7 chosen
The Moscow Kremlin and Red Square, the historical center of St. Petersburg, the white stone monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal, the Kremlin of Rostov the Great, the Kizhi Pogost, Peterhof, Solovki, the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, the Nizhny Novgorod, Kolomna and Pskov Kremlin - the famous historical monuments of Russia, the list of which goes on. and further. Russia is a country with a huge cultural past, its history still holds many secrets and mysteries, every stone of ancient Russian cities and monasteries breathes history, behind each is human destinies. In these autumn days, the multimedia project-competition "Russia 10" is coming to an end, giving us the opportunity to learn about the most famous and beautiful places in our country and in the first place - the main historical monuments of Russia, the wonders of architecture and architecture, the magical creations of the hands of Russian masters.
Kizhi
On one of the islands of Lake Onega in Karelia there is the famous Kizhi churchyard: two wooden churches of the 18th century. and an octagonal wooden bell tower (1862). The architectural ensemble of Kizhi is an ode to Russian craftsmen, the pinnacle of carpentry art, “wooden lace”. According to legend, the Transfiguration Church was built with one ax, which the master threw into Lake Onega, finishing his work without a single nail. Kizhi is the real Eighth Wonder of the World.
The main historical value of Rus' is the hands of its masters...
Tsar Bell and Tsar Cannon
The Moscow Kremlin is a real treasury of monuments of Russian history and culture. Some of them are the Tsar Bell and the Tsar Cannon. They are famous not only for their size, but also for their amazing history...
The Tsar Bell was ordered to be cast by Empress Anna Ioannovna. At her request, foreign craftsmen were supposed to do this, but when they heard the required dimensions of the bell, they considered the empress’s desire... a joke! Well, who cares, and who cares. The father and son of Motorina, bell makers, got to work. It didn’t take them as long to create the project as the subsequent approval by the Moscow Senate office, which lasted for 3 whole years! The first attempt to cast a bell was unsuccessful and ended in an explosion and destruction of the furnace structure, and after this one of the craftsmen, Father Ivan Motorin, died. The second casting of the bell was carried out by the master’s son Mikhail Motorin, and three months later, on November 25, 1735, the birth of the famous bell took place. The bell weighed about 202 tons, its height was 6 meters 14 centimeters, and its diameter was 6 meters 60 centimeters.
They took a cast, but didn’t pick it up! During a fire in 1737, a piece weighing more than 11 tons broke off from the bell, which was still in the smelting pit. The Tsar Bell was lifted from the foundry pit only in 1836, thanks to Montferrand, who knew a lot about lifting heavy structures. However, Rus' never heard the voice of the Tsar Bell...
Tsar Cannon on Ivanovskaya Square is considered a monument to Russian artillery. The length of the bronze gun is 5 meters 34 centimeters, the barrel diameter is 120 centimeters, the caliber is 890 millimeters, and the weight is almost 40 tons. The formidable weapon was supposed to guard the Moscow Kremlin from the Execution Ground, but, according to weapons experts, its power was suitable for destroying fortress walls, but not for defense. Cast by the famous foundry master Andrei Chokhov in 1586 under Fyodor Ioannovich, it never took part in hostilities. According to legend, they fired from it only once - with the ashes of False Demetrius.
Mother Rus', everything is special for her - and the Tsar Cannon does not fire and the Tsar Bell does not announce good news...
Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God
On the Day of the Intercession of the Mother of God in 1552, Russian troops stormed Kazan, the capital of the Kazan Khanate. In honor of this event, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of the Church of the Intercession in Moscow. How many legends and traditions are associated with it...
Previously, another church stood on this site - the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity, where St. Basil the Blessed, the most revered holy fool in Rus', was buried, collecting alms for the construction of this temple. Later, others began to be built around the Trinity Church - in honor of the most significant victories of Russian weapons. When there were already about ten of them, Moscow Metropolitan Macarius came to Ivan the Terrible with a request to build one large temple on this site.
The central tent of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God was consecrated first, then a small church was completed on the grave of the holy fool, and the temple began to be called St. Basil's Cathedral. The cathedral symbolizes Heavenly Jerusalem - its 8 chapters create the eight-pointed star of Bethlehem. According to legend, at the end of construction, which lasted 6 years, the king, delighted with the unprecedented beauty of the temple, asked the builders if they could do something similar. The price for an affirmative answer was the blinding of the craftsmen by order of the sovereign, so that there would be nothing more beautiful on earth...
Several times they tried to destroy the Temple, services in it were banned and allowed again, but it survived for centuries, just as the Russian land resisted all troubles.
The Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God is a beautiful and many-sided holy Rus'.
Peter-Pavel's Fortress
The Peter and Paul Fortress is the core of the city on the Neva, a historical, architectural and military engineering monument, one of the main symbols of Russian history. It was from Petropavlovka that the construction of the city of Peter began on May 16, 1703. All of it is history, the history of wars and revolutions, faith and love. Its bastions bear the names of Peter the Great's associates: Menshikov, Golovkin, Zotov, Trubetskoy, Naryshkin and Sovereign bastions.
In the center of the fortress is the Peter and Paul Cathedral - a symbol of the formation of a new city in Russia. It contains the history of the Imperial House of Romanov; the cathedral became the necropolis of Russian emperors, where their ashes from Peter I to Nicholas II rest. Near the walls of the Cathedral there is the Commandant's Cemetery, where 19 commandants of the Peter and Paul Fortress (out of 32 who served it) are buried.
The fortress was both the defense of the Northern capital and its state prison: the prisoners of the Trubetskoy bastion were Tsarevich Alexei, the Decembrists, Chernyshevsky, Kostsyushko and Dostoevsky, Narodnaya Volya, ministers of the Russian Empire, Socialist Revolutionaries and Bolsheviks.
Petropavlovka, like Russia itself, is both an intercessor and a prison, but, nevertheless, the Motherland...
Monument "Millennium of Russia"
The monument "Millennium of Russia" was erected in Veliky Novgorod opposite the St. Sophia Cathedral and the former building of the Government Places in 1862 in honor of the thousandth anniversary of the legendary calling of the Varangians to Rus'. The anniversary of its opening is celebrated these September days.
Authors of the monument project: sculptors Mikhail Mikeshin, Ivan Schroeder and architect Victor Hartman. To create a monument-symbol of Russian history, a competition was announced, to which several dozen works were submitted. The winner was the project of young sculptors - M. O. Mikeshin, who graduated from the Academy just a year ago, and I. N. Schroeder, a volunteer student in the sculpture class of the Academy of Arts.
: This is where the leading architects of Russia lived and worked. However, they also built buildings in other cities. 10 buildings of the Russian hinterland from architects of the first magnitude - in the selection of the portal "Culture.RF".
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rostov-on-Don
Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Architect Konstantin Ton. 1854–1860. Photo: Dmitry Artemyev / Wikipedia
In the middle of the 19th century, Konstantin Ton was one of the most famous Russian architects. He worked mainly in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but among his works there are also buildings in other cities. In 1854–1860, according to Ton’s standard design, a temple was erected in Rostov-on-Don. The five-domed church in the neo-Byzantine style is very similar to the architect’s other buildings - the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior, as well as the unpreserved Vvedensky Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Svyatodukhovsky Cathedral in Petrozavodsk.
The temple was built with the money of local merchants. Konstantin Ton himself did not participate in the construction of the Rostov cathedral - the work was led by the architect Alexander Kutepov, and the 75-meter bell tower was later built by Anton Campioni. During Soviet times, a zoo operated on the territory of the temple, and a warehouse was located in the church itself.
Rukavishnikov Bank in Nizhny Novgorod
The building of the former apartment building of the Rukavishnikovs. Architect Fyodor Shekhtel. 1911–1913. Photo: Igor Lijashkov / photobank “Lori”
Fyodor Shekhtel designed Moscow buildings in the Art Nouveau style: the Ryabushinsky mansion, the mansion on Spiridonovka and others. And in Nizhny Novgorod he designed a banking complex and an apartment building. His customers were the Rukavishnikovs, representatives of one of the richest local dynasties.
Shekhtel decorated the facade of the building with white glazed tiles from Villeroy Bosh and floral patterns. Another metropolitan master, Sergei Konenkov, participated in the creation of the sculptural design. He created cast iron figures of a man and a woman placed above the entrance, symbolizing the union of industry and agriculture. There were shops on the ground floor of the building, and branches of the Russian Commercial and Industrial Bank on the second and third floors.
Spassky Old Fair Cathedral in Nizhny Novgorod
The creator of St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Auguste Montferrand, also influenced the formation of the architectural appearance of Nizhny Novgorod. In 1818–1822, he built the five-domed Spassky Old Fair Cathedral here in the classicist style. Montferrand's co-author was the famous engineer Augustin Betancourt.
The iconostasis for the church was made by the Italian artist Torricelli. It was decorated with paintings according to the canons of European art: some of the characters had parts of their bodies exposed. This greatly embarrassed the local God-fearing merchants, many of them even took their icons to the temple and prayed only to them. It was decided to order a new iconostasis - it was created for the Old Fair Church by the architect Vasily Stasov.
Boris and Gleb Monastery in Torzhok
Boris and Gleb Monastery. Architect Nikolai Lvov. 1785–1796. Photo: Alexander Shchepin / photobank “Lori”
The Boris and Gleb Cathedral of the monastery of the same name in Torzhok was built according to the design of Nikolai Lvov in 1796 on the site of a destroyed old temple. The first bricks of its foundation were laid personally by Catherine II. The construction was led by local architect Franz Butzi. The domes of the five-domed Boris and Gleb Cathedral are crowned with gilded balls with openwork crosses; the altar for it was built in the form of a rotunda. According to researchers, the monastery gate church-bell tower was also built according to Lvov’s design.
Gorodnya estate in Kaluga region
The Kaluga estate of Natalya Golitsyna, the famous “mustachioed princess” who became the prototype of Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, was built according to the design of Andrei Voronikhin. In the 1790s, he was still a young architect, having just received his freedom from Count Stroganov. Voronikhin continued to carry out orders from the count and his relatives, and Pavel Stroganov was married to the princess’s daughter.
For Natalya Golitsyna, the young architect built a modest but elegant two-story building in which ceremonial receptions were to be held. On either side of it, two symmetrical residential wings were erected. An English park was laid out around the house, but it has not survived to this day. The interiors of the estate were also completely destroyed - during the war. What the interior decor looked like can only be determined from a few surviving photographs.
Church of the Resurrection in Pochep
Temple of the Resurrection. Architect Antonio Rinaldi. Photo: Eleonora Lukina / photobank “Lori”
The Resurrection Cathedral in the Russian Baroque style and the four-tiered bell tower were built by decree of the last Ukrainian hetman Kirill Razumovsky. It was previously believed that the author of the project was the architect Jean Baptiste Vallin-Delamot. However, later researchers began to be inclined to believe that it was built by Antonio Rinaldi, and the iconostasis of the cathedral was created by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Initially, the church was part of the palace ensemble, but the manor house building and the park were destroyed during the Great Patriotic War. During Soviet times, the temple was closed, but today services are held there again.
Irkutsk Academic Drama Theater
Irkutsk Academic Drama Theatre. Architect Victor Shroter. 1894–1897. Photo: Mikhail Markovsky / photobank “Lori”
Victor Schröter was the chief architect of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters, so new theater buildings based on his designs were built not only in the capital, but also in the provinces. In 1897 he built a drama theater in Irkutsk at the expense of local merchants. Schröter built a small functional building for 800 people. Externally, it stood out among other city buildings in that its walls were not plastered - they were simply brick. The theater amazed contemporaries not only with its innovative appearance and elegant decoration, but also with its technical equipment and impeccable acoustics.
Palace ensemble in Bogoroditsk
Palace ensemble in Bogoroditsk. Architect Ivan Starov. Photo: Natalya Ilyukhina / photobank “Lori”
Architect Ivan Starov built many country estates - mainly on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. In 1773, according to his design, a country palace was built in the Tula region, which was ordered by Catherine II. In letters to Voltaire, she called Bogoroditsk a “pure flower garden.”
A two-story house with a belvedere - a turret above the roof of the building - was erected on the banks of the Upertaya River. In 1774, according to the design of Ivan Starov, a small single-domed Kazan Church was founded next to it. During the Great Patriotic War, Bogoroditsk was almost completely destroyed, and the once brilliant palace turned into ruins. The building was restored in the 1960s and 70s, and today it houses
Prince Mikhail Golitsyn
Stackenschneider built a neo-Baroque palace with Corinthian columns. The roof of the building was framed by a balustrade - figured railings. The inside of the building looked as majestic as the outside: in the 19th century, the best balls in the city were held in its halls. During Soviet times, the building housed the local history museum, which is still located there.
Transfiguration Church in the village of Krasnoye
Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Krasnoye. Architect Yuri Felten. Photo: Elena Solodovnikova / photobank “Lori”
The Transfiguration Church in the village of Krasnoye was built in 1787–1780; it was an almost exact copy of the Chesme Church of Yuri Felten. Probably, this decision was made by the owners of the Krasnoe Poltoratsky estate in order to attract the attention of Catherine II and earn her favor. The main difference from the St. Petersburg church was the yellow color in which the walls of the Gothic church were painted - the Chesme Church was red. During Soviet times, the temple was closed and until 1998 it was used as a warehouse. Today services are held in the church again.
While people involved in construction and design celebrate their professional holiday - World Architecture Day, we will present the most interesting and unusual works of modern architects and their predecessors.
Habitat 67 Quarters, Montreal
The unique residential complex was built in 1967 for the Expo exhibition. The 354 houses connected to each other are not located in a random order, but so that all apartments receive maximum sunlight. The style of this object - brutalism, by the way, became popular in the USSR.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser projects
It is very difficult to choose just one work by this iconic architect, because they are all amazing in their own way. His “fairytale” style does not fall under any of the classical concepts - the great Austrian designed “good” and even “kind” houses. Here, for example, is an ordinary residential building, which everyone simply calls the Hundertwasser house. It is not surprising that the author of such architecture always wore different socks.
Ideal Palace, France
The unremarkable town of Hautrives was made famous by the local postman at the beginning of the 20th century. Ferdinand Cheval spent 33 years building his own palace from scrap materials - stones that he collected during work. Ferdinand had absolutely no understanding of the canons of architecture and used all the styles that he could see. Therefore, in the “Ideal Palace,” as the author himself called it, there are elements from the Ancient to Gaudi.
Lotus Temple, India
In 1986, one of the most unusual in the world was built in New Delhi. The giant marble lotus leaves look like they are about to bloom. They even created almost natural conditions for the flower - the temple, like a real lotus, rises out of the water. Although it is a religious building, there are no icons, frescoes or paintings inside: these attributes are not important in the Baha'i teachings.
Cologne Cathedral, Germany
A canonical example of Gothic, known far beyond the “architectural circles”. Of course, we will not describe the numerous details of the huge building. Let's limit ourselves to one fact: in 1880, when the next stage of construction was completed, the cathedral became the tallest building on the planet for four years - 157 meters. But even today, surrounded by low-rise buildings in the center of Cologne, the cathedral still looks impressive.
Burj Khalifa, UAE
In recent decades, the title of the tallest building in the world has literally been a challenge banner: now Taipei, now Kuala Lumpur. Of course, the Emirates could not pass up such a competition and decided to set their own record. Along the way, “” won in more than ten nominations, for example, as the owner of the fastest elevator and the highest nightclub (on the 144th floor).)
Temple of the Dancing God, India
The famous Indian temple of Brihadeshvara, which recently celebrated its millennium, is dedicated to Shiva. In total, there are 250 statues of this god inside the temple, and they all depict different poses of magical dance. Previously, the temple was also a fortress, therefore, in addition to elegant statues, there are also serious defensive structures. The ditches and walls guard the legendary wealth that pilgrims have brought to Shiva for centuries.
Bird's Nest Stadium, Beijing
The Olympic Games are an excellent chance for architects to make their dreams come true: the authorities do not skimp on bold and expensive projects. From the 2008 Olympics they got a stadium for 80,000 people with a completely unusual shape. Although it is not even the shape that is remarkable, but the execution of giant iron beams - the airy translucent structure can withstand an eight-magnitude earthquake.
Chrysler Building, New York
One of the best examples of Art Deco and the tallest skyscraper in the mid-20th century was built by order of the Chrysler automobile company. It became the tallest thanks to the irreconcilable rivalry of two architects: the author of this building, at the last moment before the completion of construction, agreed on the installation of a 40-meter spire, thereby overtaking the new Trump Building. And the unusual arches on the facades of the upper floors imitate car rims.
Capsule house, Japan
The combination of Japanese minimalism and love for new technologies gave the world a unique project - a capsule residential building. All modules (apartments and offices) in this building are completely replaceable and are attached to the metal base with just four bolts. Despite the visual flimsiness of such a system, there have been no accidents since its construction in 1974.
Ring houses, China
Unusual round fortress houses appeared a long time ago, but they stopped building only in the 1960s. Before this, housing was built on the principle of a closed system in many areas. The lack of land and the ability to defend together pushed people to settle in communes in several such houses. And the microclimate inside protected from heat and cold.
Southernmost Orthodox Church
This building is not distinguished by its design or size, but solely by the location where it is located. Not far from the Russian Antarctic station Bellingshausen, the wooden Church of the Holy Trinity was consecrated in 2004. And the logs for the church probably traveled the longest route in the history of construction materials logistics: Altai Mountains-Kaliningrad-Antarctica.
The most secret office building, USA
The most inaccessible office building in the world is also the largest. This is the famous Pentagon - the building of the Ministry of Defense. The huge pentagonal building has 28 km of corridors, and the area of all five floors is 604,000 sq.m. This giant was built in the 1940s, so a small incident arose: there are twice as many toilets in the building as necessary - separately for blacks, separately for whites. True, by the end of construction the old rules were canceled and they didn’t even have time to hang signs.
Pool in the sky, Singapore
The three towers of the Marina Bay Sands hotel support a truly unique architectural structure - a huge platform shaped like a ship. On the “deck” there is a living garden and a giant swimming pool. By the way, the entire hotel design is officially approved by Feng Shui experts.
City on the Rock, Sri Lanka
The real fortress city was built by ancient architects on the steep 300-meter cliff of Sigiriya. King Kasapa I ordered his residence to be built at such a height for protection, but he did not forget about comfort. Covered terraces, benches for relaxation, trees and even an artificial pond made Sigiriya a luxury retreat. In addition to the official historical monuments, there is also an interesting tradition, so beloved by our compatriots: starting from the 7th century, guests of the palace left inscriptions on the rocks like “Vasya was here, 879,” only in verse.
Architectural monuments are objects that were created, usually in honor of a significant event or an important person. The age of some is estimated at tens of years, while others remember the Egyptian pharaohs. This review contains the most famous architectural monuments about which the history of mankind can be written.
1. Kaaba (Masjid al-Haram) 
The Kaaba (Masjid al-Haram) is a cube-shaped building located in Mecca
The Kaaba (Masjid al-Haram) is a cube-shaped building located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is considered the holiest site in Islam, as well as the oldest and most famous cultural monument in the world. 
Muslim shrine of Kaba.
The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was built by Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) and his son Ismail after the latter settled in Arabia. A mosque, Masjid al-Haram, was built around this building. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. 
Pilgrims at Kaba.
One of the five fundamental laws of Islam requires that every Muslim perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once in his life. In this case, you need to walk around the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise (when viewed from above).
2. Taj Mahal 
White marble mausoleum located in Agra, India.
The Taj Mahal ("Crown of Palaces") is a white marble mausoleum located in the city of Agra, India. It was built by the king of the Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan, in memory of his third wife Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely known as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the internationally recognized masterpieces of the world's heritage." The area of the Taj Mahal is about 221 hectares (38 hectares are occupied by the mausoleum itself and 183 hectares of protected forest around it).
3. Egyptian pyramids 
Egyptian pyramids.
A total of 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt. Most of them were built as tombs for pharaohs and their wives during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. These are some of the oldest famous cultural monuments. 
View of the Egyptian pyramids from above.
The earliest known Egyptian pyramids were found at Saqqara, northwest of Memphis. And the oldest of them is the Pyramid of Djoser, built in 2630 - 2611 BC. e., during the third dynasty. This pyramid and its surrounding complex were designed by the architect Imhotep and are generally considered to be the world's oldest monumental brick-faced structures.
4. The Great Wall of China 
The great Wall of China.
The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, rammed earth, wood and other materials built along China's historical northern borders to protect the country from invasion by various warlike peoples. 
Sculptures on the Great Wall of China.
Several walls were built as early as the 7th century BC, and were later expanded to form what is today known as the Great Wall. Particularly famous is the part of the wall built between 220-206 BC. the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (very little remains of her).
By the way, there are many more beautiful and interesting places in China that are worth seeing with your own eyes.
5. Angkor Thom (Greater Angkor) 
Capital of the Khmer Empire
Angkor Thom is a 3 square kilometer walled royal city that was the last capital of the Khmer Empire. After Jayavarman VII recaptured Yashodharapura (the previous capital) from Champa invaders in 1181, he built a new imperial capital on the site of the destroyed city. He started with existing surviving structures such as Baphuon and Phimeanakas and built a magnificent walled city around them, adding an outer wall with a moat and some of Angkor's greatest temples. There are five entrances (gates) to the city, one for each cardinal direction and a Victory Gate leading to the Royal Palace area. Each gate is topped with four giant faces.
6. Acropolis of Athens 
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens, also called "Cecropia" in Athens, is the most important site of the city and one of the most recognizable monuments in the world. It is a major landmark of ancient Greek culture, as well as a symbol of the city of Athens itself, as it represents the apogee of artistic development in the 5th century BC.
7. National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument and local landmark erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in the Chinese city of Taipei. The monument, surrounded by a park, was built in the eastern part of Memorial Square. To the north is the National Theater, and to the south is the National Concert Hall.
8. Potala Palace 
Potala Palace
The Potala Palace is located in the city of Lhasa in Tibet. It is named after Mount Potalaka, the mythical abode of Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara. The Potala Palace was the main residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to Dharamsala, India, during the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959.
Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso, the fifth Great Dalai Lama, began construction of the Potala Palace in 1645 after one of his spiritual advisors, Konchog Chopel, noted that the site between the Drepung and Sera monasteries and the old city of Lhasa was an ideal location for the government. The Potala was eventually built on the remains of an earlier fortress called the White or Red Palace, built by King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet in 637. Today the Potala Palace is a museum.
9. Statue of Liberty 
Statue of Liberty in the USA.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States of America, and it is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and was designated a National Monument in 1924.
10. Sultan Ahmed Mosque 
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1453 to 1923. It is also popularly known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles that line its walls. 
Mosque interior.
The mosque was built from 1609 to 1616 during the reign of Ahmed I. Although it is still used as a mosque, the site has also become a popular tourist attraction.
1. Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is located in Sydney (Australia) in the harbor on Bennelong Point. The theater is a symbol of Sydney and one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. Construction of the theater began in 1959. The theater's architect is the Danish Jorn Utzon. The theater opened on October 20, 1973. In 2007, the theater was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was present at the opening. AUD 102 million was spent on construction, instead of the originally planned 7 million.
2. Burj Al Arab
Burj Al Arab (literally "Arab Tower") is a luxury hotel in Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Construction began in 1994. The hotel was opened on December 1, 1999. Known as the world's only 7-star hotel. Designed by architect Tom Wright Atkinson. It looks like the sail of a dhow, an Arabian ship. The height of the building is 321 meters.
3. Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa (“Khalifa Tower”) is a skyscraper 828 meters high with 163 floors. The shape resembles a stalagmite. Construction of the skyscraper began in 2004. In 2009, the building was finally ready, but it was officially opened only on January 4, 2010. The designer of the building was the American architectural bureau Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Currently it is the tallest artificial structure in the world.
4. Sagrada Familia
The Temple of the Sagrada Familia (full name: "Redemptive Temple of the Holy Family", cat. Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família) is a Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, in the Eixample district, Spain. It is famous for the fact that its construction began in 1882 and has not yet been completed. The expected completion date is 2026. The most famous project of the architect Antonio Gaudi. In 2010, the temple was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall is Los Angeles' newest concert venue and home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The initiator of the project was Walt Disney's widow Lillian. In 1987, she donated $50 million to create a new concert hall. The architect of the project was the famous Frank Gehry. The project was ready by 1991, but full-scale construction began in 1999. The opening of the concert hall took place 4 years later, in 2003. The total cost of the project is estimated at $274 million.
6. The Shard
The Shard (The Shard London Bridge, which translated into Russian means “Shard of Glass” or simply “Splinter”) is a skyscraper in London, Great Britain. Construction of the building began in 2009. The opening took place on July 5, 2012. The building was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The shape of the building, as the name suggests, resembles a shard of glass. With a height of 309 meters, it is the tallest building not only in London, but throughout the European Union.
7. Big Ben
Big Ben is the name of the largest of the six bells of the Palace of Westminster in London, often the name given to the clock and the clock tower as a whole. The tower itself was renamed in September 2012 to the "Elizabeth Tower". The tower was erected in 1858 according to the design of Augustus Pugin, an English architect. The height of the tower is 96.3 meters. The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster is the most recognizable symbol of Great Britain.
8. Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum-mosque located in Agra, India, on the banks of the Jamna River. It was built on the instructions of the padishah of the Mughal Empire, Shah Jahan, in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632 and was completed in 1653. The building is recognized as the best example of Mughal architecture, combining elements of Persian, Indian and Islamic styles. Since 1983 it has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
9. Coliseum
The Colosseum (from the Latin colosseus - huge, colossal) or the Flavian Amphitheater (Latin Amphitheatrum Flavium) is an amphitheater, an architectural monument of Ancient Rome, the most famous and one of the most grandiose buildings of the ancient world that have survived to this day. Located in Rome, Italy, in the hollow between the Esquiline, Palatine and Caelian hills. Construction of the Colosseum began in 72 AD. under Emperor Vespasian, and completed in 80 AD. under Emperor Titus. The Colosseum was used for gladiator fights, battles, hunting and executions. It can accommodate 50-80 thousand people.
10. Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is a skyscraper of the Chrysler Corporation. It is a symbol of New York, located in the eastern part of Manhattan at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Construction of the Chrysler Building began in 1928 and was completed in 1930. Built in Art Deco style. The architect of the building was William van Helen. It was the tallest building in the world until 1931.
11. St Basil's Church
St. Basil's Cathedral, also called the Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the Moat or Intercession Cathedral is an Orthodox church located on Red Square in Moscow. Construction began in 1555 and finished in 1561. A world-famous monument of Russian architecture and a symbol of Moscow. Built by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible in tribute to the victories in the struggle for Kazan. Until the 17th century it was called Trinity Cathedral. In fact, this is not one cathedral, but a whole architectural complex consisting of eight churches (four axial, four smaller ones between them), which are topped with onion domes. All of them are grouped around the main, ninth, pillar-shaped church in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God with a hipped dome. Currently, all the churches have a common foundation (although they were built up gradually) and are united by a whole network of vaulted passages. The height of the cathedral is 65 meters. The total number of domes is 11. In 1588, a 10th church was added to the cathedral from the northeast.
12. Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower (French la tour Eiffel) is the most famous and recognizable architectural landmark of Paris, a symbol of France. Built in 1889. The tower received its name in honor of the designer and architect Gustave Eiffel, who designed it. The height of the tower reaches 324 meters, and the weight is 10,100 tons. For more than 40 years, the tower was the tallest structure in the world. There are 1,792 steps leading up to the tower. There are, of course, elevators.
13. Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa (Italian: Torre pendente di Pisa) is a bell tower, part of the ensemble of the city cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in the city of Pisa, Italy. The construction of the tower lasted from 1173 to 1360, i.e. for almost 200 years. The author of the project is Bonnano Pisano. It is world famous for its tilt, which is why it received the nickname “The Leaning Tower”. The height of the tower is 55.86 meters from the ground on the lowest side and 56.7 meters on the highest. The tilt angle of the tower is currently 3o 54’. The tilt of the Leaning Tower of Pisa may be due to soft soil, unreliable or disproportionate foundation, or erosion of the soil under the tower during construction. The tower was stabilized thanks to work carried out at the end of the last and beginning of the present centuries.
14. House Mila
Casa Mila (cat. Casa Mila) is a residential building that is one of the landmarks of Barcelona, Spain. Also known as "Pedrera", which means "quarry". Designed by the architect Antonio Gaudi. Built in 1906 - 1910 of the 20th century. The Mila house project was innovative for its time: a well-thought-out natural ventilation system makes it possible to avoid air conditioning, interior partitions in each apartment can be moved at your discretion, and there is an underground garage. Almost every room in the house has a window that lets in daylight. The building has no load-bearing walls or supports. Their functions are performed by load-bearing columns. In 1984, Casa Mila was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the first of its 20th-century structures.
15. Sultanahmet Mosque
The Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a mosque located on the shores of the Sea of Marmara in the historical center of Istanbul, Turkey. It was built between 1609 and 1616 during the reign of Ahmed I. The architect of the mosque is Sedefkar Mehmet Agha. The mosque has a main dome 43 meters high and 6 minarets. Light penetrates inside through 260 windows. It received the name “Blue Mosque” due to the huge number (more than 20 thousand) of handmade white and blue Iznik ceramic tiles that were used in interior decoration. It is considered an outstanding example of Islamic and world architecture.
16. The White house
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States, located in Washington, DC. Construction was completed in 1800. John Adams became the first owner of the White House. The author of the building's design is Irish architect James Hoban. The mansion was built in the Palladin style. All US presidents lived in the White House, with the exception of George Washington, because during his reign (1789-1797) the building was just under construction. In August 1814, the White House was burned by the British, after which it was reconstructed and restored.
17. Jin Mao Tower
Jin Mao Tower (literally “Golden Prosperity Tower”) is one of the tallest skyscrapers in Asia and is the landmark of Shanghai, China. The skyscraper was designed by the architectural bureau Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. The official opening of the building took place on August 28, 1998. The height of the building is 421 meters. The building's design includes a high-tech structural system that can withstand hurricane force winds of up to 200 km/h and a magnitude 7 earthquake. The outer wall is made of glass, stainless steel, aluminum and granite and covered with a lattice structure which is made of pipes and aluminum alloy. On the upper floors there is a five-star Grand Hyatt hotel.
18. Glass pyramid of the Louvre
The glass pyramid of the Louvre in Napoleon's courtyard serves as the main entrance to the Louvre and is one of the symbols of Paris. The construction of the Louvre pyramid lasted from 1985 to 1989. The architect was Bei Yuming. The height of the pyramid is 21.65 meters, the length of the base is 35 meters, the angle of inclination is 52o. Around the large pyramid there are three smaller pyramids that act as portholes. The faces of the pyramids consist entirely of glass segments (603 diamond-shaped and 70 triangular). There are fountains around the large pyramid.
19. Palace of Parliament
The Palace of Parliament (Romanian: Palatul Parlamentului) is a famous architectural monument located in Bucharest, Romania. Construction began in 1984 on the orders of Nicolae Ceausescu. Construction was completed in 1989, but some deficiencies in the palace remain to this day; in fact, its construction and decoration have not been completed. The palace is the largest civil building in the world, as well as the heaviest. The dimensions of the palace are 270 by 240 meters. Height - 86 meters. The underground part of the palace goes 92 meters deep. The palace has 1,100 rooms with a total area of 350,000 m2, 12 floors.
20. CN Tower
The CN Tower is a television, radio broadcasting and observation tower located in Toronto, Canada. Landmark and symbol of Toronto. Construction of the tower took place from 1973 to 1976. The height of the tower is 553.33 meters. It was the tallest building until 2007. Originally owned by the railway company, which built the tower. CN stands for Canada's National.