Leaning Tower of Zaragoza

Zaragoza Province, Spain

No longer standing

Demolished or destroyed.

The Leaning Tower of Zaragoza, known in Spanish as Torre Nueva, was a 16th-century Mudéjar clock tower that stood in what is now Plaza de San Felipe in Zaragoza, Aragon. Built in 1504 by a multicultural team of master builders—Christians Gabriel Gombao and Antón Sariñena, Muslims Ismael Allabar and Monferriz, and the Jew Juce Galí—it rose 80 meters, making it the highest Mudéjar-style tower ever constructed. Designed in brick with a distinctive ground plan of 16 points, the tower developed a noticeable lean soon after completion, though contemporary accounts suggested no structural danger. Despite opposition from intellectuals and citizens, Zaragoza's city council ordered its demolition in 1892, citing the inclination and risk of ruin. After its destruction, residents salvaged and kept bricks as souvenirs of the landmark that had become an icon of the city.