A 15th century church steeple in Germany has snatched the accolade of the most tilted tower in the world from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Guinness Book of World Records confirmed on Thursday.

The 27-metre-high (86-feet-high) steeple in the northern village of Suurhusen tilts at an angle of 5.19 degrees compared to just 3.97 degrees for the Pisa tower.

In a ceremony to mark Guinness World Records Day on Thursday, the book's editor-in-chief handed over a certificate to mark the accomplishment to church officials.

"We have always known it, but now it's official," said the pastor of the church, Frank Wessels.

According to local historian Tjabbo van Lessen, the church was built in marshy land in 1450 on foundations of oak tree trunks which were preserved by the water in the ground.

When the land was drained in the 19th century, the wood rotted, causing the tower to tilt.

The steeple was closed to the public in 1975 for safety reasons, but re-opened 10 years later after being made safe.

Suurhusen is a village of 1,200 residents near Germany's border with the Netherlands.
译文：

《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》于上周四确认，德国一座建于15世纪的教堂尖塔“击败”意大利比萨斜塔，赢得“世界最斜塔”的称号。

这座位于德国北部苏乌尔胡森村的教堂尖塔高27米，倾斜5.19度，而比萨斜塔的倾斜度仅为3.97度。

在本周四“吉尼斯世界纪录大全日”的庆祝仪式上，《吉尼斯世界纪录大全》的主编向教堂的神职人员颁发了证书。

教堂的弗兰克•威瑟尔斯牧师说：“其实，我们早知道这个事实，但现在我们得到了官方的认证。”

据当地历史学家蒂加博•范•莱森介绍，这座教堂于1450年在烂泥地里建成，它以橡树树干为地基，几个世纪以来，教堂的木质地基一直浸泡在地下水中。

19世纪，这块地里的水被排干，木质地基也随之腐烂，导致整个建筑逐渐倾斜。

由于安全原因，尖塔于1975年停止向公众开放，但十年后，经过安全加固的尖塔又重新对外开放。

苏乌尔胡森村地处德国与荷兰交界处，共有1200个居民。