See what these 9 famous landmarks around the world looked like during the construction process
We all know what these iconic landmarks look like today, but back in the day, the Statue of Liberty or the Sydney Opera House looked remarkably different in the process of assembling and building them until they became what we know today.
For example, the 67-meter-long obelisco in Buenos Aires, Argentina, took only a few months to build, while some of the other landmarks took a little longer.
Speaking of the Sydney Opera House, this grandiose shell-shaped edifice is clad with more than a million bricks that were placed in situ using purpose-built cranes. It took 14 years to build and was completed when Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia in 1973.
The Sagrada Familia or the Church of the “Holy Family” designed by (Anthony Gaudi) in Barcelona, Spain, which includes 18 ornate towers and windows made of stained glass, as well as many ornate and engraved roofs, has been under construction since 1882.
Dear reader, here are 9 famous buildings from different places around the world that show you the stages of their construction and what they look like at the moment:
First: the Eiffel Tower
When completed, the Eiffel Tower was classified as the tallest building in the world with a length of 324 metres.
Construction of the Eiffel Tower completed in 1889
The process of building the Eiffel Tower in Paris began in 1887 in preparation for the International Exhibition of 1889. The Eiffel Tower was named after Gustave Eiffel, who built it using the design of his chief engineers (Maurice Kechlan) and (Emile Nogue) and used 18,000 pieces of wrought iron at a total cost of US$1.5 million.
The Eiffel Tower maintained its classification as the tallest tower in the world until 1930, when it was overtaken by the Chrysler Tower in New York City.
The Eiffel Tower was built temporarily and was supposed to be demolished in 1909, but city mayors discovered the possibility of converting it into a wireless radio station, and it is now one of the most famous architectural monuments in the world.
Second: Burj Khalifa in Dubai
The tallest building in the world today is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Construction of the Burj Khalifa began in 2005.
The length of the Burj Khalifa, which was completed in 2009, is 828 meters, which is equal to 3 times the length of the Eiffel Tower. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest “theoretically” among all existing buildings of any kind in the world.
In addition to being the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa broke other architectural records, as it is the tallest floor building and the tallest existing structure in the world, stealing the title from the television transmission mast (KVLTY_TV) located in (Blanchard) North (Dakota) and the (CN) Tower located in Toronto, Canada.
A picture of the Burj Khalifa squared between the towers that surround it.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the Burj Khalifa ranks as the tallest elevator in the world, and the most floors of a building in the world, in addition to containing the highest restaurant raised from the surface of the ground.
Third: The Statue of Liberty
At 93 metres, the Statue of Liberty was then the tallest built metal structure in the world.
The picture shows the process of building the left hand of the Statue of Liberty, taken in 1884
France donated the Statue of Liberty, which was built in 1886, to the United States of America.
The French political thinker and abolitionist (Edouard de Laboulaye) was behind the creation of the Statue of Liberty, who proposed building a statue that embodies the commitment of the United States of America to the causes of freedom and democracy.
He (Frederic Auguste Bartholdi) sculpted "Lady Liberty" and took his mother's face as the cornerstone in building her face, while (Gustave Eiffel) designed the general structure of the statue.
The Statue of Liberty is a historic beacon of peace for the world's immigrants.
On the statue's centenary in 1986, the torch carried by Lady Liberty was replaced by a torch plated in 24-karat gold.
Fourth: Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House took 14 years to build with 10,000 workers and was completed in 1973.
A picture of the opera house during the construction process in 1963. It was supposed to be completed after 4 years, but it took 14 years.
The modern design of the Sydney Opera House was based on a group of tiled shells numbering about one million pieces, and these shells were built using cranes specially designed for this task, and the construction of this house was completed at a total cost of an estimated $ 78 million, knowing that the design was The product of an international competition in which 233 contestants participated, which was won by the Danish architect (Jörn Otzorn).
African-American opera singer Paul Robinson was the first to sing at the Sydney Opera House, and he performed his performance during construction by climbing a scaffold in front of a crowd of workers in 1960, while it was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973 .
The opera house was inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2007.
Night photo showing the splendor of the Sydney Opera House.
Annually 8.2 million people visit this multi-theater house, which contains 6 separate theaters.
Fifth: The Golden Gate Bridge or the “Golden Gate” in San Francisco
The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937 and was intended to connect northern California to the San Francisco Peninsula.
Construction of the Golden Gate Tower began in 1933 and it was opened to users 4 years later.
Although the idea of a bridge linking California and the San Francisco Peninsula was proposed by a railroad official in 1872, it wasn't considered until 1916 when engineer and newspaper editor James Wilkins persuaded fellow engineer Michael O'Shaughnessy. ) that the idea of constructing the bridge can be embodied into reality and become a reality.
As soon as the “American War Department” gave approval to start construction - the governmental organization that supervised the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge - construction work began in 1933 and took 4 years to complete construction. It was not opened to car traffic before a year had passed since its completion.
Until 1964, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world, until it was surpassed by the Verrazano-Narrows suspension bridge in New York.
The bridge was painted in a custom-made color called “International Orange.”
Picture of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Because of the height of this high-rise bridge, you can see its corner even when it is covered in (San Francisco) fog, which is known for its intensity. Today, the bridge is painted in the unique international orange color after paving it with a red base color. As for the steel supports, they are painted within factories located on the east coast, Thus, the Golden Gate Bridge preserved its identity to this moment, and every now and then it is repainted in the same unique color specially made for it.
If you are wondering how many cans of paint are needed to color this huge structure, we will not let you be confused, dear reader, as the bridge needs between 190,000 and 400,000 liters of paint to retouch and paint this bridge, which consists of 10 million cubic meters of steel.
Sixth: The Tower Bridge in London
Londoners had to cross the River Thames through the tunnels before the Tower Bridge was built in 1894.
A picture of the process of building the Tower Bridge, which took 8 years from the date of 1886.
432 workers worked hard to build the Tower Bridge, and it took them 8 years to finish this masterpiece of 31 million bricks. Prince Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales and Crown Prince of the United Kingdom, and his wife inaugurated this great edifice on June 1894.
Prior to this date, more than one million people annually relied mainly on the underground network, which stretched 410 meters under the River Thames, to get from one bank to the other.
The government closed the bridge's open-air walkway between 1910 and 1982 because it was a breeding ground for pickpockets and prostitutes who would sell their bodies there for money.
Night view of the Tower Bridge
The authorities reopened the corridors of the bridge in 1982 on the occasion of the exhibition that was inaugurated in the twin towers on it, and this exhibition specialized in displaying the stages of the bridge’s formation has continued to this day.
Today, more than 40,000 people cross the bridge on a daily basis.
Seventh: The Sagrada Familia or Church of the “Holy Family” in Barcelona
The construction of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona began in 1882 and continues to this day, designed by the famous Catalan architect (Anthony Gaudi).
A picture of the Holy Family Church during its construction in 1940.
The famous Catalan architect (Anthony Gaudi) worked on the establishment of this unique church, and derived its shape from the Gothic and Byzantine building culture from 1883 until his death in 1926, but during this period he was only able to complete the completion of a quarter of the project. Construction is expected to be completed completely in 2026, the centenary of Gaudi's death.
Picture from inside the Holy Family Church.
Despite the multiplicity of engineers who supervised the construction of this great edifice, the construction process is still going on to this day, and the reason for this delay is the complex design of the church in addition to the outbreak of the civil war in Spain.
According to the current architect in charge of the construction process, Jordi Fawley, the construction process reached its final stages in 2015 and is expected to be fully completed in 2026, the centenary of Gaudi's death, so adding the finishing touches and decorations is a process that takes some time.
Eighth: India Gate
The India Gate in Mumbai was built on the occasion of the visit of King George V and his wife Mary, and was completed in 1924.
The procession that participated in the opening ceremony of the gate
In fact, this edifice was not yet completed when the British royal family arrived in Bombay to announce the appointment of the Emperor and Empress of India, but was replaced by a cartoon model similar to the Gateway of India.
Nowadays India Gate is a major tourist attraction that attracts tourists from all over the world.
The gate is one of the main and famous tourist attractions in India
If you want to visit the city (Mumbai) and come by sea, the first thing you will see on your way is this huge edifice, which is why it is called the “Taj Mahal of Mumbai” (noting that the real Taj Mahal is located in northern India in the city of Agra). .
Ninth: The Obelisco de Buenos Aires or “The Obelisk (Buenos Aires)” in Argentina
The main reason for creating the Obelisco de Buenos Aires in 1936 was to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city of Buenos Aires.
An image showing the construction of the Obelisk (Buenos Aires), circa 1936.
Although the actual date of the founding of the city (Buenos Aires) is the year 1580, the 400th anniversary of the discovery of this city on which the obelisk was built dates back to before this date, as the first (unsuccessful) discovery was made by the Spanish explorer (Pedro de Mendoza).
Despite all the criticisms and controversies that arose due to the establishment of the obelisk - which was the reason for the destruction of a historical church that was in its place - Argentina and its people eventually forgot their differences and accepted the construction of this obelisk, which reaches a height of 67.5 meters and called it the “Silver Sword”.
Sitting at the intersection of two main roads in the city, and in the area where the National Museum of Buenos Aires is located, this landmark has gained great popularity and has become a place where various national celebrations are held.
A group of Argentina fans around the obelisk at the 2004 FIFA World Cup celebrations.
Since its founding, the obelisk has become a major venue for celebrations and festivals in the city, and has witnessed all its different events, from gatherings of the national team fans to feasts and festivals focusing on the arts of tango, and handicrafts such as the celebration of ice-making and others.
Source: businessinsider
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