this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2025
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Today I Learned

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[–] BrokenGlepnir@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Seems like it would be a nightmare to take them down. Demolition back then must have been pretty methodical, taking it apart from the top to bottom.

[–] ranzispa@mander.xyz 5 points 2 days ago

Much easier than that: just wait for a while and there won't be no tower anymore.

Either it falls down on its own or people come around to pick a few bricks and stones to build their own house.

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Look around them. It would have to be like that today too. Too crowded.

[–] Lojcs@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago (3 children)
[–] Blumpkinhead@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago

Are you suggesting that this isn't a real photograph of 12th century Bologna??

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 4 points 2 days ago (3 children)

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Bologna+towers&ia=images&iax=images

Here are real images. Tell me how you can safely demolish those with explosives while guaranteeing it's not going to topple over adjacent buildings.

[–] CrackedLinuxISO@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm sure the construction of towers is different from chimney stacks, but Fred Dibnah did it with a bunch of firewood and some shovels.

https://youtu.be/0L1WOnR2KBY

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 3 points 2 days ago

Do you see a direction without buildings there so it can topple over safely? That's the main issue.

These towers are significantly different from a mud brick stack, too. The fact that they're square is important. They're also built with different materials: instead of a lattice of uniform bricks and mortar, they are built with two layers of masonry filled with assorted stones and mortar. Not the kind of building we're used to demolish, making it harder to predict.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

demolish the adjacent buildings first

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Use the tower and demolish them all in one fell swoop! Demolitionists hate this one trick!

one big explosion is less fun than a lot of little explosions and one big explosion

[–] Lojcs@piefed.social 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I don't know? But it's definitely easier than what the picture in the post suggests

[–] acockworkorange@mander.xyz -1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Maybe just stick to the first sentence.

[–] Lojcs@piefed.social 0 points 2 days ago

? Demolishing 2 detached towers is definitely easier than 50 built directly on buildings.

[–] starlinguk@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Towers like this still exist in places like San Gimignano.