architecture

Sunset over buildings (and one taller tower).

Stone Town of Zanzibar

An historic port city of multiple cultural and architectural influences as a result of its importance in the slave trade.

A section of Versailles gardens, with neatly-rimmed evergreens in a conical shape, low hedges in curved lines and very colorful flowers between the hedges.

Palace and Park of Versailles

Elegant and grand 17th-century royal residence and park, seat of the French monarchy from Louis XIV to Louis XVI.

A row of low white buildings with occasional archways in the wall in front of them sit on the edge of a lake. The lake water is absolutely still, so the houses are mirrored perfectly in the water.

Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui – Xidi and Hongcun

Picture-perfect traditional rural villages, unchanged since the feudal period.

The building has an arched portico along the ground floor, decorative statues and other decoration between the windows on the upper floor, three decorative gables in front of the green roof, the middle gable the largest.

Town Hall and Roland on the Marketplace of Bremen

Testimony to civic autonomy and market freedoms of a Hanseatic League city.

An image of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles. The Apostles are grouped on the right, int robes of blue and capes of red or white. They have halos around their heads. Jesus is on the left, washing the feet of a man who is presumably sitting, but the painting is rather unsophisticated so the man just looks smaller than the others, who are standing.

Wooden Churches of Maramureş

Elegant timber-built church architecture, filled with bright vernacular religious imagery.

A large ceremonial hall at Changdeokgung Palace: 2 levels of curved roofs, typical of traditional Korean buildings. The walls and window frames below the lower roof and between it and the top roof are painted in bright colors. Stone steps lead up to the ground floor.

Changdeokgung Palace Complex

An exceptional example of Korean palace architecture and design in harmony with the surrounding landscape.

looking along a "road" between two rows of small red houses with white trim. The road is grassy. At the end of the road is a tall white church tower.

Church Town of Gammelstad, Luleå

A perfectly-preserved example of a phenomenon unique to rural Sweden: a town shaped by religious and social necessity.

Side view of the cathedral, with the spires at the right and a side entrance in front. Incredibly ornate in typical gothic style, with gothic arched windows, flying buttresses and elaborate sculptural details around every available surface.

Cologne Cathedral

An undisputed masterpiece of Gothic architecture.

A church, seen from the side and behind. The right-hand end (the back of the church) is round and brick, with Gothic arched windows in a line around the curve. To the left, the front of the church is painted white, and has a big square spire, also white except for its dark roof.

Historic Centre of Tallinn

An intact medieval fortified city.

A tomb stands on a pedestal in a niche, all of it painted white as well as the wall behind it. On top of the tomb is a pillar with what looks like an urn on the top and a relief of the person's face halfway up the side. Below the tomb, a figure leans on each side of the pedestal: both are women in white marble. The left hand one leans her elbow on the pedestal and her face on her hand. On the right the woman has her hands clasped on the pedestal and looks up at the tomb.

Roskilde Cathedral

A medieval cathedral in a unique mix of styles that inspired cathedrals throughout Northern Europe.

The painting is curved at the top, with lots of blue and green. It depicts a very fanciful version of Stockholm, with three grand-looking white churches with turrets and a jumble of smaller white buildings around it., along with scattered very tall trees

Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland

Fancifully decorated farmhouses built for special occasions by prosperous farmers.

Holy Trinity Column in Olomouc

The tallest memorial column in Czechia, a masterpiece of Moravian Baroque.

A row of houses in shades of white and beige, with pastel-colors in the decorations on the facades. They're all 2 stories tall with peaked roofs of various shapes facing the street in front of them.

Holašovice Historic Village

A complete and well-preserved village in the South Bohemian Folk Baroque style.

Looking up at the white castle with curved roof lines at every story, not just the top.

Himeji-Jo

A magnificent bright white castle dating to the 17th century.

In the foreground, a pond. Beyond the pond, a mosque: very symmetrical, with a gold dome on its top and two tall minarets, one on each front corner of the building. Porticos extending out both sides of the building.

Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex

The first capital of the Golden Horde, a place of historical cultural exchange, and still a pilgrimage destination for Tatar Muslims.

A large building with typical curved roof and festooned with colorful banners.

Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara

A collection of ancient Buddhist and Shinto shrines in the old capital of the Japanese empire.

Gothic arches, flying buttresses, and 3 pointed spires on the roof.

Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of St Barbara and the Cathedral of Our Lady at Sedlec

An intact medieval town center and two fine late-Gothic churches.

St Mark's Basilica has grand arches across the front and numerous towers and turrets around its central dome. A large plaza in front of it with tourists.

Venice and its Lagoon

An immense collection of art and architecture in this “floating” city of canals and islands.

3 houses in the photo, all with an arcade across the ground floor. The central one has ornate decorations on white on gray and an unusual stepped gable.

Historic Centre of Telč

A stunningly beautiful central plaza lined with charming pastel houses.

The top of Assumption cathedral: red brick with shiny silver-colored roofs on the turrets and the domes.

Assumption Cathedral and Monastery of the town-island of Sviyazhsk

A fortified monastery used by Ivan the Terrible in his efforts to defeat the Muslim Khanate of Kazan.

Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin

The only surviving Tatar fortress, with impressive architecture of two religions.

Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco

A centuries-old city center and an ancient agricultural area of canals and floating islands.

View of Prague Castle rising above the old city, as seen from across the river.

Historic Center of Prague

Famous for its astronomical clock, Charles Bridges, picturesque view of Prague Castle and the sheer beauty of the preserved architecture found all over the city.

17th-century Canal Ring Area of Amsterdam inside the Singelgracht

Canals lined with beautiful old patricians’ houses and former warehouses from when the city was a busy port, receiving products from all over the world.