Ural Sister of the Leaning Tower of Pisa: "Our Sloping" and its unsolved ominous secrets

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Everyone knows about the famous "falling" Leaning Tower of Pisa, but not everyone knows that we have an analogue of it in Russia, in the Urals. During its construction, the latest achievements of technology and architecture were used. And although the Ural tower is much inferior to the Pisa tower in popularity, it surpasses the Italian one in the number of secrets and legends surrounding it, sometimes very ominous.

In the 18th century, Nemyansk was one of the most famous cities in the Urals. In these places, a rich deposit of iron ore was found and the firstborn of Russian metallurgy was built - an iron-smelting and iron-making plant, the ownership of which Peter I transferred to the Tula merchant Nikita Demidov, an expert in the field of metallurgy and arms business. At the same time, the plant, first of all, had to supply weapons to the Russian army, which needed it so much.

Under the Demidovs, Nikita and his son Akinfia, Nevyansk reached its heyday. The Demidovs erected a strange tower on its territory, the true purpose of which has not yet been finally clarified, and its history is covered with secrets and legends.

This tower is slightly higher than the Pisa one, it has a height of 57.5 meters and is deviated from its axis by 1.86 meters. Its massive brick walls at their base are about two meters thick.

First-class craftsmen were involved in the construction of this unique tower, whose names, unfortunately, remained unknown. Iron was not spared then, and the builders applied an engineering solution that was unusual for that time - the base of the brick tower is made up of a cast-iron frame. Only in the 20th century did they start using something similar in construction - reinforced concrete blocks.

What is the reason for the tilt of the tower?

Unlike the really "falling" Leaning Tower of Pisa, which began to deviate slightly from its axis after the completion of construction, the angle of inclination of the Ural tower has remained practically unchanged since its existence, that is, it was deliberately built with a slope, possibly as an imitation of the Italian one. During its construction, hewn bricks of a conical shape were specially used to give the tower a slope.

But another option is also possible. The tower tilted already at the early stages of construction, under the influence of groundwater the ground “floated”, unable to withstand this heavy structure. And further construction continued, trying to align the tower, as a result, it has the shape of a curved saber. The top of the tower is already aligned exactly vertically, and the weather vane easily spins from the wind.

Today, if the tower, built in Nevyansk by order of Akinfiy Demidov, is called "falling" by analogy with the Pisa tower, the locals will certainly correct it: "Ours is inclined."

Unique elements of the tower

"Auditory" room

One of the highlights of this tower is the mysterious "auditory" room. This room has a special acoustic effect, in which any word spoken, even in a whisper in one corner, can be perfectly heard in the opposite, and only there. Experts associate this effect with the flattened shape of the vaulted ceiling of this room. But at the same time, it remains unclear again whether this effect was a subtle calculation, ingeniously implemented, or it turned out purely by accident. And if it was a calculation, then who was tapped?

According to legends, Demidov knew about such properties of this room and invited auditors here after the next check. Leaving them in one corner of the room to discuss the results of the check, he retired to the opposite corner, ostensibly in order not to interfere with them. And if he heard that the auditors found many violations, they were attacked on the way home by his people, and the auditors simply disappeared in the woods.

Unique chimes

Another highlight of the tower is the unique chimes, purchased in England for a fabulous sum, they cost Demidov more than the entire tower. Two dozen different melodies were “recorded” in the mechanism of this watch. The clock was wound manually every day. After the revolution, everyone was not up to them, and the clock fell silent for several decades, some of the details were lost, some were disassembled. But there was a craftsman, A. I. Sakantsev, who was able not only to assemble and start their clockwork in 1975, but also to figure out how the melodies were recorded on them. Later, at the request of the city residents, they even added several new melodies to the large shaft.

Spire-lightning rod

It is impossible not to mention another feature of this tower - a metal spire at the top, which is crowned with a ball with spikes, reminiscent of the sun. This spire perfectly served as a lightning rod for this tower, and in fact the lightning rod was invented only a quarter of a century after its construction. And again the question remains - for what purpose was this spire in the form of the sun installed - just for beauty, or did it also serve as a protection against lightning? And who then came up with the much needed structure to protect the structures from thunderstorms?

Ominous legends associated with the tower

There are many legends about the tower and its dungeons among the inhabitants of Nevyansk. They say that here Akinfiy Demidov secretly smelted gold and silver, the deposits of which he had hidden for a long time, and minted his own coins from them. Many workers were chained in the dungeons to prevent them from escaping. And when, nevertheless, they learned about this secret activity of Demidov in St. Petersburg, a formidable commission was sent to Nevyansk for verification. To cover up his tracks, Demidov decided to flood the dungeon by opening the floodgates for this, despite the fact that hundreds of people worked there at that time. This, allegedly, was the reason that the tower tilted.

Was it so or not?

Until now, the debate about whether it really was or not does not subside. The only indirect confirmation of this legend is that traces of gold and silver were actually found in the soot collected in the chimney of this tower. But on the other hand, the legend is refuted by numismatists - after all, none of them have ever heard or held in their hands a Demidov gold or silver coin or something similar. And geologists, having examined the soil under the tower with the help of modern devices, did not find any voids there. …

So the history of the Nevyansk tower continues …