German steeple challenges leaning tower of Pisa

BERLIN (Reuters) - The Guinness Book of World Records has ruled that a church steeple in Germany, not the famous leaning tower of Pisa, is the most tilted tower in the world.

The 25.7-metre steeple tilts at an angle of 5.07 degrees, while the tower of Pisa tilts at just 3.97 degrees, said Olaf Kuchenbecker, head of Guinness's German edition.

"When you lay photos of the two next to each other you can see it relatively clearly," Kuchenbecker said.

The new record, scheduled to appear next autumn in the 2009 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, could strip the Pisa tower of its iconic status, Kuchenbecker said.

The 15th century German church tower stands in Suurhusen, a small village near Emden in northwestern Germany. Although its tilt angle is greater than Pisa's tower, it has less than half the Italian tower's height and none of its ornate beauty.

Kuchenbecker will present the village with a certificate commemorating the record on Thursday.

(Reporting by Naomi Kresge; Editing by Golnar Motevalli)