Architecture

Wednesday, 7 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?

Empire State Building
The building serves as a lightning rod. About 100 lightning strikes the spire of the skyscraper each year.
Pompeii
A Theater, Amphitheater and Palestrina were built on the outskirts of the city.
Pompeian houses were decorated with magnificent mosaics. One can see inscriptions on the facades of the buildings, which may have been something like advertisements.
Notre-Dame
The cathedral is expected to be rebuilt by 2024, but it could take more than 20 years to restore the structure entirely. The destruction, while extensive, did not significantly affect the interior of the building.
⅔ of the roof surface was destroyed. A spire collapsed into the building, its fragments piercing the ...
La Sagrada Familia
Gaudi repeatedly changed the temple's design, which over time became more and more visionary, both in innovative technological and architectural solutions and the associated symbolism.
Both the architecture and ornamentation of the facades and interior of the Sagrada Familia are satur ...
Palace of Versailles
The estate was expanded by additional land, up to 500 ha.
In the place of the former farm, a Menagerie was built (modeled on medieval animal gardens), from th ...
Pompeii
A favorite place for recreation for the Pompeian patricians were the baths.
There were several in Pompeii, but the most popular were those located under the city because women could also use them.
Trevi Fountain
About 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain by tourists every day.
The removal of coins from the fountain is prohibited by law.
Palais Garnier
Electric lighting at the Palais Garnier was installed in 1881.
The building received a new electrical system in 1969. In the 1950s, new passenger and freight elevators were installed at the rear of the stage.
Pompeii
Pompeii was built on the slope of a hill formed from volcanic lava.
Situated on the warm waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, it was a thriving port city that received enormous amounts of money from trade, allowing it to grow without disruption.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The outer shell of the building is made of thirty-three thousand titanium plates.
These pates are arranged in a scalloped pattern on a galvanized steel structure. The museum’s titanium shell weighs just 60 tons-titanium weighs half as much as steel.