King George V of Hanover gifted this castle to his wife, Queen Marie, as a birthday present.
Unlike many examples on this list, it was abandoned during the king's lifetime, in 1866, and the royal family went into exile.
Jun 18 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
Believe it or not, this isn't a medieval castle.
In fact, we only discovered it 5 years ago — and it's still being built as we speak.
That's all because this is a prime example of something we call Revivalism... 🧵
We often think of medieval castles as relics of a forgotten era — symbols of feudal power or romantic ruins.
Yet, in the modern world, visionaries are building wonders inspired by this very period.
This is Stobnica Castle.
Jun 11 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
In 1939, America spent $1.5 billion on building the world's most iconic architecture.
But how is it that one country can produce all of this?
Here are the greatest wonders of the decade... 🧵
1. The Empire State Building (1931)
Perhaps as the most impressive building of the entire country (and list), it once stood as the tallest building in the world at the time of its completion.
Even more impressive is the fact that it was built in just 410 days - an unprecedented speed for its time.
Jun 4 • 21 tweets • 5 min read
This is the Royal Palace of Naples, in Italy, built 167 years ago.
It feels ancient. Roman. Or maybe even Greek. That's intentional — because this is Neoclassical architecture.
Here's a journey through some of the most breathtaking examples... 🧵 1. Walhalla, Donaustauf, Germany (1842)
May 31 • 16 tweets • 5 min read
What you are looking at feels like it's from the Renaissance.
But it isn't.
Most people don’t know this, but Florence Cathedral's façade is just as old as the Eiffel Tower... 🧵
Today, the Florence Cathedral stands as one of the most recognizable architectural marvels from the Renaissance.
But 200 years ago, you wouldn’t be surprised to find its façade completely bare.
That’s right, for centuries, Florence’s magnificent cathedral stood unfinished…
May 27 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
You've heard of the Palace of Versailles. But you've probably never seen the Palazzo Colonna.
17 palaces us that remind us that architecture is a form of art... 🧵 1. Buckingham Palace, London, UK (1837)
The first monarch to live here was Queen Victoria but she wouldn't have recognized the iconic East Front.
What most people know from postcards was only added in 1913.
May 22 • 18 tweets • 7 min read
This may look like an ordinary church, but in reality, it holds an extraordinary secret.
It was built without a single nail, has multiple dragon heads — and is over 800 years old.
It sounds impossible, but this is only where the story begins... 🧵
The Borgund Stave Church, in Norway is one of the most remarkable wooden buildings in existence
It was built in 1180 and is an interesting example of medieval architecture: it has weathered timbers, tiered roofs...
and of course multiple dragon heads, near the top.
May 17 • 15 tweets • 5 min read
You've never seen ancient engineering like this before.
This is Pont du Gard, in France, built 2,000 years ago — without any cement.
Here is a look into the breathtaking world of Roman aqueducts...🧵 1. Pont Du Gard, Gard, France (60 AD)
The most famous of all Roman aqueducts and rightly so — it's held up by the precise cutting in the stone and gravity alone.
All of this while carrying 44 million gallons of water, daily, to the city of Nîmes.
May 11 • 24 tweets • 6 min read
Look Up.
This is what a great ceiling looks like — it's St. Mary's Basilica in Kraków, Poland.
But that's just one breathtaking example, so here are 21 more... 🧵 1. Sainte-Chapelle, Paris, France (1248)
May 8 • 19 tweets • 7 min read
You've seen it a thousand times before.
It's the Acropolis of Athens, in Greece.
You already know about the Parthenon, but what about all the other buildings surrounding it?
Well, that's where it gets interesting... 🧵
The Acropolis you see today isn't what early, ancient Greece would have seen 2,500 year ago.
And it wasn't made by accident either; this was the result of a deliberate effort led by one man:
Pericles.
May 3 • 18 tweets • 6 min read
This may look like an ordinary temple but everything you see here was carved entirely by hand, 1,200 years ago.
Where? How? Why?
First, here's the twist: it's not unique — the ancient world was littered with wonders like this... 🧵
This is Kailasa Temple, in Maharasha, India.
And it may look like any ordinary ancient wonder, but this is the largest monolithic building in the world.
Meaning it was built in its entirety from just a single piece of rock...
Apr 28 • 18 tweets • 5 min read
Everybody knows about Gothic and Classical architecture. But what about Baroque?
From Italy to India, here are 18 masterpieces that prove it is much grander than you think... 🧵
1. Royal Palace of Caserta, Italy (1752) 2. Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France (1682)
Apr 21 • 20 tweets • 7 min read
Rome may not have been built in a day.
But its legacy began today, exactly 2,778 years ago.
Here are its greatest masterpieces... (thread) 🧵
1. The Pantheon (128AD)
The Pantheon is, without a doubt, Rome's best preserved monument.
It is home to the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world — even today, after almost 2,000 years since it was built.
Apr 16 • 18 tweets • 7 min read
Were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon real or purely a myth?
Well, some evidence suggests that they weren't built in Babylon — but in a city 300 miles north of it.
Here's what we know about this 2,500 year old secret... 🧵
The story begins in 605 BC.
At this point in time, Babylon is the largest city in the world.
And some estimates even put it as the first city in history to reach 200,000 inhabitants.
Apr 5 • 20 tweets • 6 min read
It was built 125 years ago but feels straight out of the Renaissance.
This is the Liberty Bridge, in Budapest — a fine example of Art Nouveau.
And it's just one of the world's many breathtaking bridges. Here are 19 more... 🧵 1. Charles Bridge, Prague, Czech Republic (1402)
It is said that egg yolks were mixed into the mortar to make it stronger — and centuries later, it's still standing.
Mar 31 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
It's impossible to picture Paris without the Eiffel Tower today.
But 136 years ago the story was different — it was meant to be a temporary masterpiece.
Here's how the world's most visited monument was (almost) intentionally demolished... 🧵
This was the first drawing of the Eiffel Tower by Maurice Koechlin from 1884.
(You can also see a size comparison with the Notre Dame de Paris, the Statue of Liberty and the Vendôme Column.)