Tower of humans: Historic result recorded in unusual competition in Spain

The traditional "castells" competition, where people climb onto each other's shoulders to build giant towers, was held in the Spanish city of Tarragona. On October 4, the XXX Tarragona Human Tower Competition brought together 12 of Catalonia's strongest teams, Catalan News reports.

In the competition, hundreds of participants climb onto each other's shoulders to construct the tallest and most complex structures possible. The strongest teams build towers up to 10 storeys high. It is important not only to erect the tower but also to safely and completely dismantle it.

This year, the Castellers de Vilafranca team took first place with 14,635 points. The team initially successfully performed two 10-storey towers. In the decisive stage of the competition, for the first time in history, they managed to fully build and safely dismantle the "9 de 9 amb folre" tower, consisting of layers of nine people and standing nine storeys tall.

The tradition of "castells" has a history of nearly 200 years in Catalonia. According to UNESCO, human towers usually range from six to 10 storeys high, and this skill is passed down from generation to generation.

On November 16, 2010, the "castells" tradition was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.