Just thought this would make an interesting thread, what one iconic and great structure has each past civilisation given the world?

Classic civs...

Egypt - Pyramids at Giza
Roman - Colosseum
Chinese - The Great Wall
Greece - Acropolis

neo classic / modern civs...

America - Empire State building or statue of Liberty (gift from France) ?
British Empire / Britain - Palace of Westminster or Wembley Stadium?
Australia - Sydney Harbour bridge or opera house ?
France - The eiffel tower

any more for any more???

The statue of Liberty was a gift from France to the USA.

yes true, debated whether to put this in or not

What about the Hagia Sophia? A cathedral turned mosque. From Byzantine to Ottoman. From the cross to the crescent.

Khmer Empire: Angkor Wat
France: Eiffel Tower or the Cathedral at Notre Dame
Rome: The Colosseum or maybe the Pantheon

Russia: St. Basil's Cathedral

Rome's Pantheon was far more impressive to me than the Colosseum; it was the largest dome in the world for hundreds and hundreds of years.

China's is the Forbidden City instead of the Wall. Sure, everyone knows the Wall, but the Forbidden City is far more impressive as a building accomplishment.

France has the Cathedral de Notre Dame d'Amiens, although the one in Paris is nice. And then there's also Versailles. But if I had to pick only one, it would be Amiens.

In the United States, I would claim that the Capitol has a lot more character than anything in New York; it even has its own uniquely American orders used inside (one representing corn, the other tobacco).

Modern: The Mall of America. Largest indoor mall in the US second largest in the world, soon to be expanded into the largest in the world.

I only mention this because it's in my home town :lol:

India's would have to be the Taj Mahal. (Civ IV's great wonders are going to keep popping up.)

Malaysia's the Petronius Towers?

Arabia's is the Qaaba, or better the Al-Masjid al-Haram, which is the mosque containing the Qaaba.

Sct. Peter's Basilica in Rome and The Hagia Sofia in Istanbul are just unbelivable to behold...

The Taj Mahal springs to mind as well.

Wembley Stadium? They only just finished that (finally) - I don't think it's quite "up there". Actually I've always thought the Millennium Dome is quite a funky building, but I think I'm the only person who does. If only they'd known what to put in it.

For France, Cluny abbey would probably be the greatest building, but unfortunately it was destroyed by the Jacobins.

I thought that the abolition of the religious orders had been bad in Portugal (lots of smaller monasteries destroyed), but to destroy the Abbey of Cluny..! :mad:

I didn't know it had been razed after the French Revolution! Damn all revolutionaries and their penchant for going around destroying things...

As for structures... the Pyramids certainly stand out as the longer-lasting big structures. And may outlast humanity, too!
We can add the mesoamerican ones to the list, like those at Teotihuacán.

Nah the greatest French structure is undisputably the Eiffel tower.

Inaugurated in 1889 AD, it's the first supertall (over 1,000 ft) structure ever built. It was twice taller than anything built earlier, and we hade to wait for nearly half a century to build anything taller afterwards (Empire State Building in 1931). Nowadays, it is clearly the symbol of Paris and the symbol of France, and it's also certainly among the 5 most famous landmark worldwide.

About the United States, I would say it's the Empire State Building. Also tallest structure during a long time, it represents the best skyscrapers which are an obvious American invention.

Germany : Neuschwanstein castle (challenger being Kölner dom)
Spain : Alhambra de Granada
Hungary : House of Parliament
UK : Oxford University ?
Poland : Wawel castle in Krakow (challenger being Wieliczka salt mine)
Australia : Sydney Opera House
Canada : CN Tower
Brazil : Cristo Redentor

UK : Oxford University ?

Stonehenge

I agree with Marla that the Eiffel Tower is certainly the most symbolic building in France (and perhaps in all Europe), but as far as impressiveness go, I would rank Versailles and Notre Dame above it. And Cluny too, if those jacobin bastards had left it alone.

For Germany, I think of the Reichstag or the Brandenburg Gate before Neuschwanstein, though I will admit the castle has far more subtle influence worldwide than either of the Berlin locations I mentioned.

For Spain, I think of the Alahmbra Palace, or the Temple of the Holy Family in Barcelona.

For Italy, I always think of either the Duomo in Florence, the Cathedral Complex of Pisa, or San Vitale in Ravenna.

Ireland's should be Benbulben or the Giant's Causeway.

When I think of Babylon, I think of the Ishtar Gate.

When I think of England, I think of the Houses of Parliament.

When I think of Japan, the first image in my head is that of Mt. Fuji. The second is of the USS Kitty Hawk, and the third is the Great Buddha.

For India, I think of either the Taj Mahal, or the Gateway to the East.

Persia conjures images of ruined Persepolis.

UK : Oxford University ?

That's not a particular building, though.

For my country, it's the house of the parliament for sure. Though it was made against everyone except the dictator's will. ;)

And I also think Rome had much more than just the Circus Maximus as a great building. :)

Apart from the Colloseum:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Colosseum_in_Rome%2C_Italy_-_April_2007.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Colosseum-interior.01.JPG

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Roman_Colosseum_With_Moon.jpg


Look at their aqueducts:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Pont_du_gard.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Aqueduct-segovia.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/Valens_Aqueduct_in_Istanbul.jpg

Theaters:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Orange_roman_theatre.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/GM_Djemila_Roman_Theatre01.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/GM_Guelma_Theatre_romain04.jpg


Temples:


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Pantheon_rome_2005may.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e3/Oculus1.jpg/450px-Oculus1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Italy_Rome_pantheon_inside.jpg


And there are many more.

@Marla: The great thing about the Eiffel Tower is that, according to Hollywood, it is visible from every point in Paris . . . ;)

the taj mahal is practically a persian building, built by the moghul king shah jahan.

Hmm some great feats of architecture in my opinion in no particular order

England - Big Ben

Australia -Sydney Opera House

India - The Taj

China - Great Wall

Egypt - The pyramids

Greece - Parthanon

Romans - The Pantheon and the Forum

Persians - Persepolis

Great thread.

Here is my list:

Egypt - Pyramids
Greece - Colossus
USA - Mount Rushmore
Russia - Kremlin, Orbital station Mir (while it was operational)
UK - Big Ben
France - Eiffel tower
Italy - Tower in Pizza
Israel - Temple of Solomon (only western wall remains unfortunately)
Serbia - Temple of Saint Sava
Turkey - Hagia Sofia
China - Great wall
Montenegro - Njegos Mausoleum
.
.
.

Great thread.

Here is my list:

Egypt - Pyramids
Greece - Colossus
USA - Mount Rushmore
Russia - Kremlin, Orbital station Mir (while it was operational)
UK - Big Ben
France - Eiffel tower
Italy - Tower in Pizza
Israel - Temple of Solomon (only western wall remains unfortunately)
Serbia - Temple of Saint Sava
Turkey - Hagia Sofia
China - Great wall
Montenegro - Njegos Mausoleum
.
.
.

Tower... in... Pizza?? :eek: :eek:

:D :lol: :D :rotfl:

And yes, I agree it's a great thread. Not making fun of you, but I actually laughed out really loud when I read that. :)

Canada:None Applicable.

Great thread.

Here is my list:

Egypt - Pyramids
Greece - Colossus
USA - Mount Rushmore
Russia - Kremlin, Orbital station Mir (while it was operational)
UK - Big Ben
France - Eiffel tower
Italy - Tower in Pizza
Israel - Temple of Solomon (only western wall remains unfortunately)
Serbia - Temple of Saint Sava
Turkey - Hagia Sofia
China - Great wall
Montenegro - Njegos Mausoleum
.
.
.

I've been reviewing everything in sight lately, so I'll just review your list.

Mout Rushmore-Iconic, but not great. Many other things like that in world. I would put statue of liberty.
Big Ben-Same as Rushmore. The whole parlement thing would work though, for me.
Tower of Pisa-A mistake. Instead, I would put St. Peters.
Temple of Solomon-I think you're mixing temples up, the western wall is from a later temple. But the temple would do okay.

I have to say I don't really see why the Houses of Parliament (that is, the palace of Westminster) or its clock tower (Big Ben being the bell, of course) is really such a great building. It may be iconic but really, it's just a clock. The London Eye, directly opposite, is more impressive as a structure.

Maya - Temple of Kukulcan
Aztec- Pyramid of the Sun

Czech Republic: the Bone Church in Sedlac.
Armenia: The Roman Gladiator in Yerevan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Fernando_Botero-Roman_Gladiator.jpg
China: The statue of Optimus Prime http://www.karateparty.org/images/stories/Living/Travel/optimusprime_large.jpg

Tower... in... Pizza?? :eek: :eek:

:D :lol: :D :rotfl:

And yes, I agree it's a great thread. Not making fun of you, but I actually laughed out really loud when I read that. :)

It's OK. I should write Pisae, but I couldn't resist. :lol:

Canada:None Applicable.



I've been reviewing everything in sight lately, so I'll just review your list.

Mout Rushmore-Iconic, but not great. Many other things like that in world. I would put statue of liberty.
Big Ben-Same as Rushmore. The whole parlement thing would work though, for me.
Tower of Pisa-A mistake. Instead, I would put St. Peters.
Temple of Solomon-I think you're mixing temples up, the western wall is from a later temple. But the temple would do okay.

When I think of it St. Peters is a better solution.
I know it is from the second temple destroyed by Romans, while Solomons temple was destroyed by Babylonians. I just consider it as one structure.

I agree with Marla that the Eiffel Tower is certainly the most symbolic building in France (and perhaps in all Europe), but as far as impressiveness go, I would rank Versailles and Notre Dame above it. And Cluny too, if those jacobin bastards had left it alone.Have you seen the Eiffel Tower for real ? Sorry to ask that question but the thing is simply that it's very hard to get a real impression of how huge it is only in viewing pictures of it.

I live in Paris and each time I get at the basis of that structure, it still amazes me about how huge it is. Generally speaking, I would say that actually, not only it's height, but also its width, makes the building impressive. The four feet of the tower forms a square of 125m x 125m. The first floor is at 60 meters of height meaning about the height of a 20-story residential building. It gives a feeling once you're at the bottom of it of pure hugeness... and all this has been built during the 19th century.

Notre-Dame is indeed impressive but there are many other impressive cathedrals. Amiens is indeed the largest gothic cathedral in France, and I've personally enjoyed the Kölner Dom even more. Afterwards, you have off course Saint-Peters basilica even if I agree it's not really the same kind. As for Versailles, it's true that everything is out of scale : the different buildings, the furniture, the massive garden perspective reaching the horizon. But still, I would say that Eiffel Tower remains the most impressive, at least to my own eyes of local.

UK : Oxford University ?That's not a particular building, though. True, however the Alhambra de Granada isn't a particular building either... but more a collection of several buildings of different periods of time.

I haven't been to Oxford, but from the pictures I've seen of it, I guess it's probably the British architectural accomplishment which impresses me the most.

Have you seen the Eiffel Tower for real ? Sorry to ask that question but the thing is simply that it's very hard to get a real impression of how huge it is only in viewing pictures of it.

I live in Paris and each time I get at the basis of that structure, it still amazes me about how huge it is. Generally speaking, I would say that actually, not only it's height, but also its width, makes the building impressive. The four feet of the tower forms a square of 125m x 125m. The first floor is at 60 meters of height meaning about the height of a 20-story residential building. It gives a feeling once you're at the bottom of it of pure hugeness... and all this has been built during the 19th century.

Notre-Dame is indeed impressive but there are many other impressive cathedrals. Amiens is indeed the largest gothic cathedral in France, and I've personally enjoyed the Kölner Dom even more. Afterwards, you have off course Saint-Peters basilica even if I agree it's not really the same kind. As for Versailles, it's true that everything is out of scale : the different buildings, the furniture, the massive garden perspective reaching the horizon. But still, I would say that Eiffel Tower remains the most impressive, at least to my own eyes of local.

I haven't, but we've got a bigger building than those all here. :p

(yeah, I know you weren't talking to me :))

True, however the Alhambra de Granada isn't a particular building either... but more a collection of several buildings of different periods of time.

I haven't been to Oxford, but from the pictures I've seen of it, I guess it's probably the British architectural accomplishment which impresses me the most.

Well, there isn't a central university building or complex or anything. The university consists of various colleges, halls, libraries, departments, and other more or less distinct entities scattered all over the city. So there's no bit you can point to and say, "That's the university!" (although American tourists always think it's University College, not realising that's just its name). While many of these entities have nice buildings, I don't think any of them is in itself especially impressive. Taken together they might be, but since they're not only from different periods but not even next to each other, it would be a bit artificial to do so. You can't even call it a "collection", let alone a single group of buildings.

Have you seen the Eiffel Tower for real ? Sorry to ask that question but the thing is simply that it's very hard to get a real impression of how huge it is only in viewing pictures of it.

Yep, I even went up there and paid 10 euros for some icecream :p

It is huge, and truly awesome and beautiful, but I don't think it's the best France has to offer.


I live in Paris and each time I get at the basis of that structure, it still amazes me about how huge it is. Generally speaking, I would say that actually, not only it's height, but also its width, makes the building impressive. The four feet of the tower forms a square of 125m x 125m. The first floor is at 60 meters of height meaning about the height of a 20-story residential building. It gives a feeling once you're at the bottom of it of pure hugeness... and all this has been built during the 19th century.

Agreed. And it also fits perfectly with the parisian scenery in general. Very rarely do we see such a huge building fit so well in a historical city like Paris.


Notre-Dame is indeed impressive but there are many other impressive cathedrals. Amiens is indeed the largest gothic cathedral in France, and I've personally enjoyed the Kölner Dom even more. Afterwards, you have off course Saint-Peters basilica even if I agree it's not really the same kind. As for Versailles, it's true that everything is out of scale : the different buildings, the furniture, the massive garden perspective reaching the horizon. But still, I would say that Eiffel Tower remains the most impressive, at least to my own eyes of local.
All fair points, but Notre Dame was really impacting to me. I mean, it was built 900 years ago and it is absolutely beautiful not to mention huge.

St. Peters is not comparable, and it also has 400 years of advantage.

Generally speaking the Eiffel Tower did not have the same impact for me as Notre Dame or Versailles, maybe because I had already seen the one in Las Vegas :p

Moors. Alhambra.

Taj Mahal is so sterotypical for India...try Hamp in South Indiai: (I took these pics BTW)

The ruined city:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/33883/DSC02314.JPG

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/33883/DSC02315.JPG

Taj Mahal is so sterotypical for India...try Hamp in South Indiai: (I took these pics BTW)

The ruined city:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/33883/DSC02314.JPG

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/33883/DSC02315.JPG

File Not Found.

I haven't, but we've got a bigger building than those all here. :p

(yeah, I know you weren't talking to me :))Actually, we have also a building in Paris which is as big as the house of Parliament in Bucharest. 350,000 m² of floor area. It's called Coeur Défense and it's located in the business district of La Défense.

http://archiguide.free.fr/PH/FRA/Par/PdefCDefVi.jpg


Generally speaking the Eiffel Tower did not have the same impact for me as Notre Dame or Versailles, maybe because I had already seen the one in Las Vegas. :pThe one in Vegas being twice smaller than the real one.
Well ok... if you considered you visited Paris simply in visiting a hotel in Vegas, then I understand better how you could think that way. :p

The one in Vegas being twice smaller than the real one.
Well ok... if you considered you visited Paris simply in visiting a hotel in Vegas, then I understand better how you could think that way. :p

You misunderstood, I visited both.
I just said that I had never seen anything similar to Notre Dame or Versailles, while I had seen something similar to the Eifell Tower, even if smaller and out of context. And I consider the first two as greatest accomplishments as well, considering the dates in which they were built.

Anyway I was only trying to be lightheartdly funny, not taking a jab at Paris in any way, I love that city.

Actually, we have also a building in Paris which is as big as the house of Parliament in Bucharest. 350,000 m² of floor area. It's called Coeur Défense and it's located in the business district of La Défense.

http://archiguide.free.fr/PH/FRA/Par/PdefCDefVi.jpg


The one in Vegas being twice smaller than the real one.
Well ok... if you considered you visited Paris simply in visiting a hotel in Vegas, then I understand better how you could think that way. :p

In no way can we compare the buildings of France with ours, seriously. :) Those in France are so beautiful, styled and arranged in a great way, as opposed to ours, which are not like this at all.

Still, this one has a larger volume and mass, and it's much more decorated (though in a megalomaniac and often useless way):

It contains 1,000,000 cubic meters of marble from Transylvania, most from Ruşchiţa; 3,500 metric tonnes of crystal - 480 chandeliers, 1,409 ceiling lights and mirrors were manufactured; 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze for monumental doors and windows, chandeliers and capitals; 900,000 cubic meters of wood (over 95% domestic) for parquet and wainscotting, including walnut, oak, sweet cherry, elm, sycamore maple; 200,000 square meters of woolen carpets of various dimensions (machines had to be moved inside the building to weave some of the larger carpets); velvet and brocade curtains adorned with embroideries and passementeries in silver and gold.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Casa_poporului.jpg/800px-Casa_poporului.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Palatul_Parlamentului_Saal.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Palatul_Parlamentului_Deckenleuchter.jpg

And with the new glass wing it's actually a tad bigger in floor space also, as this was measured before it was built.

I have to say I don't really see why the Houses of Parliament (that is, the palace of Westminster) or its clock tower (Big Ben being the bell, of course) is really such a great building. It may be iconic but really, it's just a clock. The London Eye, directly opposite, is more impressive as a structure.

Isn't it just a giant Ferris Wheel?

If you're looking for impressive, how about St. Paul's Cathedral, or Salisbury Cathedral?

The Red Fort of India
Arch de Triumph of France
The Leaning Tower of Italy

These are the buildings I would allocate as being most symbloic for each civilization. Of course there are various that would also fit, but I just chose the ones that immediately pop into my head when thinking of a certain civilization and seem to epitomize said culture the greatest. Here's my take:

Germany - Brandburg Gate
France - Eiffel Tower
England - Big Ben
Scottland - Edinburgh Castle
Italy - The Colosseum
Greece - Akropolis
Russia - Kremlin
Turkey - Sultan Ahmed Mosque/The Blue Mosque
USA - Statue of Liberty
Japan - Tokyo Tower
China - Forbidden Palace/Tiananmen Square
Cambodia - Angkor Wat
India - Taj Mahal
Brazil - A Cidade Maravilhosa/Jesus Statue
Mexico - Chichén Itzá
Egypt - Great Pyramid of Giza
Australia - Sydney Opera House

Off the top of my head...a bit cliché and superficial, I know, but I can't help myself. :blush:

Well, if the Taj Mahal is too sterotypical, try the Gopuram at Maduai:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gopuram-madurai.jpg

all 7 origonal wonders of the world desirve to be on the list.

Well, if the Taj Mahal is too sterotypical, try the Gopuram at Maduai:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gopuram-madurai.jpg

Yeah, that is definitely a really beautiful Indian building...and foremostly, it's a genuine Indian building with intricate Hindu detailing on the fassade, unlike the Taj Mahal which is actually a Mughal building.

By the way, does anybody else think that looks like a candy building? It looks like it's a crazy Willy Wonka construction! :D

The Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh, my undergrad school. The largest educational building in the Western Hemisphere (second only to a building at the U of Moscow). The outside construction is pretty impressive, but the interior is even better. Looks like an old castle or something.

Most of the ones that got railroaded in that stupid New Seven Wonders of the World thing. Sure, I knew that Kiyomizu was a pipe dream, but what the hell, I thought it looked different.

Ugh. The winner of that 'New 7 Wonders' contest that irked me the most was the Christ the Redeemer statue. Angkor, St. Basil's, Hagia Sophia, and a whole bunch of others that were snubbed present greater engineering and artistic challenges than Christ the Redeemer.

What about the Hagia Sophia? A cathedral turned mosque. From Byzantine to Ottoman. From the cross to the crescent.

An interesting fact was that a crescent flag always flew on the Hagia Sophia, as the Crescent was originally the symbol of the city of Constantinople, but after the Ottoman Empire conquered the city it was turned into the symbol of the Empire and subsequently the religion.

I think the Dubai Towers will have to go onto the list (I can see them from my window right now :p ) pretty impressive I assure you, already the tallest building in the world and their still adding more stories.

Historically speaking, on the Arab Peninsula, the Masjid al-Haram is also pretty impressive, perticularly since it was originally built long before the Prophet Muhammad lived.

In China, the MAOsoleum (love that pun) is pretty impressive, but so are the rest of the buildings in Tianammen Square.

Great Pyramids (Will always be on my list)
Colosseum (Great feat of engineering)
Taj Mahal (Probably India's most famous building, internationally at least)
Empire State Building (Again, international, and view is great)
Statue of Liberty (Looks great)
Hagia Sophia (Engineering)
Eiffel Tower (International, great engineering, kind of looks bland to me though)
Notre Dam (Great cathedral)
Brandenburg Gate (Just love the history. :D)
British Parliament (I love the look, and that Big Ben is basically a huge clock)
CN Tower (Nice view, great engineering)
Vatican (Unbelievably great looking, lots of good places photographs don't show)
The Internet (What? :p)
St. Basil Cathedral (The fact that the tops look kind of like Hershey's kisses makes it cool :D)
Great Wall (Great for exercise, seriously :p)
Roman forum (Shame its in ruins)

there are some great buildings on this thread no doubt. my personal pick to the US would have to be the Golden Gate Bridge. That inspires awe. Perhaps the Brooklyn Bridge as well, but i have never seen it in person.

The Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh, my undergrad school. The largest educational building in the Western Hemisphere (second only to a building at the U of Moscow). The outside construction is pretty impressive, but the interior is even better. Looks like an old castle or something.

Quite astonishing. I've never seen anything like that.

The Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh, my undergrad school. The largest educational building in the Western Hemisphere (second only to a building at the U of Moscow). The outside construction is pretty impressive, but the interior is even better. Looks like an old castle or something.

Both this one and the one at Moscow are absolutely amazing. :thumbsup:

Oh and since we are at Moscow, for something different, not essentially big or hard to make, but of an incredible beauty, I'd like to nominate Saint Basil's Cathedral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Basil%27s_Cathedral) and the metro of Moscow, which is used daily by almost 7 million passengers:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/76/Moscow_Metro%2C_Kievskaya_station.jpg/800px-Moscow_Metro%2C_Kievskaya_station.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Train_in_Moscow_metro.jpg/800px-Train_in_Moscow_metro.jpg

Netherlands:
The complete Deltawerken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta_Works).

If that is too big; the Oosterscheldekering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oosterscheldekering) and de Maeslantkering (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maeslantkering) are marvellous in their own rights.

The Rio-Antirio bridge is a moden (and recently completed) 'great structure' here:

The 2,880 meters (9,449 ft) long bridge dramatically improves access to and from the Peloponnese, which could previously be reached only by ferry or via the isthmus of Corinth at its extreme east end. Its width is 28 meters — it has two vehicle lanes per direction, an emergency lane and a pedestrian walkway. Its five-span four-pylon cable-stayed portion of length 2,252 meters (7,388 ft) is the world's second longest cable-stayed deck; only the deck of the Millau Viaduct is longer at 2,460 meters (8,071 ft). However, as the latter is also supported by bearings at the pylons apart from cable stays, the Rio-Antirio bridge deck might be considered the longest cable-stayed "suspended" deck.

This bridge is widely considered to be an engineering masterpiece owing to several solutions applied to span the difficult site. These difficulties include deep water, insecure materials for foundations, seismic activity, the probability of tsunamis, and the expansion of the Gulf of Corinth due to plate tectonics.

Its official name is the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge. Charilaos Trikoupis was a 19th century Greek prime minister, and suggested the idea of building a bridge between Rio and Antirio; however, the endeavour was too expensive at the time, when Greece was trying to get a late foot into the Industrial Revolution.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1423/623981238_be67462776.jpg

For America, I'd nominate the Golden Gate Bridge.

http://911research.com/wtc/history/docs/wtc12_new.jpg

The World Trade Center, towers one and two; and not for any patriotic reasons. When I was younger, about nine or ten (circa 1990), my Dad took me to New York City, for the first time. We went to the South Tower (2) and went to the observation deck, called the "Top of the World." Before we entered the building, my Dad quoted me the fact that you could not stand with your feet at the base of the tower and look up at the top without falling backward.

I remembered when I saw them from the outskirts of NYC; the skyline. They were wondrous and magnificent. I've never been impressed like that since.

When I stood against the base of the building, looked up, and fell back, my Dad caught me, and I was completely in awe of them. We went to the observation deck and, from there, it seemed like you could see forever. It was one of the most memorable events of my life.

Before we entered the building, my Dad quoted me the fact that you could not stand with your feet at the base of the tower and look up at the top without falling backward.

I've heard this said for many buildings - but it's obviously not true for any building in the world... :)

But I'm not trying to argue against the WTC here, not at all. :) Just saying.

I've heard this said for many buildings - but it's obviously not true for any building in the world... :)

But I'm not trying to argue against the WTC here, not at all. :) Just saying.

It was true, for me, that day.

Just found this, GCHQ Building in England...(British intelligence agency responsible for providing signals intelligence), like a mdern take on the Pentagon.

http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/gchq/images/GCHQ-1.jpg

I was actually looking for this, also in England... The Diamond Light Source Synchrotron Particle accelerator ! Also impressive!

http://www.twanetwerk.nl/upl_images/1%20-%20Synchrotron%20-%20birdsview.jpg

I don't think one can really choose the 'Greatest' building the entire history of the world, simply because there are so many factors in deciding this which are usually mutually exlusive. The three main factors, in order of importance to me, would be:

Age: Structures like the Pyramids, Stonehenge, and the Hanging Gardens fit this catagory.

Beauty/Delicacy: Structures like most of the famous Mosques, the Alhambra Palace, Angkor Wat and the Sistine Chapel fit this category

Size: Structures like the Pyramids, The Eiffel Tower, The Empire State Building, and the Petronus Towers fit this category

I find that Western structures tend to meet the size requirements, Classical World (Ancient Egypt to Roman Empire) structures tend the meet the age requirements, and Eastern structures tend to meet the beauty requirements.

I'd have to say, however, that the Great Pyramid has the most overlap, so it gets my vote.

Edit: Now that I think about it, the Great Wall meets several of the categories as well, so it gets second place.

I find that Western structures tend to meet the size requirements, Classical World (Ancient Egypt to Roman Empire) structures tend the meet the age requirements, and Eastern structures tend to meet the beauty requirements.

I don't think one can put it that simply. I think each cultural grouping (as you placed them into east, west, and classical) have multiple entries in each of the categories you established (age, beauty, size). For instance, the Statue of Liberty can be percieved by many as a beautiful piece of human achievement, which I do indeed consider it to be. Others might categorise the blue mosque in Istanbul as a big achievement. As you can see, defining each cultural group as a certain trait is not really accurate, since each factor is present for all.

Grand Canal of China http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_of_China
About as impressive as the Great Wall of China and costed about the same amount of lives

AS a German I would actually nominate the Berlin Wall. Not for it's architectual value or it's ugliness but rather for it's importance in our countries recent history. When that thing came down it was just surreal, nobody of my generation or older ones really believed that was feasible.

I also see it as maybe the symbol of the Cold War. Neuschwanstein is just a tourist attraction built by some nutcase, really. But I can understand substituting the Brandenburg Gate for the Wall, I guess.

I personally don't like associating the Berlin Wall as our definitive symbolic building/structure since it represents years and years of oppression and totalitarianism. Furthermore, if one truly wanted to value the symbolism of reuniting Germany, the fall of the wall would be the actual structure to praise, and since that's not actually a building, it hardly works as a famous structure (destruction of a structure does not equal a structure).

Besides, the Brandenburg Gate is much more symbolic for Germany's reunification, since it was closed off and placed in a make-shift "neutral" territory that only Eastern German guards were allowed to access. When the wall came down, the opening of the barricades marked the true opening of Germany's borders.

In addition, the many years that the Brandburg Gate has spanned Germany's history is considerable. It is a structure that embodies the Prussian/German defiance to cede to the French during the Napoleonic wars, mainly because Napoleon dismantled the structure and had the Nike quadriga transported to Paris to have it be re-used for a new French structure. Fortunately, Prussian generals were able to recapture it and brought it back to Berlin where it was then restored, as well as recieving the famous Iron Cross that adorns the staff that Nike holds in her right hand. It has since been a symbol of Germany and prowess therein.

Neuschwanstein is only Bavarian anyways, so I think the Brandenburg Gate is better. Besides, it's only famous because it inspired the Sleeping Beauty castle. It holds no actual symbolic meaning.

I personally don't like associating the Berlin Wall as our definitive symbolic building/structure since it represents years and years of oppression and totalitarianism. Furthermore, if one truly wanted to value the symbolism of reuniting Germany, the fall of the wall would be the actual structure to praise, and since that's not actually a building, it hardly works as a famous structure (destruction of a structure does not equal a structure).

Then again de-structing is basically the dismantling of a structure, making the Berlin Wall so powerfull in my mind because here you actually have a somewhat completed period of time neatly wrapped up in one ugly symbol (of all the negative connotations you mentioned). And never mind that the stretch of it left standing might still count as a structure, the fact that it's actual construction, history and eventually it's tumbling down has been covered on film makes it a still very real image in my opinion. I have never actually seen the Great Wall of China but I know it's there. ;)

But as I said, I can understand picking the Gate in it's place, but for me it'll have to be the wall. Too many moving (in both senses of the word) pictures I associate with it, most af all seeing it come down live on TV the year I graduated, the best I can compare it to is the same feeling of surrealness as seeing 9/11 unfold on TV, but in a positive way. My father (who was born and raised there) actually was there that night, something I'll always be envious of.