The Schonbrunn Palace
The Schonbrunn Palace is located in Wien, Austria and was originally an imperial hunting lodge called Katterburg which was destroyed in the Turkish Siege of 1683. Several years later, Emperor Leopold l instructed Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach to build a monumental imperial hunting lodge where the a garden pavilion called the Gloriette is. Throughout the centuries, the palace has changed hand multiple times and each of the owners of the palace made some modifications to it.
St. Stephen's Cathedral
The St. Stephen’s Cathedral is located in Wien, Austria and is known as the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schonborn. The cathedral was first founded in 1137 following the Treaty of Mautern and was dedicated to Saint Stephens in 1147 in the presence of many German nobles before they were about to embark on the Second Crusade. The first structure was completed in 1160, reconstruction and expansion lasted until 1511 and repair and restoration continue to this day. Sadly, a fire in 1258 destroyed most of the cathedral, so a new and larger structure was built over the ruins of the old one and was consecrated April 23 1263.
St. Bavo's Cathedral
The St. Bavo’s Cathedral is located in Ghent, Belgium and was built on the site of the former Chapel of Saint John the Baptist and was consecrated 942 AD by the Bishop of Tournai and Noyon. From the 14th to 16th century, multiple expansion projects were made to the cathedral and construction was finished on June 7, 1569. It became the cathedral of the Diocese of Ghent after it was founded in 1559 and it was also the site of the baptism of Charles V.
Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula
The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula was officially recognized as a cathedral in 1962 and the patron Saints Michael and Gudula are also patrons of Brussels where the cathedral is located. The history of the cathedral dates back to the 8th and 9th century and it was at first a chapel was built to honor Saint Michael and two centuries later, the Duke of Brabant, Lambert ll built a cathedral in its place. In the year 1047, the relics of the martyr St. Gudula was transported to the cathedral which is how it has two patron saints.
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France. In 1889, Paris held a World's Fair to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution and the famous architect Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, was instructed to build a monument on the Champ-de-Mars. Alexandre and his employee, Maurice Koechlin designed the structure and construction began on January 28, 1887 and ended on March 31 1889 and was the tallest structure in the world, until it was beat by New York City’s Chrysler Building.
Notre Dame de Paris
The Notre Dame de Paris is located in Paris France and it was built by Maurice de Sully who was appointed bishop of Paris in 1160 and he decided to give the city a cathedral worthy of being France’s largest city and construction began in 1163 and ended in 1272. After it was built, it has been the site of many major religious and political events.
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is located in Berlin, Germany and was built between 1788 and 1791 by Prussian King Frederick Williams ll and it was a key entry point to the city of Berlin. On top of the gate there is a statue know as the Quadriga which is a statue of the goddess of victory driving a chariot pulled by four horses.
Cologne Cathedral
The Cologne Cathedral is located in Koln, Germany and construction began on August 15 1248 by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden and it was consecrated on September 27 1322. Work at the cathedral was not resumed until 1823 and on October 15 1880, construction was finally complete however restoration continued through the early 1900s. The cathedral was damaged during World War ll and restoration continued from 1945 to 1956.
Vaduz Castle
The Vaduz Castle is located in Vaduz, Liechtenstein and was built as a fortress in the 12th century and living quarters were added in the year 1287. The castle came into ownership of the royal family in 1712 and became their official residence until 1732. Due to the lack of care the castle fell into disrepair and restoration went from 1905 to 1912.
Vaduz Cathedral
The Vaduz Cathedral is located in Vaduz, Liechtenstein and it is also known as the Cathedral of St. Floren and was built in in 1874 by Friedrich von Schmidt. Prince Franz Joseph ll of Liechtenstein and his wife Countess Georgina von Wilczek were buried in the cathedral in 1989.
Grand Ducal Palace
The Grand Ducal Palace is located in Luxembourg and was first known as the City Hall of Luxembourg from 1572 to 1795 and later in 1817 became the headquarters of the Luxembourg government. After 1817, it became the residents of the Governor, the representative of the Dutch King-Grand Duke in Luxembourg and it was used by Prince Henry. After Grand Duke Adolphe came to power, he and his family made some changes to the palace and during World War ll the palace was used by Germans as a concert hall and tavern and renovations of the palace were made from 1992 to 1996 to restore it to its former splendor.
Fort Thungen
Fort Thungen is located in Luxembourg City Luxembourg. It was built in 1732 to enclose a defense network called Redoute du Parc also known as Park Redoubt and the fort is named after the Austrian commander-in-chief, Baron of Thungen. A deep moat surrounds the fort and in 1836 the prussians extended the fort and in 1860 strengthened it again. It was later demolished and now only the three round towers or the Three Acorns, and the walls remain in good condition.
Opera de Monte Carlo or Monte Carlo Opera House
The Opera de Monte Carlo is located in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. The Opera de Monte Carlo was built in 1879 by famous architect, Charles Garnier, who also built the opera house in Paris. From 1893 to 1951, Raoul Gunsbourg directed the opera and helped it rise to fame.
Palace of the Prince of Monaco
The Prince’s Palace is located in Monaco-Ville, Monaco. The palace was built in 1191 and was used as a Genoese fortress. It was built because after the German Emperor Henry lV gave the harbor and the rocky promontory to the Republic of Genoa, one of the conditions is that a fortress must be built to protect the people from piracy. On the evening of January 8, 1297 Francois Grimaldi conquered the fortress for the Grimaldis and they waged many wars against many different countries. During the reign of Honore l (1522-1581) the fortress was turned into a palace and remains as the official residence of the Prince of Monaco.
Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum is located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After the birth of the Batavian Republic, the government decided to honor Isaac Gogel’s suggestion by setting up a national museum. It was first called Nationale Kunstgalerij and it first opened its doors on May 31, 1800. In 1808, the museum was moved from Huis ten Bosch in The Hague to Amsterdam which was later made the capital of the Kingdom of Holland. The museum contains countless paintings and historical objects.
Mauritshuis
The Mauritshuis is located in Den Haag, Netherlands. The Mauritshuis was built in the 17th century as a home for Count Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen and it has been a museum since 1822. Just like the Rijksmuseum, the Mauritshuis also contains many paintings and other pieces of art.
Rhine Falls
Rhine Falls is located in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland. The Rhine Falls is known as the biggest waterfall in Europe with a fall that is about 100 feet and a width of 492 feet. There are two main falls divided by a pillar-like rock formation and the left bank dropping is about 50 feet and the right bank dropping is about 65 feet.
Chateau de Chillon or Chillon Castle
The Château de Chillon is located in Veytaux, Switzerland. The oldest accounts of the Chillon Castle goes back to 1150 and it was known as the House of Savoy and the Counts of Savoy lived in it. On March 29, 1536, the Bernese conquered the Pays de Vaud and the Chillon Castle fell and the castle was used as a fortress, arsenal and prison. Later in 1733, the castle was abandoned. In 1803, the castle became the property of the Canton of Vaud and in the late 19th century, restoration of the castle began and continues to this day.