Pisa's leaning tower has been removed

A small 15th-century church in the village of Suurhusen, northwestern Germany, just past the famous Pisa leaning tower to become the " World's most leaning tower" , confirmed by the Guinness Record Committee.

At a small ceremony on November 8, Olaf Kuchenbecker, the German publisher of the Guinness Book of World Records, told 1,200 Suurhusen villagers: "Your church may not be as famous as the leaning tower. Pisa, but it's exactly the world's most tilted tower, the steeple section leans at an angle of 5.17 degrees, while Pisa is only 3.97 degrees. If you put the image of the two towers side by side, you'll see that is clear ".

The new record is expected to be included in the book next fall, in the 2009 edition of Guinness World Records.

The church in Suurhusen village was built in the 13th century. The tower is built of wooden nails on a moist ground that causes it to tilt more and more over time. The anti-tilt project has been implemented many times since 1982 and in 1996, the official project was stable and not subsided anymore. Currently, the church is still open to visitors and encourages them to donate charity money to the maintenance of this record building.

Although more inclined than Pisa tower, the tower of Suurhusen village church is less than half the height of Pisa and is not decorated as magnificent as that.

(Photo: Nationalgeographic)

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Thuan An