The world's most beautiful buildings

[Lars77]

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/travel-tips-and-articles/76556

As voted by Lonely Planet in no particular order:

Museo Guggenheim, Spain (Bilbao):


Potala Palace, Tibet:


Bibliotecha Alexandrina, Egypt:


Sagrada Familia, Spain (Barcelona):


Taj Mahal, India:


Imam Mosque, Iran:


Winter Palace, Russia:


Crac Des Chevaliers, Syria:


Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil:


Aya Sofya, Turkey:




What's your favourite building in the world? I'm still thinking..

[NYC_SKP]

1. While scrolling, I was thinking, "now where is the Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya)" and BOOM!

There it was, at the very end!

I have not been there but I would love to see it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

[Posteritatis]

60. That was my first thought when I clicked the link, too. (nt)

[CreekDog]

2. Interesting thing about the Guggenheim Museum in Spain

Is how much it looks like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but both had the same architect and seem to have been designed at about the same time (though Disney opened several years later).


Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.


Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles.

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. Here are some I like

Versailles


Notre Dame


Dunrobin Castle, Scotland


Mont Saint Michel, France

[oldhippie]

8. I like your list better than the OP's.

I guess I like the old castles. The only one in the OP list that I like is the Potala Palace in Tibet.

I've been to the Sagrada Familia, in Barcelona. I thought it was hideous. Different tastes, I guess.

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Yah, I love the old buildings. If they can build new buildings with all the great

eco stuff and still keep the beauty of the old buildings, that would impress me greatly.

[DevonRex]

4. I love everything Gaudi did

So I love the Sagrada Familia.

[sinkingfeeling]

5. Milan Cathedral. Specially, from the roof.

[nanabugg]

6. Iraq had one until certain bombs fell...

How many more will be lost to war rubble?

[leveymg]

7. I'm partial to art deco modern spires - the Chrysler Bldg. (1931)

It's grace and detailing haven't been bettered by any skyscraper in over 80 years.

[smirkymonkey]

51. I love the Chrysler Building, it is one of my favorite buildings of the era.

New York has some of the most beautiful Art-Deco Architecture in the world, you have to really look above the ugly 1st floor storefronts however. I prefer older architecture, but New York has some absolutely unique, amazing buildings.

[GCP]

84. The Empire State Building has a lovely deco interior

And the area around Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall is an art deco treasure.

[Baitball Blogger]

9. Most of them are zombie proof!

[Spider Jerusalem]

10. Some of my favourites:

Notre Dame de Reims:


The Pantheon, Rome (not just the exterior, the interior as well...with the massive dome and oculus):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Pantheon,_Rome.jpg

[Odin2005]

63. YAY, another fan of Reims Cathedral!

Imagine what it must of been like to be a peasant whose standard of "big building" is your lord's manor, and then you approach a city and see something like THAT towering over everything!

[hifiguy]

11. The Potala and the Taj Mahal

are extraordinarily beautiful in such different ways - the Potala is stark, spare and majestic, the Taj Mahal so delicate and elegant.

For smaller-scaled structures I'd nominate Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece, Fallingwater.

[spin]

13. Thanks for the post. (n/t)

[kestrel91316]

14. Cathedrals of Notre Dame and Chartres in France.

[Lars77]

15. There's a fairly unknown cathedral in Passau Germany:

Fairly bland on the outside.



But inside:










I'm not a religious person, but religion makes people build some incredible buildings.

[HiPointDem]

16. no, amassed power & capital makes people build such things. what to do with the loot is always

the big question.

those are monuments to power, not religion.

[oldhippie]

27. I would call them monuments to human spirit ....

... and inventiveness. Some peoples ideas of human spirit differ.

[Odin2005]

62. HOLY BAROQUE BATMAN!!!

That cathedral is incredible!

[Lars77]

71. Yup it's crazy. The organ is the worlds largest apparently.

[hifiguy]

80. Nope. The world's largest functioning pipe organ

is the Wanamaker Organ in Macy's City Center in Philadelphia: Six manuals, 463 ranks of pipes. I've heard this magnificent monster live and it is quite an experience.

[Lars77]

81. Largest cathedral organ then.

[hifiguy]

82. You are correct in that!

5 manuals, 327 ranks, the largest pipe organ outside the United States of America
Source: http://www.theatreorgans.com/laird/Passau.html



I am an old (pipe) organ geek.

[Lars77]

86. There sure is a website for everything o_O ;)

[hifiguy]

19. Notre Dame de Paris is pretty freaking impressive

I saw it and walked through it while in Paris in '03.

"History" takes on an entirely different meaning in Europe. While in Lyon I saw the Cathedral de St. Jean. Even my wine bottle French let me figure out that its construction began a few decades before the Norman Conquest. Now that's history.

They you go up the hill and see the Roman theatres, one of which was built at the command of Julius Caesar. That puts American history in its place rather decisively.

[sibelian]

17. Of the ones you posted, the mosque is my favourite.

If I were to pick one that isn't on your list, I'd suggest this:



Which is also a Gaudi, but slightly less fussy than Sagrada Familia. Not that the Sagrada Familia isn't also incredibly impressive, of course...

[Lars77]

21. Yeah that's cool. Reminds me of Hundertwasser in a way, no edges.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Hundertwasser-Geb%C3%A4ude,_Essen.jpg

[Liberal_in_LA]

43. that's crazy. lol

[Lars77]

46. It's awesome, i've seen the tower myself, it's at a brewery in Abensberg, Germany.

[Odin2005]

64. Those are awesome!

[DevonRex]

22. Sigh. I just love that.

To me his work suggests endlessness. Swirls. Gentleness. Movement. And sometimes a bit of suspense like a movie.

[sibelian]

25. Isn't it gorgeous? It's even more impressive in real life.

I went to Barcelona two years ago and saw all the Gaudi stuff and it's incredible. Probably the most impressive is Sagrada Familia, but that's mainly because it is effing HUUUUUUUGE. It's way WAY bigger than I thought it would be.

[DevonRex]

30. I had the pleasure of teaching gifted students

about drawing when my son was in elementary school. I related it to architecture and design since they were all so good at math and science.

Gaudi just blew them away and excited them like no other architect did, even though they did appreciate Wright's use of space and light.

I'd give anything to see his work in person. I'd give anything to have been able to take those students to see his buildings. You know it's special when just a picture of a biilding can light up the face of a child.

[smirkymonkey]

52. Wow! That is amazing! I love architectrue, it is my favorite form of art. This is just incredible

My list is so long and extensive, I would be here all day posting photographs, but mostly I love older European buildings and some more modern Art Deco buildings. After that, I pretty much I am not interested in modern Architecture. I can find them interesting, but I don't usally find them beautiful in the same way. After a certain period, I would call it enginering rather than architecture.

[sibelian]

70. Yes, I'm very much of the same opinion. I think most modern architecture is very ugly. nt

[malaise]

18. The Taj Mahal in India

Toured it decades ago - stunningly beautiful

[Liberal_in_LA]

20. from los angeles

[kwassa]

38. Driven by that many times

other LA classics

[Liberal_in_LA]

41. I think the Brown Derby is gone. preservationists fight to save landmarks but they often lose

There was a battle over this sign. Don't know how it turned out.

[kwassa]

65. It was destroyed by fire in 1987

It was there when I first moved to LA.

[closeupready]

23. The lobby of the Woolworth building is quite opulent:

I think of all my world travels, though, the most awesome was the cathedral at Chartres:

[amandabeech]

26. When you approach Chartres by car from the countryside,

it appears to be growing out of a wheat field.

It's definitely one of my favorites.

[closeupready]

33. Yep, there's little development around the town -

the cathedral is the main attraction.

[HiPointDem]

28. is that woolworth bldg in nyc? it looks like a church, or palace.

[closeupready]

32. Yes! I discovered it by accident - it's not open to the public/tourists.

I mean, obviously, if you wander in by mistake, that's one thing, which is what happened to me - I was looking for an office in a nearby building, and just walked in, and I was like, WOW, this CAN'T be the office building I'm looking for! LOL Then I saw the sign that the building is NOT open for visits by tourists.

It's dramatic and striking, with all this gold leaf and mosaic and marble and recessed lighting.

[HiPointDem]

68. yes, it's beautiful. is that original? what's it used for now?

[closeupready]

75. It's just a generic office building now, as far as I know.

Tourism would likely interfere with day-to-day business, so it's not something they encourage.

[Liberal_in_LA]

42. is that the white church at the top of the stairs in Paris?

[amandabeech]

66. No. You're thinking of Sacre Coeur (sp) which is in Paris.

This one isn't white, but it is known for its stained glass.

It's located to the west of Paris.

It is well worth the trip. It is my favorite among SC, Notre Dame and Chartres.

[Liberal_in_LA]

73. ok. I've been to the Sacre Coeur.

[closeupready]

76. Chartres is a town to the west of Paris, IIRC.

I saw the cathedral back in 1993 - on a daytrip out of Paris, I went on a weekday, and almost literally had the entire cathedral to myself - it was a surreal experience. Even the village is quaint, almost medieval in character/appearance.

[smirkymonkey]

54. The Woolworth Building is another one of my favorites! Stunningly Beautiful! There are so many

lobbies I have been in in NYC buildings that are absolutely beautiful with such detailed art dec details that it's hard to describe one favoirite. I live in Boston now and so admire the old federalist and Georgian, Greek Revival and Beaux Arts biuildings here, I feel like I have a whole new field to explore.

Every place has it's own special buildings and beauty - I can't get enough of it!

[Whisp]

24. all gorgeous!

here is one of The Church of Hallgrimur, Reykjavik, Iceland


This the National Theatre in Beijing

[riderinthestorm]

29. I'm partial to the Sydney Opera House or Fallingwater (Frank Lloyd Wright)

I love the simplistic clean lines without a lot of folderol.

[Scootaloo]

31. Just a few...

Al Khazneh, Petra (Jordan)


Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)


Mezquita-Catedral, (Spain)


Angkor Wat (Cambodia)


Djenné Mosque (Mali)

[Lars77]

35. Petra is in Jordan :) But i wanna go there!

[Scootaloo]

49. Oh, DUH

The book I flipped to talks about historical "Syria" and not modern states. Thanks for the correction!

[FreeState]

34. In honor of Romney (LOL)

Here are some of my favorite LDS Temples (they are really interesting - at least the old ones, newer temples are boring).

[virgogal]

36. The Chrysler Building-NYC. I love Art Deco.

[Bicoastal]

37. Mont Saint Michel, Normandy, France.

A fairytale come to life.

[Burma Jones]

39. At a more intimate level.......Falling Water

[hughee99]

40. Beautiful! A few of my favorites...

Taktsang Monastery (aka the Tiger's Nest)


Palacio de Bellas Artes


Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

[tabasco]

44. No Parthenon? Stupid list. n/t

[Bragi]

79. A glaring ommission indeed! nt

[kwassa]

45. The Alhambra, Spain

[Lars77]

47. So here are my favourites i think..

No monumental buildings though.

Dancing Building, Prague


Hundertwasser's Waldspirale, Darmstadt

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldspirale


But i love almost everything in this thread as well.

[smirkymonkey]

56. Prague is stunning! Old and New...

Sorry, I couldn't download the photos, but google Prague Architecture. It is so beautiful and undamaged. It's one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - so is Vienna and Budapest.

[Eddie Haskell]

48. My vote goes to the Green School

http://www.greenschool.org/gallery/

[KG]

50. Sydney Opera house

[burrowowl]

53. I'm thinking

Nice post!

[grantcart]

55. Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Bangkok)

Every 50 years they completely repaint and refurbish it, including the murals inside which run hundreds of meters.

[roguevalley]

57. lovely. I like the Krak de Chevalier

[AnnieBW]

58. The "Gherkin" in London

It's not "beautiful" as much as "unique". It's also the world's first "green" skyscraper.

[noamnety]

59. I think the most beautiful buildings

are the ones that are built more in harmony with nature instead of dominating over it.

[Odin2005]

61. Reims Cathedral

I'm not even religious, but I love the old Gothic cathedrals.

[SidDithers]

67. DU rec...

awesome thread.

Some Canadian content. Nothing to compare to old world architecture, but these condo buildings in Mississauga (suburb west of Toronto) are kinda neat. They're called the Marilyn Monroe towers



Sid

[Lars77]

72. Nice, reminds me of the "Turning Torso" in Malmo, Sweden

[bhikkhu]

69. It think this is one of the most impressive -

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/redwoods/gatefold-image

[cali]

74. there are far too many beautiful buildings in starkly differing styles

for me to choose just one- or one hundred.

[Romulox]

77. The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), Instanbul, Turkey

[Bragi]

78. Can we include ruins?

If so, I would nominate the Parthenon in Athens.

[MrBig]

83. I've never been an architecture person

I've always seen a building as a building. Nonetheless, even I was taken aback by Paris, France. I can't pick any one specific place, but that entire city was just filled with magnificent looking structures. So...I'll just vote for all of Paris.

Then again, I can't say I've been fortunate enough to travel to many places outside of Western Europe, Israel and the US. Hopefully I will one day. The Taj Mahal and the Crac Des Chevaliers look amazing.

[GCP]

85. I love the Getty Museum and Union Station in Los Angeles

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Union_Station_profile,_LA,_CA,_jjron_22.03.2012.jpg/300px-Union_Station_profile,_LA,_CA,_jjron_22.03.2012.jpg