Undoubtedly, the Leaning Tower is the main sight of Nevyansk. It was built in 1721-1725 by the order of Akinfiy Demidov. You could easily include it in the list of the most interesting sights of all Russia.
At the beginning of 18 century Verkhoturye was the only town in this area (200 km north of Nevyansk), which was located at the most convenient passage over the ridge of the Urals and connected the European part of Russia with Siberia. Yekaterinburg has not been founded yet.
And in these dense Ural forests the Demidov decided to build a tower of 57 meters (the height of a 20-storey building). On the top tier they installed a huge clock, having ordered it for 5 thousand rubles in gold in England. The construction of the tower cost them 4 thousand rubles. The tower rose above the ironwork and symbolized the power of the Demidov in this area.
Unfortunately, only the ruins remained of the ironwork and the Demidov`s house, and only the Leaning Tower rose above the dam and the artificial lake of the Neyva river. According to the legends, there were numerous underground passages that connected the tower, the ironwork and the Demidov`s house, however, now there is no reliable information about this. It was rumored that Demidov minted silver coins in these dungeons, however, the royal commissions could not find evidence for this. It was only in the 1970th that they decided to make an analysis of the soot in the chimneys of the tower, which revealed the silver content in it.
There is no reason to believe that the Demidov specifically decided to build a leaning tower on the model of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Most likely, during the construction of the massive first tier of the tower, ground subsidence occurred on one side, and the architects decided to complete the tower with this lean. Vertical deviation is 1.85 meters, with the largest deviation at the lower tier. Builders levelled the deviation with the help of the upper tiers.
Now the Leaning Tower houses a museum. When in Nevyansk, you should visit the museum, as well as the nearby History and Architecture Museum. On the lower tiers you can see an interesting exhibition devoted to the Demidov family and the development of the metallurgical industry in the Urals. From the observation deck of the tower you can have very beautiful views of the Transfiguration Cathedral and the environs of the town.
