Leaning Tower of Nevyansk

It has been suggested that it was also used as a "bank safe", a watchtower, a belltower, prison,[1] or a laboratory for conducting chemical experiments and producing counterfeit money.

A soot sample taken from the flue, showed traces of silver and gold, which some consider might relate to a theory, later refuted by scientists, that the Demidov's may have been conducting coin minting activity there.

The seventh and the eight floors house a clock that plays music on a carillon made by the English master Richard Phelps in 1730.

Some historians claim that the tower was purposely inclined to face southwest in the direction of Demidov’s birthplace in Tula.

The architect agreed, and Demidov ordered him thrown from the top of the building; a similar legend is attached to the construction of the Prague Astronomical Clock.

The next morning, the locals supposedly noticed that the tower had leaned forward a bit and water had started trickling down the walls.

One can see water constantly dripping down the southwest wall of the tower to this day (albeit as a result of a natural phenomenon).

[1] Current measurements indicate that there is a 3-degree deviation of the bases' tower from its axis, while the middle part is partially straightened as the inclination equals only one degree.

The brick used for the construction of the tower was made from fired clay that incorporated the colors of lime and egg white,[3] the tower's tented roof was the first cast iron cupola in the world, consisting of a metal carcass and outer shell.

These were recently interpreted as lightning rods (existing 28 years before Benjamin Franklin's scientific explanation of such devices).