Monuments of Romania

Arch of Triumph



Arch of Triumph is a  located in the northern part of Bucharest, on the Kiseleff Road.

The first, wooden, triumphal arch was built hurriedly, after Romania gained its independence (1878), so that the victorious troops could march under it. Another temporary arch was built on the same site, in 1922, after World War I, which was demolished in 1935 to make way for the current triumphal arch, which was inaugurated in September 1936.

The current arch has a height of 27 metres and was built after the plans of the architect Petre Antonescu (architect) . It has as its foundation a 25 x 11.50 metres rectangle. The sculptures with which the facades are decorated were created by famous Romanian sculptors such as Ion Jalea and Dimitrie Paciurea. Nowadays, military parades are held beneath the arch each 1 December, with the occasion of Romania's national holiday.

 

Bran Castle

Bran Castle , situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Brasov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on DN73. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle" (although it is one among several locations linked to the Dracula legend, including Poenari Castleand Hunyad Castle), it is marketed for resale in 2014 as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad III, voivode of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula. As discovered by the Dutch author Hans Corneel de Roos, the location Bram Stoker actually had in mind for Castle Dracula while writing his novel was an empty mountain top, Mount Izvorul Călimanului, 2,033 metres (6,670 ft) high, located in the Transylvanian Călimani Alps near the former border with Moldavia.

 

Endless Column

The Endless Column (often it is called the Column of Infinite) symbolizes the "Infinite Sacrifice" of the Romanian soldiers and it is considered by Sydnei Geist the top point of the modern Art. The Endless Column stacks 17 rhomboidal modules, with a half-unit at the top. The incomplete top unit is thought to be the element that expresses the concept of the infinite. Brâncuși had experimented with this form as early as 1918, with an oak version now found in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The modules were made in the central workshop of Petroşani (Atelierele Centrale Petroşani), assembled by Brâncuși's friend engineer Ştefan Georgescu-Gorjan (1905–1985), and completed on October 27, 1938. All 17 rhomboidal modules accumulate a total height of 29.3 m.

The Gate of the Kiss

The Gate of the Kiss is one of the most important works of sculptor Constantin Brancusi.
It is a stone sculpture, part of the Monumental Ensemble triptych in the Central Park of Targu Jiu, and it looks like a triumphal arch, symbolizing the triumph of life over death.

 

Monuments of Poland

The Gothic Wawel Castle

The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great, who reigned from 1333 to 1370, and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard.
In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland.

The Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine (Polish: Kopalnia soli Wieliczka), located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland, lies within the Kraków metropolitan area. The mine, built in the 13th century, produced table salt continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest salt mines still in operation. From its beginning and throughout its existence, the Royal mine was run by the Żupy krakowskie Salt Mines. Commercial mining was discontinued in 1996 due to low salt prices and mine flooding.

Monuments of Italy

The Verona Arena

The Verona Arena (Arena di Verona) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy built in 1st century. It is still in use today and is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind.

The Colosseum
 
 The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo) is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and stone,it is the largest amphitheatre in the world, and is considered one of the greatest works of architecture and engineering.

 St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Square (Italian: Piazza San Pietro, Latin: Forum Sancti Petri, pronounced) is a massive plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighbourhood or rione of Borgo

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The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican

St. Peter's Square (Italian: Piazza San Pietro, Latin: Forum Sancti Petri, pronounced [ˌpi̯aʦa san ˈpi̯ɛːtɾo]) is a massive plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighbourhood or rione of Borgo.
At the centre of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of Mother Church." A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613.

 

Monuments of Hungary

The Nine Holed Bridge

The Nine Holed Bridge (Hungarian Kilenclyukú híd) is the most identifiable symbol of the Hortobágy National Park, Hungary's great plain. This Arch bridge is the longest road stone bridge in historic Hungary prior to 1921 when Hungary was reduced to one third of its former territory. The bridge was built between 1827 and 1833 in a Classical style.
The distance between the two abutments standing on either side of the river is 92.13 metres while the entire length of the stone bridge measures 167.3 metres. The entrance to the bridge on each side is broader, thus making the life of the herdsman easier as approaching animals being herded onto the bridge entered the funnel shaped opening of the bridge.

The Castle of Tata

The Castle - it had been built since the end of the 1300s, today it is one of the jewels of Tata. Its blooming can be dated to the reign of Zsigmond Luxemburg and Mátyás Hunyadi as the summer resort of the king. The walls of the castle reflect the marks of romantic style which is due to the Esterházy family used to live here. The building at the shore of Old Lake is a beautiful sight still today.

The Szeged Synagogue

The Szeged Synagogue (Hungarian: Szegedi zsinagóga) is a synagogue in Szeged, Hungary. It is a 1907 building designed by the Jewish Hungarian architect Lipót Baumhorn (1860–1932,), whose work is considered to contain the finest examples of the unique fin de siecle Hungarian blending of Art Nouveau and Historicist styles sometimes known as Magyar style.It served Szeged's large Neolog community.

Heroes Square

Heroes Square (Hősök Tere) is one of the major squares in Budapest, Hungary, noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and other important national leaders, as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The square lies at the outbound end of Andrássy Avenue next to City Park (Városliget). It hosts the Museum of Fine Arts and the Műcsarnok. The square has played an important part in contemporary Hungarian history and has been a host to many political events, such as the reburial of Imre Nagy in 1989. The sculptures were made by sculptor Zala György from Lendava.

 

The Festetics Palace

The Festetics Palace is a Baroque palace located in the town of Keszthely, Zala county, Hungary. Its construction, started by Kristóf Festetics in 1745, lasted more than a century, during which the palace, built at first on the foundations of a ruined castle, was tripled in size, in two subsequent building campaigns, most recently in the 1880s, to designs by Viktor Rumpelmayer, living in Vienna. When Rumpelmayer died in 1885, the work was carried to completion by architects Gusztáv Haas and Miksa Paschkisch.The result is one of the three largest country houses in Hungary.

 

Monuments of Spain

The Cave of Altamira 

The Cave of Altamira is a cave in Spain famous for its Upper Paleolithic cave paintings featuring drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild mammals and human hands. It was the first cave in which prehistoric cave paintings were discovered. When the discovery was first made public in 1880, it led to a bitter public controversy between experts which continued into the early 20th century, since many did not believe prehistoric man had the intellectual capacity to produce any kind of artistic expression. The acknowledgment of the authenticity of the paintings, which finally came in 1902, changed the perception of prehistoric human beings

  
Basilica–Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar

The Basilica–Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar (Spanish: Catedral-Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar) is a Roman Catholic church in the city of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. The Basilica venerates Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title Our Lady of the Pillar^[1] praised as Mother of the Hispanic Peoples by Pope John Paul II.It is reputed to be the first church dedicated to Mary in history.^[3]
Local traditions take the history of this basilica to the dawn of Christianity in Spain attributing to an apparition to Saint James the Great, the apostle who is believed by tradition to have brought Christianity to the country.This is the only reported apparition of Mary to have occurred before her believed Assumption.

Museo del Prado

The Museo del Prado is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection, and unquestionably the best single collection of Spanish art. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture in 1819, it also contains important collections of other types of works. El Prado is one of the most visited sites in the world, and is considered one the greatest museums of art in the world. The numerous works by Francisco de Goya, the single most extensively represented artist, as well as by Diego Velázquez, El Greco, Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and Hieronymus Bosch are some of the highlights of the collection.

 

Mudéjar

Mudéjar (Spanish: [muˈðexar, muˈðehar], Portuguese: [muˈðɛʒaɾ], Catalan: Mudèjar [muˈðɛʒər], Arabic: مدجن‎ trans. Mudajjan, "tamed^[1] ") is the name given to individual Moors or Muslims of Al-Andalus who remained in Iberia after the Christian Reconquista but were not converted to Christianity, unlike Moriscos who had converted. After centuries of intermarriage they were, in ethnic terms, for the most part largely indistinguishable from the wider Spanish population.^[2]
Mudéjar also denotes a style of Iberian architecture and decoration, particularly of Aragon and Castile, of the 12th to 16th centuries, strongly influenced by Moorish taste and workmanship.

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (Catalan pronunciation: [səˈɣɾaðə fəˈmiɫiə]; English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family), is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain), designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Although incomplete, the church is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica as distinct from a cathedral which must be the seat of a bishop. Construction of Sagrada Família had commenced in 1882 and Gaudí became involved in 1883 taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. 

 

 

 

 

Monuments of Turkey

1. The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, or to give it its’ correct name, The Sultan Ahmed Mosque named after the 14^th Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I who commissioned its construction.  Started in 1609 it took seven years to build and where it was normal to pay for such projects with the spoils of war, Ahmed had not gain any victories so had to pay for it from existing funds. The mosque was built on the site of the Palace of the Byzantine emperors which had to be demolished. The design of the Mosque incorporates both Ottoman and Byzantine architecture.

2. Hagia Sophia

Haghia Sophia is located in sultanahmet across from sultanahmet mosque.lt was origanally built as a church.Haghia Sophia was ocasinally damaged but was repaired and additions were built.Despite the changes, its essence remains untouched.For hundreds of years it has symbolized and been a reminder of the conguest of istanbul. 

3. Topkapi Palace

 The Topkapi Palace situated in the heart of Istanbul was the official and primary residence of the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1856. Construction began on the palace in 1459 by the Sultan Mehmed II, who defeated and captured the Byzantine city of Constantinople in 1453 and renamed the city Istanbul. The Palace was originally known as the New Palace to distinguish it from the previous residence it replaced as the main residence. It received the name ‘Topkapý’ (Cannon Gate) in the 19th century, after the Topkapý Gate and shore pavilion, although these no longer exist.

4. Ephesus

There is evidence that Ephesus was inhabited as long ago as 6000 BC. During the Classical Greek era, which covered the 4^th and 5^th centuries BC, it was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League, and in 546 BC it was occupied by the Persians, but because Ephesus did not join the Ionian Rebellion against the Persians, the city was spared from destruction.  After the defeat of the Persians it came under the guardianship of Athens, although Ephesus had rebelled against Athens in 412BC and supported Sparta in the Peloponnesian War.

5. Side

Dating back to the 6^th century BC, Side - named after Sida, daughter of Danaus - was one of the earliest settlements of the Anatolia region and was renowned for its harbour during the Hittite period when it became a prominent commercial town trading with the countries in the eastern and western Mediterranean.

Side was occupied by Alexander the Great in 333 BC who introduced its people to the Hellenistic culture, which flourished between the 4^th and 1^st century BC. Following Alexander’s death, Side came under the control of Egypt’s Ptolemy dynasty that controlled side until it was captured by the Seleucid Empire in the 2^nd century BC. In 190 BC a fleet from Rhodes, the Greek island city-state, supported by Rome defeated the Seleucid fleet which was commanded by the Carthaginian general Hannibal.

6. Cappadocia

Cappadocia  accured 60 million years ago by spray lav of Erciyes and Hasandag.It is a place where nature and history integrated.There are places which called peribacaları and people used these places as houses or churches.During the history,Cappodocia had been a social and commercial bridge between cities ;Also it had been an important role in Silk Road

7. Maiden’s Tower

Maiden’s Tower is in Istanbul too.lt was built on a small rocky island in the middle of the sea near üsküdar.It is at the intersection of Asia and Europe, non-unique position in the world with 2500 years of history.There are so many legends about it. At the moment , it has got a daytime cafeteria and a restaurant. İn the evenings a fascinating atmosphere waits for you.lt is one of the first things which comes to ones mind about this city and has been the subject of many paintings and pictures. 

8. Pamukkale

Pamukkale, underground sources of water contained in pools formed from the lime. In Denizli. 2700 meters long and 160 meters high. Bright white color is possible to see from a distance of 20 km to Pamukkale. Also Pamukkale antique pool, the ancient theater, should be visited At it’s top, there is an antique  city which is called Hierapolis from the Roman city.

9. Sumela Monastery

Sumela Monastery is in Trabzon .lt is perched on the rockface 270 meters above the valley.lt is a place of exceptional natural beauty.lt was initially constructed on the  steep surface of rock as a small church in the 4th century.  The awe _inspiring and magnificent view of the monastery ,with its frescoes and holy water, attract thousands of Turkish and foreign visitors every year