The "Capital Gate" building is more tilted than the Leaning Tower of Pisa — one of the world’s top five leaning architectural wonders

▲ The Leaning Tower of Pisa had a recorded tilt of 5.5 degrees in 2001. Between 2001 and 2013, Italian authorities managed to “straighten” it by 44 centimeters. (Photo / TASS / AP)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa is world-renowned for its noticeably askew structure. In recent years, Italian authorities have been working hard to “straighten” the tower to prevent it from tilting further. But besides the Leaning Tower of Pisa, there are actually several other leaning towers around the globe. Among them, Abu Dhabi’s “Capital Gate” building stands out as the most tilted man-made tower in the Guinness World Records.

▲ London’s “Big Ben” has also developed a slight tilt due to the opening of the underground railway. (Photo / From Wikipedia)

UK Big Ben — Tilt: 0.26 degrees

Big Ben, which has watched over 150 years of history along the River Thames in London, is one of the city’s most important landmarks. Aside from being the largest bell in Britain, it is also the third tallest bell tower in the world. In 2012, to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 60th year on the throne, it was renamed “Elizabeth Tower.”

However, because the Jubilee Line of the London Underground runs beneath Big Ben, the tower has been affected and now has a slight tilt of 0.26 degrees. The British government has stated that since the subway opened, they have continuously monitored its impact on the tower, so any significant tilting is not expected for at least another thousand years.

▲ Yunyan Temple Pagoda in Suzhou. (Photo / From Wikipedia)

China’s Yunyan Temple Pagoda — Tilt: 3 degrees

Located atop Huqiu Mountain in Suzhou, the Yunyan Temple Pagoda, also known as the Tiger Hill Pagoda, is the surviving structure built during the Later Zhou Dynasty of the Five Dynasties period. It is the oldest brick pagoda and is currently listed as a key cultural relic protected by China. Due to its tilted appearance, it is also referred to as the “Leaning Tower of China.”

▲ Germany’s Suurhusen Church, which briefly held the title of the world’s most tilted building in 2007. (Photo / From Wikipedia)

Germany’s Suurhusen Church — Tilt: 5.1939 degrees

The Suurhusen Church, which briefly topped the Leaning Tower of Pisa and claimed the Guinness World Record in 2007, was built in the mid-13th century in the northern German village of Suurhusen. The leaning tower is about 27.4 meters tall. Over hundreds of years, its foundation has been soaked in groundwater, causing the spire to gradually lean to one side. For safety reasons, it was closed to the public in 1975 until it reopened in 1985 after undergoing safety reinforcement.

However, it didn’t hold the Guinness World Record for long before it was soon surpassed by Abu Dhabi’s “Capital Gate.”

▲ It is said that the tilted design of the “Gate of Europe” also helps with rain protection. (Photo / From Wikipedia)

Spain’s Madrid “Gate of Europe” — Tilt: 15 degrees

The “Gate of Europe,” completed in 1996 after six years of construction, is a pair of twin office towers in Madrid, standing 115 meters tall with 26 floors. It is also known as the “Madrid Leaning Tower.” Its 15-degree tilt is said to provide shelter for a thousand people from the rain, and it is also the world’s first leaning skyscraper.

▲ The “Capital Gate” is currently the record holder for the most tilted man-made structure in the world. (Photo / TASS / AP)

UAE Abu Dhabi’s “Capital Gate” — Tilt: 18 degrees

The “Capital Gate” in Abu Dhabi was completed at the end of 2011. With a total height of 160 meters and 35 floors, it is mainly used as a hotel and commercial building. Its structure leans 18 degrees to the west — four times the tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa — and has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the “World’s Most Leaning Man-Made Tower.”