Architecture

Sunday, 4 October 2026
18 facts about Hagia Sophia
18 facts about Hagia Sophia
The most significant work of Byzantine architecture
The Hagia Sophia's Temple, now an Istanbul mosque, was initially built as the Church of Divine Wisdom. It was the highest-ranking temple in the Byzant ...

Did you know?

Temple of Artemis
Alexander the Great offered financial help in temple's restoration.
Ephesians gracefully declined an offer with the words "it would be improper for one god to build a temple to another." They managed to raise enough money to rebuild it on their own a few years later.
Pompeii
Pompeii was bombed during World War II.
Most of the buildings were rebuilt.
Spanish Steps
The staircase as a baroque-rococo composition was created in the years 1723-1725.
They were designed by Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. Long discussions were held on how ...
Pompeii
Pompeians were unaware that Vesuvius was a volcano.
Seventeen years after the earthquake, in 79, an unexpected Vesuvius eruption annihilated Pompeii entirely.
Palace of Versailles
Initially, Louis XIV often changed his residences.
He stayed in Fontainebleau, Paris, and Saint-Germain, but already in 1677 he was considering making ...
Petra
Al-Khazneh was used in the movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" as a shelter and temple of the Holy Grail.
Big Ben
The reconstruction of the Palace of Westminster lasted until 1858.
In its current shape, it has 1200 rooms and three kilometers of corridors.
Malbork Castle
After the Swedish Deluge, the castle was still the seat of the starosta and local administration, but it lost its military importance.
The Swedes destroyed, plundered, and looted the castle.
Temple of Artemis
The building is also named the Artemesium or the Temple of Diana.
Brandenburg Gate
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, on December 22, 1989, the Brandenburg Gate was officially opened. Over 100.000 people took part in the ceremony.