Landmarks Flashcards
Abu Simbel temples
Two massive rock temples at Abu Simbel, a village in southern Egypt, on the western bank of Lake Nasser - Originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th cent. BCE, as a monument to himself y his queen Nefertari - Completely relocated in 1968 to avoid flooding from the Aswan Dam
Bolshoi Theatre
Lit. “Big Theatre” - Ballet y opera theatre in Moscow - Built 1825 in Neoclassical style - Home to Bolshoi Ballet, world’s largest ballet company
Brandenburg Gate
Monument in Berlin - Built in 1791 on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after the restoration of order during the early Batavian Revolution - Sits on the site of a former city gate that marked the start of the road from Berlin to the town of Brandenburg an der Havel - One block to the north stands the Reichstag building, which houses the German parliament (Bundestag)
Bridge of Sighs
Enclosed bridge in Venice, built in 1600 - Made of white limestone, with barred windows - Passes over the Rio di Palazzo y connects the New Prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace - The view from the bridge was the last of Venice that convicts saw before their imprisonment
British Museum
Museum dedicated to human history, art, and culture in London - Established 1753 - Collection of approx 8 mil items, one of largest in world - Holds the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon, Rosetta Stone, Egyptian artifacts, historic items from around the world
Brooklyn Bridge
A hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge in NYC, spanning 1595 ft over the East River, y connecting Manhattan with Brooklyn - One of the oldest roadway bridges in the USA, y the world’s first steel-wire suspension bridge - Completed in 1883, y designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964
Buckingham Palace
The London residence y admin HQ of the UK Monarch - Completed 1837 in Westminster - Victoria 1st to reside there - The center of state occasions y royal hospitality
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
The cathedral of the Episcopal (Anglican) Diocese of New York - Built 1892 in Manhattan - 4th largest Christian church in world - Nicknamed “St. John the Unfinished” due to lengthy time of completion y repairs
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
A church within the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem - Built 335 CE - Contains the 2 holiest sites in Christendom: Calvary (aka Golgotha), y Jesus’s empty tomb - The Immovable Ladder sits under a window on the facade - Major Christian pilgrimage site
Dome of the Rock
An Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem - Built 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik - Contains the Foundation Stone above the Well of Souls - Islamic tradition says Muhammad ascended to heaven from on the stone - Jewish tradition says Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son Isaac at the stone
Faneuil Hall
Marketplace y meeting hall built 1742 in Boston - Site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, et al encouraging independence - Aka “The Cradle of Liberty” - 4th most visited USA tourist site
Gateway Arch
Stainless steel arch monument in St. Louis - World’s tallest arch (630 ft), Missouri’s tallest building, y tallest man-made monument in West Hemisphere - The centerpiece of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial - Built in 1965 by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen
Habitat 67
A model community y housing complex in Montreal, Quebec - Designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie for the 1967 World’s Fair - Considered a prime example of the Brutalism architectural style, y is one of the most famous landmarks in Canada
Hagia Sophia
Byzantine church in Istanbul - Built in 537 on orders from Justinian I - Was church, then mosque, now museum - Was seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople - Name means “Holy Wisdom”
Himeji Castle (姫路城 Himeji-jō)
Japanese hilltop castle complex in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture (south central Japan) - Considered the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture - Also called “White Egret Castle” or “White Heron Castle” - In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara
Independence Hall
Built 1753 in Philadelphia - Place where both Declaration of Indep y US Constitution were debated y adopted - Principal meeting place of 2nd Continental Congress (1775-83)
La Scala (Teatro alla Scala)
Opera house in Milan, Italy - Built in 1778 - Regarded as one of the leading opera and ballet theatres in the world - Most of Italy’s great operatic artists, y many of the finest singers from around the world, have appeared at La Scala during the past 200 years
Lascaux
Complex of caves in SW France, near the village of Montignac - Over 600 paintings decorate the interior walls y ceilings - Paintings were made around 15,000 BCE; and mostly depict large animals, like aurochs, horse, y deer
Lincoln Memorial
American national monument located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument - Constructed from 1914-22, designed by architect Henry Bacon, y main Lincoln statue designed by sculptor John Chester French - Site of many famous speeches, including MLK Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech (1963)
Mahabodhi Temple
Ancient Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, NE India - Marks the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, y the site contains a descendent of the tree - Built around 7th Century CE, but with several major restorations - Includes two large shikhara towers over 50 m high
Masjid al-Haram
Lit. “The Sacred Mosque” - World’s largest mosque, in Mecca - Surrounds Islam’s holiest place, the Kaaba (cube building with its Black Stone) - Also incl. Al-Safa and Al-Marwa hills y the Zamzam Well - One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage here - Muslims face the Kaaba while praying
Nelson’s Column
Monument in Trafalgar Square, London - Built in 1843 to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 - 169 ft high, surrounded by four bronze lions, y decorated with bronze relief panels cast from captured French guns
Neuschwanstein Castle
Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau in Bavaria - Commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria as a retreat y as a homage to Richard Wagner - Completed in 1886 - German name Schloss Neuschwanstein means “New Swanstone Castle”
One World Trade Center
The main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan - Tallest building in Western Hemisphere, y sixth-tallest in the world - 1776 ft tall, 94 stories, completed in 2013 - Colloquially known as Freedom Tower
Palace of Westminster
The meeting place of UK Parliament (aka Houses of Parliament) - Located on northern bank of Thames in Westminster, London - Originally built in Middle Ages, rebuilt after fires in 1870 - Big Ben (bell) sits in clock on Elizabeth Tower
Panthéon (Paris)
Mausoleum in the Latin Quarter of Paris - Built 1790 - Neoclassicism style - Burial place for many famous French, incl. Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Zola, Braille, both Curies, Alex Dumas - Overlooks all of Paris
Pantheon (Rome)
Roman temple - Built by Emperor Hadrian in 128 CE - Its dome is the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome - Used as a Catholic Church called “Santa Maria Rotonda” since 7th cent.
Parthenon
Classical Greek temple to Athena in Athens - Built 432 BCE - Located in The Acropolis hilltop citadel - Converted to Christian church in 6th cent. - Converted to Ottoman mosque in 1460’s - Partially destroyed when Ottoman ammo dump was bombarded by Venetian forces in 1687
Peace Palace
An international law administrative building in The Hague, the Netherlands - Home of the Intl. Court of Justice (principal judicial body of the UN), y the Permanent Court of Arbitration - Built in 1913 for the PCA to settle wars y intl. disputes, with funding from Andrew Carnegie
Petra
Ancient city in southern Jordan - Famous for its rock-cut architecture y water conduit system - Established approx. 312 BC as capital city of the Arab Nabataeans - Used as a major trading hub in ancient times
Ponte Vecchio
A Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy - Noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common - Built in Roman times - Name means “old bridge”
President’s Guest House (Blair House)
Complex of 4 bldgs in Washington DC (Blair House, Lee House, Peter Parker House, 704 Jackson Place) - Primarily used to host visiting dignitaries and other guests of the Pres - Larger than the White House
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
An observatory in Greenwich, London situated on a hill overlooking the River Thames - The location of the Prime Meridian, y the namesake of Greenwich Mean Time - Commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the site chosen by Christopher Wren - Played a major role in the history of astronomy y navigation, y is now a museum
Royal Opera House
Opera house y performing arts venue in central London - Often referred to as “Covent Garden” - Home of The Royal Opera y The Royal Ballet - The current building is the 3rd theatre on the site following fires in 1808 y 1856 - The façade, foyer, y auditorium date from 1858, but every other element of the complex dates from a reconstruction in the 1990s
Saint Basil’s Cathedral
Aka Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed - A church in Red Square in Moscow, Russia - Built 1561 on orders from Ivan the Terrible - Shaped like a flame of a bonfire rising into the sky - Operated as a division of the State Historical Museum since 1928
St Paul’s Cathedral
Anglican cathedral in City of London - Built 1708 by Christopher Wren as part of a major rebuilding program in the City after the Great Fire of London - Was tallest building in London (1710-1962) - Iconic WWII images of the dome surrounded by the smoke and fire of the Blitz - Funerals of Lord Nelson, Duke of Wellington, y Churchill held here
Statue of Unity
Statue of Indian statesman y founding father Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950) in Gujarat, India - World’s tallest statue at 182 metres (597 ft) - Located on an island in the Narmada River - Completed in 2018
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
Large mosque in central Istanbul - Built 1616, during rule of Sultan Ahmed I, y contains his tomb - Named for color of tiles, and blue lighting at night - Slightly smaller than similar Hagia Sophia - Principal mosque of Istanbul
Sydney Opera House
Performing arts centre in Sydney, Australia - Built in 1973 by Danish architect Jørn Utzon - Hosts over 1500 performances annually, attended by more than 1.2 mil people - Home to Opera Australia, Australian Ballet, Sydney Theatre Company, y Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Alhambra
A palace y fortress complex in Granada, Andalusia, Spain - Name means “The Red One” - Completed in 13th cent. by Moorish emir - Served as palace for Ferdinand y Isabella
The Kremlin
Fortified complex in Moscow - Built 1495 - Overlooks Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, y Red Square to the east, y the Alexander Garden to the west - Incl. 5 palaces, 4 cathedrals, y the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers - Serves as official residence of the Pres of Russia
The Motherland Calls
Statue in Volgograd, Russia - Built in 1967 to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad (1942-43) - 87m (275ft) tall - Tallest statue in Russia y Europe - Tallest freestanding non-religious statue in the world
The Shard
95-storey (1016 ft) skyscraper in Southwark, London - Tallest building in UK y EU; 4th tallest in Europe; 87th in world - Built 2012 by architect Renzo Piano - Owned by State of Qatar
Three Gorges Dam
Hydroelectric dam spanning Yangtze River by the town of Sandouping, Hubei, China - World’s largest power station in terms of installed capacity (intended full load - 22,500 MW) - Construction began 1994, y fully completed with working locks in 2015 - Increased shipping activity, y reduced downstream flooding; but flooded archaeological sites, y displaced over a million people
Trans-Siberian Railway (Transsibirskaya magistral)
A 9300km long network of railways connecting Moscow with Vladivostok - Longest railway line in the world - Main line completed in 1916 under supervision of Tsar Alexander III y his son Tsar Nicholas II - Connecting branch lines into China, Mongolia, y North Korea
Wailing Wall
Aka the Western Wall, or Kotel (Hebrew: HaKotel HaMa’aravi; Arabic: Ḥā’iṭ al-Burāq) - An ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, originally built as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple by Herod the Great, which surrounded the Temple Mount - The holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray - Name refers to the practice of Jews weeping at the site over the destruction of the Temples
Westminster Abbey (Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster)
Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London - Built in 960 - Traditional place of coronation, weddings, y burial site for UK monarchs - Holds King Edward’s Chair (Coronation Chair), which held the Stone of Scone til 1996
Windsor Castle
Royal residence at Windsor, England - Built in late 11th cent. by William I, and later upgraded - Longest-occupied palace in Europe - Weekend home of Elizabeth II - Contains St. George’s Chapel
Winter Palace
Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia - Official residence of the Russian monarchs (1732-1917) - Contains 1786 doors, 1945 windows, 1500 rooms, y 117 staircases - Stormed by
Soviet troops in 1917 - Part of the complex of buildings housing the Hermitage Museum
