13th century. and built, indeed, for centuries. During its long history, it has survived many wars and sieges. But the most tragic for the castle was the siege during civil war XVII century. Cromwell ordered not only to capture the castle, but to completely wipe it off the face of the earth. The besiegers decided on sabotage, and under the walls ancient castle explosives were planted. The resulting explosion was terrible, but its only result was a serious tilt of one of the towers of the fortress. For several centuries now, its slope has been 3 m at overall height 20 m - a frightening degree. But the tower is still standing, and the fact that it has not yet collapsed once again testifies to the highest skill of the builders of the castle, who managed to build a really solid and impregnable structure.

The exact purpose of hundreds of strange round towers in Ireland is still unknown. They were erected in the XI-XIII centuries, most often near religious buildings - churches or monasteries. The highest of them is the 34-meter tower of the monastery of Kilmacdoo in County Galway. This tower stands out among others not only in height, but also in a very noticeable deviation from the vertical axis. Despite the slope, the tower looks like it was built just yesterday. It looks especially impressive against the backdrop of the monastery itself, which has been in ruins for many centuries. According to experts, further collapse of the tower does not threaten.

Surprisingly, the well-known Big Ben can also be attributed to the number of falling towers. Its deviation from the vertical axis is about 0.3 degrees or 43 cm. At first glance, it is negligible, but the concern is that the slope is gradually increasing. The alleged culprits of this circumstance are called active underground work and the activity of the London Underground. It is known that the list appeared quite recently, between November 2002 and August 2003. True, until the time when the slope main tower England will become visible to the naked eye for many more years. According to experts, this can happen only after 4 thousand years.