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The city of Krakow has its own leaning tower. In fact, the 70-meter-tall Town Hall Tower at Krakow’s central Grand Square (Rynek Glowny) leans just 55 centimeters. Yet the reason is unusual – in 1703 a strong wind has caused its tilt. The massive Gothic tower had been built of stone and brick by the end of the 13th century. It got its first clock in 1524. Several fires weakened Krakow's Town Hall Tower during the ensuing 150 years, so its west wall has been supported since 1680 by a mammoth buttress reaching up to the third floor. In 1685 the Town Hall Tower was heightened for 6.5 meters. Its present baroque roof dates back to 1686. The tower once adjoined Krakow's splendid 13th-century Gothic Town Hall that was pulled down in the 1820s.
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Eastern Europe
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