In this article I'd like to tell you about the main point of interest of Nevyansk, where I was born and raised. The Nevyansk leaning tower has a lot of mysteries and legends so as the people who built it - the Demidov dynasty.
The Demidovs had founded many of the modern cities in Urals and by the 18th century they had created the Empire on the Ural and Siberian territories, where, they had had almost unlimited power. Nevyansk was the Capital of this Empire and its leaning tower represented itself as the symbol of the dynasty's strength and power.
Nobody knows the exact date of its erection. Russian historians consider that it was built between the period of 1721 and 1745. Enslaved workers built the tower in four years - up to 60 meters high. It was a real miracle for that time.
THE INCLINATION
The Nevyansk tower is often compared with its "relative", the leaning tower of Pisa. But the difference is that the Nevyansk tower is not actually leaning as the Pisa tower, it's inclined towards the ground.
The tower's height is 57.5 m, the base is 9.5 sq. m. The vertical deviation is about 1.85 m (2°). All the tower tiers' inclination is different, therefore the inclination has the shape of a saber. The lower tier has the largest inclination (3° 16').
Such a shape gave reasons to many versions and legends, some of them say that the tower was designed and constructed inclined to make it look similar to the Pisa one. Others say that we can see the inclination because the earth floor had sunk during the construction of the first tier (quadrangle).
It is said that its basement along with all the workers stamping out fake coins was flooded that's how it got its inclination. That order was given due to the sudden visit of the inspector from St. Petersburg. After a few years, the construction was continued, the builders were trying to straighten the tower and that's how it got its saber shape.
THE TOWER'S STRUCTURE
According to a scientific research, the architects of the tower used the most advanced technologies of that time.
There was a lightning rod, the iron ball empty inside, installed on top of the tower spire. This ball was struck by lightning а few times. It sounds interesting, but this lighting rod was invented 28 years before the invention of Benjamin Franklin, who is officially considered as the inventor of the lighting rod.
The lighting rod is not the only technical invention which was used in the tower for the first time ever. The structure of bimetallic, armor-clad and cast iron beams across the first and the biggest octagonal structure of the tower was employed for the first time in the world.
Now it can be seen that it was the first time of using the reinforced concrete, the cornerstone principle of the whole modern construction. And that happened 130 years before its first official use by Joseph Monier in 1860. The Nevyansk tower is literally pierced with deeply grounded metal bars.
Another surprising thing about the tower is that the metal parts used during the construction do not have a slightest trace of corrosion. The scientists concluded that these parts have an iron content of 99.6%. How come the constructors have managed to produce such high-quality material still remains under wraps.
The tower was erected from special so-called skew brick. To produce these brick, workers had to knead red clay with bare feet, it helped to find and remove tiny stones. After that they mixed the paste with lime powder and albumen. After the burning, the bricks were to be tested to destruction, for that purpose the workers threw them off from 10 meters height. If the brick did not fall apart, it was used.
THE ACOUSTIC ROOM
There is a room with special acoustic effect on one of the floors of the tower. If you face one of the corners, you can hear even the quietest talk of other people, standing in the opposite corner.
This sound is caused by the optimal balance of covering the room fornication radius and the acoustic wavelength.
People say that Akinfiy Demidov invited inspectors and foes there, and while they were talking being absolutely sure that no one was listening, he took advantage of that. Amused by his wisdom people told, “Demid hears and knows everything.”
Nobody knows the architect who designed and constructed the tower. But it is rumoured that Demidov commanded to threw the master builder from the tower so he wouldn’t build the same one.
OLD CLOCK
The chiming clock manufactured in 1730 by the English craftsmen is placed on the 7th and 8th floor. Akinfiy Demidov took them for 5 thousand roubles. Back then it was enormous price, the clock was more expensive than the entire tower (in the second half of the XVIII century it was costed at 4207 roubles in gold). The mechanism gets you amused not only by the accuracy movement and chimes beauty, but the repertoire of the musical shaft which has more than 20 melodies recorded on it. The clock has been repaired only three times, along once in a hundred years.
My mother had been working in the historical museum of the town and giving tours of the tower for some years. If you decide to visit our town, text me on Facebook, I will help you to get the best excursion.
There are plenty of things to see in Nevyansk except the tower – for example, potteries where you can try to make stuff from clay yourself. Also check out the historical museum, one of the best in the Urals, and Nevyansk Icon Museum.