Historic Building sights in Europe
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Mausoleum
In the Schlosspark, west of the carp pond, the neoclassical Mausoleum (1810) was conceived as the final resting place of Queen Luise but twice expanded to make room for other royals, including Luise’s husband Friedrich Wilhelm III and Emperor William I and his wife Augusta. Their ornate marble sarcophagi are great works of art. More royals are buried in the crypt but it’s not open to the public.
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Red Lodge
Built in 1590 but remodelled in 1730, this red-brick house is a mix of Elizabethan, Stuart and Georgian architecture. The highlight is the Great Oak Room, which still features its original Elizabethan oak panelling, plasterwork ceiling and carved chimneypiece.
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Siegestor
Munich's massive Siegestor was modelled on Constantine's arch in Rome and looks like a miniature version of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Built to honour the Bavarian army for sending Napoleon packing, it's crowned by a triumphant Bavaria piloting a lion-drawn chariot. Severely damaged in WWII, the arch was turned into a peace memorial. The inscription on the upper section reads: Dem Sieg geweiht, vom Kriege zerstört, zum Frieden mahnend (Dedicated to victory, destroyed by war, calling for peace).
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Goethe Haus
No other individual is as closely associated with Weimar as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who lived in this town from 1775 until his death in 1832, the last 50 years in what is now the Goethe Haus. This is where he worked, studied, researched and penned Faust and other immortal works. If you're a Goethe fan, you'll get the chills when seeing his study and the bedroom where he died, both preserved in their original state. To get the most from your visit, get the audioguide.
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Lille Molle
The17th-century Lille Molle is a windmill that was turned over to the National Museum in the 1970s and has been preserved as its last owners left it – and they left it in a very interesting state. It’s situated on the ramparts that are southwest of Christiana, and if you time your visit just right, it’s perfect for a guided tour preceded or followed by an excellent meal at Bastionen & Løven, the attached restaurant/café.
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Wellbrook Beetling Mill
Beetling, the final stage of linen making, involves pounding the cloth with wooden hammers, or beetles, to give it a smooth sheen. Restored to working order by the National Trust, the 18th-century Wellbrook Beetling Mill still has its original machinery, and stages demonstrations of the linen-making process led by guides in period costume. The mill is on a pretty stretch of the River Ballinderry, 7km west of Cookstown, just off the A505 Omagh road.
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Maximilianeum
Maximilianstrasse culminates in the glorious Maximilianeum, completed in 1874, a decade after Max II's sudden death. It's an imposing structure, drawn like a theatre curtain across a hilltop, bedecked with mosaics, paintings and other artistic objects. It's framed by an undulating park called the Maximiliananlagen, which is a haven for cyclists in summer and tobogganists in winter.
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McCaig’s Tower
Crowning the hill above the town centre is the Victorian folly known as McCaig’s Tower. Its construction was commissioned in 1890 by local worthy John Stuart McCaig, an art critic, philosophical essayist and banker, with the philanthropic intention of providing work for unemployed stonemasons.
To reach it on foot, make the steep climb up Jacob’s Ladder (a flight of stairs) from Argyll St and then follow the signs. The views over the bay are worth the effort.
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Áras an Uachtaráin
The residence of the Irish president is a Palladian lodge that was built in 1751 and enlarged a couple of times since, most recently in 1816. It was home to the British viceroys from 1782 to 1922, and then to the governors general until Ireland cut ties with the British Crown and created the office of president in 1937. Queen Victoria stayed here during her visit in 1849, when she appeared not to even notice the Famine. The candle burning in the window is an old Irish tradition, to guide 'the Irish diaspora' home.
Tickets for the free one-hour tours (hourly 10am to 4pm Saturday) can be collected from the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, the converted former stables of the…
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Haus Rüschhaus
Annette von Droste-Hülshoff did some of her finest writing at the smaller Haus Rüschhaus, where she lived for 20 years from 1826. The building was once the private home of star architect Johann Conrad Schlaun, who magically morphed a farmhouse into a baroque mini mansion backed by a formal garden (always open). It’s in the suburb of Nienberge, about 3km north of Burg Hülshoff, and served by bus 5 from Münster’s Hauptbahnhof (€2.50, 20 minutes).
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Assembly Rooms
Opened in 1771, the city's glorious Assembly Rooms were where fashionable Bath socialites once gathered to waltz, play cards and listen to the latest chamber music. You're free to wander around the rooms, as long as they haven't been reserved for a special function; rooms open to the public include the card room, tearoom and the truly splendid ballroom, all of which are lit by their original 18th-century chandeliers. The Assembly Rooms were all but gutted by incendiary bombs during WWII but have since been carefully restored.
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Grand Opera House
One of Belfast's great Victorian landmarks is the Grand Opera House. Opened in 1895, and completely refurbished in the 1970s, it suffered grievously at the hands of the IRA, having sustained severe bomb damage in 1991 and 1993. It was said that as the Europa Hotel next door was home to the media during the Troubles, the IRA brought the bombs to them so they wouldn't have to leave the bar.
The interior has been restored to its original, over-the-top Victorian pomp, with swirling wood and plasterwork, fancy gilt-work in abundance and carved elephant heads framing the private boxes in the auditorium.
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Chinesisches Haus
The 18th-century fad for the Far East is admirably reflected in the magnificent Chinese House. The cloverleaf-shaped shutterbug favourite sports an enchanting exterior of exotically garbed and gilded figures sipping tea, dancing and playing musical instruments amid palm-shaped pillars. Inside is a precious collection of Chinese and Meissen porcelain.
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Charleville Castle
Spires, turrets, clinging ivy and creaking trees combine to give this hulking structure a haunted feel. Charleville Castle was the family seat of the Burys, who commissioned the design in 1798 from Francis Johnston, one of Ireland's most famous architects. The interior is spectacular, with stunning ceilings, one of the most striking Gothic-revival galleries in Ireland and a kitchen block built to resemble a country church.
Admission is by 35-minute tour only. If you'd like to help restore this pile, you can join groups of international volunteers; contact the castle for details. The entrance is off the N52, south of Tullamore. Frustration ensues if you go too far and reach…
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Staatsratsgebäude
The hulking 1960 State Council Building is the only remaining Schlossplatz structure from the GDR era. It integrates an arched portal from the demolished Berlin City Palace from whose balcony Karl Liebknecht proclaimed a socialist republic on 9 November 1918.
The foyer sports a kaleidoscopic glass window by the artist Walter Womacka that depicts the 'historical evolution' of the GDR from its 1918-19 revolutionary days to the founding of the state in 1949. The portraits in the centre show Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, cofounders of the German Communist Party. Somewhat ironically, the building is now used by a private international business school financed by such…
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Kızılkule
This five-storey octagonal defence tower, measuring nearly 30m in diameter, more than 30m in height and with a central cistern within for water storage, looms over the harbour at the lower end of İskele Caddesi. Constructed in 1226 by Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I (who also built the fortress), it was the first structure erected after the Armenian-controlled town surrendered to the sultan. There's a small ethnographic museum here and some 85 steps lead to a roof terrace with views of the harbour. To the south is the only Seljuk-built tersane (shipyard) remaining in Turkey.
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Russborough House
Magnificent Russborough House is one of Ireland's finest stately homes, a Palladian pleasure palace built for Joseph Leeson (1705–83), later the first Earl of Milltown and, later still, Lord Russborough. It was built between 1741 and 1751 to the design of Richard Cassels, who was at the height of his fame as an architect. Poor old Richard didn't live to see it finished, but the job was well executed by Francis Bindon. Now, let's get down to the juicy bits.
The house has always attracted unwelcome attention, beginning in 1798 when Irish forces took hold of the place during the Rising; they were soon turfed out by the British army who got so used to the comforts of the…
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John Knox House
The Royal Mile narrows at the foot of High St beside the jutting facade of John Knox House. This is the oldest surviving tenement in Edinburgh, dating from around 1490. John Knox, an influential church reformer and leader of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, is thought to have lived here from 1561 to 1572. The labyrinthine interior has some beautiful painted-timber ceilings and an interesting display on Knox's life and work.
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Mahperi Hunat Hatun Complex
Among Kayseri's distinctive features are several important building complexes that were founded by Seljuk queens and princesses, including the austere-looking Mahperi Hunat Hatun Complex. It comprises the Mahperi Hunat Hatun Camii (1238), built by the wife of Alaattin Keykubat; the Hunat Hatun Medresesi (1237); and a hamam, which is still in use.
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House Mill
The House Mill (1776) operated as a sluice tidal mill, grinding grain for a nearby distillery until 1941, and is one of two remaining mills from a trio that once stood on this small island in the River Lea (the Clock Mill opposite has been converted into offices). Tours, which run according to demand and last about 45 minutes, take visitors to all four floors of the mill and offer a fascinating look at traditional East End industry. There’s a small cafe and shop on site. To get to House Mill, exit the tube and head down the steps to the left. Continue into the underpass and at the top of the stairs turn right, down the hill. Take a right towards Tesco and right again into…
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Michelin House
Even if dinner at the Bibendum restaurant isn’t on your menu, pop into this breathtaking art nouveau building. Built for Michelin between 1905 and 1911 by François Espinasse, and completely restored in 1985, the building blurs the line between art nouveau and art deco. The iconic roly-poly Michelin Man (Bibendum) appears in the exquisite modern stained glass (the originals were removed at the outbreak of WWII and subsequently vanished), while the mesmerising lobby is decorated with tiles showing early-20th-century cars.
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Dunguaire Castle
The chess-piece-style Dunguaire Castle was erected around 1520 by the O'Hynes clan and is in excellent condition following extensive restoration. It is widely believed that the castle occupies the former site of the 6th-century royal palace of Guaire Aidhne, the king of Connaught. Dunguaire's owners have included Oliver St John Gogarty (1878–1957) – poet, writer, surgeon and Irish Free State senator.
The least authentic way to visit the castle is to attend a medieval banquet. Yuck-filled stage shows and shtick provide diversions while you plough through a big group meal.
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Wollaton Hall
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St Clement’s Church
At the southernmost tip of the east coast of Harris stands the impressive 16th-century St Clement’s Church, built by Alexander MacLeod of Dunvegan between the 1520s and 1550s, only to be abandoned after the Reformation. The fortified construction leaves little doubt that the church was built in troubled times.
There are several fine tombs inside the echoing stone hall, including the cenotaph of Alexander MacLeod, carved with hunting scenes, a castle, a birlinn (the traditional longboat of the islands) and various saints, including St Clement clutching a skull.
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La Lonja
Now an exhibition hall, this finely proportioned Renaissance-style building, the second building east of the basilica, was constructed in the 16th century as a trading exchange. The coloured medallions on its exterior depict kings of Aragón, but the soaring columns rising to an extraordinary ceiling are the standout features. La Lonja has a full calendar of temporary exhibitions.
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