Architectural Wonders of the World

Eiffel Tower

• Location: Paris, France.
• Designed and built by French civil engineer Gustave Alexandre Eiffel for the Paris World Fair in 1889
• Construction began 1887 and finished 1889.
• Opened by Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII of England.
• 300m (984ft) High.
• Uses:
  • Meteorological station,
  • Radio communications station
  • Television transmission antenna

Statue of Liberty

• Location: Liberty Island, New York, USA.
• Architect: Frederic Bartholdi.
• Assembled in Paris in 1884, dissassembled and re-assembled in 1886 in its current location.
• Uses: Monumental statue and observation tower.
• 46.5m high from the base to the torch, 92.99m high from the ground to the torch.

The Parthenon

• Location: Athens, Greece.
• Architects: Ictinus and Callicrates.
• Construction began 477 BC and completed 438 BC.
• Uses: Temple built for ceremonies.
• Columns measure 1.9m in diameter and are 10.4m high.

Great Pyramid of Khufu

• Location: El-Giza, Egypt.
• Construction began 2600BC and completed 2480BC.
• 153m high and its base covers an area of 13 acres.
• Estimated to be made of 2,300,000 stone blocks weighing 2.5 tons each.
• Uses: Built by the Pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty to serve as his tomb.

Roman Colosseum

• Location: Rome, Italy.
• Construction began 70AD and completed 82AD.
• Seats 50,000 spectators.
• The stadium is an ellipse, measuring externally 188m x 156m (615ft x 510ft), the base of the building covering about 6 acres.
• Uses: Ampitheatre and stadium.

Taj Mahal

• Location: Agra, India.
• Construction began 1630AD and completed 1653AD.
• The mausoleum of the Taj Mahal is set in a symmetrical, park setting across from the Jamuna River. Less pronounced mosques surround the bulbous, marble-built Taj Mahal.
• Uses: Built as an islamic tomb by Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife.

Stonehenge

• Location: Salisbury, England.
• Construction began 2750BC and completed 1500BC.
• The stones are arranged in such a manner as to have astrological meaning. If standing correctly in the centre of the arrangement, you can view the sun rising exactly over the "Heel Stone" (the pointy stone) on solstice (the longest day of the year).
• Uses: Place of worship, burial and observatory.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

• Location: Pisa, Italy.
• Architect: Bonanno Pisano.
• Falling at a rate of 1.2mm every year. Currenlty leaning 10� to vertical.
• 58.36m high above the level of the foundation.
• Construction began 1173AD and completed in 1350AD. It is built on top of shifting sands of a former estuary.
• The lean became obvious in 1178, and Pisano decided to correct the lean of the first few levels by building the next few to tend a little in the opposite direction. He was fired and a 100 years later Giovanni Di Simone added another three levels at a compensating angle. He quit under pressure and the tower was completed a cetury later by an unknown architect.
• Uses: Built as the bell tower for the nearby Cathedral of Pisa.

Mount Rushmore

• Location: Sth Dakota, USA.
• Sculpted by Danish immigrant Gutzon Borglum in 1930's at the request of President Calvin Coolidge.
• American National Monument portraying George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
• 1800m high.
• Commenced 1927 and completed 1941, costing over $US1Million.

Great Wall of China

• Location: Nth China.
• Construction began under the Chou Dynasty in the 7th century BC. Four walls were built as defense against invasion.
• During the Qin Dynasty (221-200BC), the first Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, connected these walls along North China. The wall measured 5000km at that time.
• During the Ming Dynasty(1368 - 1644) a major renovation occured to the Great Wall, enlarging it to 6400km over 200 years.
• The Great Wall of China now stretches from the Jiayu Pass in the Gansu Province to the mouth of the Yalu River which empties into the Yellow Sea.

Sydney Opera House

• Location: Sydney, Australia at Bennelong Point.
• Architect: J�rn Utzon.
• Construction commenced March, 1959 and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II of England on 20th October, 1973.
• Cost was $AU102Million.
• 185m long and 120m wide.
• Seats 3000-3500.
• Uses: Cultural centre for opera, ballet, theatre and music, featuring four theatres and several restaurants.

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