The Eiffel Tower in France
This metal tower with three floors
stands in the city centre of Paris. It
was built for the 1889 World Fair
(Universal Expo) to celebrate the
100th anniversary of the French
Revolution.
The 324metres/1062ft high Eiffel
Tower was constructed by Auguste
Eiffel and a team of engineers. If
you would like to take the steps up
to the tower viewing platform on
the second floor, there are 704
steps to climb, but luckily there are
also lifts in each of the leg up to the
second floor.
The tower has been visited by over
250 million people since its opening
and in 2016 more than 7 million
visitors were welcomed on the
tower's top platform
The Great Wall of China
The Great Wall is one of the seven
wonders of the world. It runs in
sections over a very long distance
across China.
The wall is also referred to as ‘Long
Wall’ as it is over
21,196 km/13,171 miles long. It was
built with stones, bricks and tiles,
earth as well as of wooden material.
The wall was completed in 1644, but
it took more than 2,000 years to
build.
There are more than 20,000
watchtowers along the wall as it
was built to protect the country
against invasions from nomads and
enemies and to make it easier to
collect duty for goods that were
transported along the Silk Road.
Today the wall is the most popular
tourist attraction in China with more
than 10 million visitors per year.
Contrary to popular belief the Great
Wall cannot be seen from the moon.
Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of
Italy’s major tourist attractions. The
freestanding bell tower of the Pisa
Cathedral was built over almost two
hundred years and was finished in
1399.
The original hight of the tower was
60 meters/196ft, but as it is leaning,
the lowest side is now less than 56
meters/184ft. The construction already
caused many problems as the soil was
soft, sandy and unstable. Already
during construction, the builders tried
to balance the leaning side with more
columns on the other side, but the
tower still leaned - like many other
buildings in the area.
In 2000, the tower was strengthened
by putting stronger soil underneath
the tower. You can walk up the 251
stairs to the viewing platform at the
top of the tower which is quite an
amazing experience. And of course
take a picture of you from the lawns
next to the tower to 'hold' the tower.
Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt
The Great Pyramid of Giza near Cairo
is one of the Seven Wonders of the
Ancient World and the only one of these
ancient world wonders which still exists.
The pyramids are made of stone and
bricks and stand near Cairo which is the
capital of Egypt.
The Egyptian pyramids were built
during a time when there was only
manual labour and no machine lifting
equipment available. The pyramids were
build to house the bodies of the pharaoh
who ruled in ancient Egypt. Next to the
Giza pyramids there is the Sphinx, the
famous monument of a lion body with a
pharaoh’s head.
The Giza pyramids are around 4,500
years old and are considered among the
largest structures ever built.
Sydney Opera House in Australia
The Sydney Opera House, built in
Australia’s biggest city, is famous
for its roof’s architecture resembling
shells or sails. The opera house was
designed by Jørn Utzon from
Denmark and it was built between
1959 and 1973.
The roof is covered with more than 1
million roof tiles. These were
manufactured in Sweden. The opera
house has several performance halls
and theatre and exhibition spaces.
More than 40 shows are staged here
every week. Every year, more than 8
million visitors visit this Australian
landmark! Every evening the roof is
lit up in a colourful spectacle.
The Statue of Liberty in the USA
The Statue of Liberty is 92 meters/305ft high
and is made of a iron structure with copper skin.
Lady Liberty, as the statue often is referred to,
was designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and
the massive iron skeleton of the lady was
designed by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel who also
designed the Eiffel Tower.
The statue was built and completed in France in
1884. The monument was then disassembled into
350 pieces and packed into 214 crates and
shipped to New York. The Statue of Liberty was a
gift of the people of France to the American
people on the American Centennial in 1886. The
torch’s flame is covered with 24k gold and the
crown has seven rays for the seven continents.
The monument stands on Liberty Island in the
Hudson River facing New York City. You can climb
up the 154 steps from the pedestal to the head of
the statue where you can see the fantastic views
over the ‘Big Apple’ as New York is often lovingly
called.
Taj Mahal in India
The Taj Mahal, which means 'crown of
palaces' in the Persian language, stands on
the riverbanks of the Yamuna River in Agra
in northern India.
In 1632 the emperor, Shah Jahan
instructed to build a tomb for his favorite
wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal houses
the tomb of the wife as well as a mosque
and a guesthouse.
The Taj Mahal has been built with white
marble and the finest material sourced from
all over Asia. It is decorated with precious
and semi-precious stones. Lines from the
Quran are depicted on many walls. The
main dome of the Taj Mahal is
35metres/115ft. hight and the minarets are
each 40m/130ft. tall.
It is said that more than 20,000 workers
built the monument and over 1,000
elephants were used to help with the
transport of the heavy material during the
construction. The mausoleum attracts more
than 8 million visitors every year.
Machu Picchu in Peru
Machu Picchu which means ‘Old Mountain’ in
the local Quechua language is a famous site in
Peru. It is also referred to as 'The Lost City of the
Incas'.
The ruins of the Lost City are located in the
mountains, at more than 2,400 metres/8,000
feet above sea level. This ruin site has more than
200 different buildings and structures. The ruins
were never discovered by the European
conquistadors but only became known in 1911
when an American archeologist was led to the
site by locals.
While some people believe that Machu Picchu
was built as a sacred site, others think it once
was the summer retreat of an Inca emperor. It
was built during the 14th century and probably
more than 1,000 people lived there. As the site is
build on a mountain ridge and thus always would
be in danger of sliding down the slope during
rainy season, over 600 terraces and a well laid-
out drainage system were built around the city.
The city is a magical sight and a great
example of Inca engineering, as the structures
and buildings of the city were also built without
using wheels .
