Romanian castles are something straight out of a fairytale.
These are the greatest of all... (thread) 🧵
1. Bran Castle (14th century)
Touted as Dracula's castle and often linked (incorrectly) with Vlad the Impaler. It was however a crucial stronghold against the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, which Vlad Dracula was famous for fighting.
2. Peleș Castle (1883)
Built not as a fortress but a royal palace for the first Romanian king, Carol I. It's a romantic blend of neo-Renaissance and neo-Gothic, similar to Bavaria's Neuschwanstein Castle.
Inside is decidedly Baroque-influenced, with some of the most elaborate wood carvings anywhere. It was also Europe's first castle with electricity and central heating.
3. Biertan Fortified Church (15th - 16th century)
Rather than constructing new castles to defy the Ottomans, some communities fortified existing structures - like this medieval Gothic church.
4. Pelișor Castle (1903)
Part of the Peleș Castle complex, but Art Nouveau in style - Queen Marie combined this with Byzantine and Celtic elements, as a "weapon against sterile historicism".
5. Poenari Castle (13th - 15th century)
The real home of Vlad the Impaler, who had this castle repaired and fortified by his enslaved enemies. Today it's in ruin, but has been reimagined in its Mount Cetatea setting - accessible via 1,480 concrete steps.
6. Bánffy Castle (15th - 18th century)
One of the many castles and palaces being restored right now in Romania. Representative of eclectic Transylvanian architecture: Rennaisance, Baroque, Neoclassical, and neo-Gothic mixed together.
7. Râșnov Fortress (13th century)
A breathtaking fortress built by the Teutonic Knights. It safeguarded the surrounding Transylvanian villages from Tatar and Turkish invasions for centuries.
8. Corvin Castle (15th - 19th century)
One of Europe's largest castles. Alongside Bran and Peleș, it's considered one of the 7 wonders of Romania. It's also where Vlad the Impaler was once held prisoner by the Hungarians.
What are the best-preserved wonders of Ancient Egypt besides the pyramids?
First, there's this 2,000-year-old temple — celestial carvings cover every inch of its ceiling.
And that's still the original paint... (thread) 🧵
The Temple of Hathor near Luxor is one of the most immaculate temples we have, built by Cleopatra's father (Ptolemy XII) around 54 BC.
Very little daylight reaches the paintwork inside, so its blue glow never faded...
Just up the Nile is the Temple of Khnum in Esna.
Full-color reliefs of the zodiac and constellations adorn every surface, preserved for millennia beneath layers of soot. It was scraped away a few years ago, revealing this...
The 6th century Christ Pantocrator is the most recognized image of Jesus — but what about before then?
Well, that's where things get weird... (thread) 🧵
There are no physical descriptions of Christ in the Gospels. The first Christians were wary of idolatry and wanted to focus on his words and teachings.
But what do the earliest artistic depictions show us?
This is the Christ Pantocrator, a Byzantine icon kept in a small Mount Sinai monastery since the 6th century.
Its style (right hand raised, Bible in the left) became repeated around the world, and established his conventional appearance: bearded and long-haired.
Why do American cities feel less "alive" than their European counterparts?
It's because of something called the "missing middle".
A century ago, American cities looked completely different... (thread) 🧵
Millions make pilgrimages to Europe's centers every year. Architectural beauty is one thing, but they simply feel more vibrant and "alive" than American cities.
But why is that?
In the early 20th century, American cities were much like European ones. They had smaller footprints relative to population, and people lived centrally enough to walk or take elegant streetcars to work.
What happened? The "missing middle" was decimated...
You might recognize this as a movie set — it's actually a real place near Paris.
In the 1970s, one man had enough of modern architecture and did something radical.
He went back to Ancient Greece for inspiration... (thread) 🧵
It's called Les Espaces d'Abraxas, and it's unlike anything you've seen before.
It's a housing project built in the 1980s as a backlash against the dreary modernist blocks of the day...
After WW2, cheap, rectangular housing blocks addressed the need to build rapidly across Europe.
Modernism was the dominant style and most new Parisian suburbs were like this: tower blocks built with seemingly little regard for what it's like to live in them.