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Love buildings? Here are 7 cities for architecture fans
Here are seven cities to visit if you love architecture.
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Picture taken on January 15, 2018 shows a general view of historical Haydarpasa (pronounced Haydarpasha) train station in Istanbul. (AFP/Ozan Kose)
W
hile beaches and mountains offer great sceneries and escape from everyday life, some people are just drawn to cities and their buildings. More specifically, they admire the architecture and design that make a city.
Here are seven cities to visit if you love architecture, as compiled by Conde Nast Traveler:
1. Athens, Greece
The ruins in Athens are a marvel, with some stonework dating back to 400 BC. Pillars and columns mark the classical Greek architecture, with the Parthenon as an unmistakable icon.
2. Hanoi, Vietnam
The French colonization of 19th-century Vietnam left a lasting style of architecture in the country. In Hanoi alone, examples are found in the St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Hanoi Opera House.
3. Miami, Florida
Florida is the butt of many jokes in contemporary pop-culture, and yet Miami Beach's Historic District is home to the largest Art Deco collection in the world. The district was built after a devastating hurricane that hit the city in 1926.
Read also: 10 landmark buildings that were destroyed, then rebuilt
4. Barcelona, Spain
Architecture in Barcelona is almost synonymous with Antonio Gaudi, who spent most of his life in the city and left a lasting legacy there. Barcelona is home to Casa Milà, Casa Battló, Park Güell, Torre Bellesguard and, of course, the unfinished Sagrada Familia.
5. Chandigarh, India
Even though the pink city of Jaipur dominates social media for its palace complex, a lesser known architecture marvel is Chandigarh. The city master plan was prepared by Swiss-Frech architect Le Corbusier, who was tasked by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The Capitol Complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.
6. Florence, Italy
Florence is where Renaissance aesthetics were born in the late 14th century. While the Florence Cathedral has a significant Gothic design, the Renaissance style can be found in the Palazzo Rucellai and at Santa Maria Novella, both designed by Leon Battista Alberti.
7. Istanbul, Turkey
Architecture in Istanbul reflects the duality of the city, as it lies right on the border between Europe and Asia, making the landscape a mix of competing influences from Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
Aside from the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul is also home to Haydarpaşa Terminal, Marmara University and the Trotsky House, where Leon Trotsky spent a few years of his life after being exiled from the Soviet Union. (dev/kes)
