According to Mayor Matteo Lepore, the stabilization of the leaning Garisenda Tower, a landmark of the Italian city of Bologna, which is in danger of collapsing, will cost more than 20 million euros and will take at least ten years.
The 12th century Garisenda Tower is one of Bologna’s two towers, measuring 48 meters and standing next to the taller Asinelli (97 meters). It is a landmark of the city.
Tower closed due to risk of collapse
Like the more famous Tower of Pisa, the Garisenda Tower has been leaning for centuries, because the ground on which it was built gave way shortly after its construction. The area around the tower was cordoned off last month as experts feared its collapse.
“I think we will have to spend as much as 20 million euros on the tower, maybe even more,” Mayor Matteo Lepore said on Wednesday. In Pisa, the tower’s restoration took ten years. “We have no reason to believe we will need less,” Lepore added.
Yellow alarm near the towers
Italy’s Civil Protection Agency has issued a yellow alert for the area around the two towers, meaning the area is under observation but there is no immediate threat to people’s safety. The two towers rise in the heart of the city, at the starting point of the old Via Emilia. They were built in the Middle Ages and had a predominantly military function. The smaller Garisenda Tower is noticeably crooked.
The community wants to investigate how vibrations around the two medieval towers can be minimized. Until then, they will remain closed to visitors. An iron structure was built around the Garisenda Tower. The experts do not fear a collapse, but rocks could become loose and fall down. It is assumed that the area around the towers will remain closed to traffic for some time.
Source: Krone
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