Travelers around the world often wish to visit well-known landmarks as a way to document their time in a certain country or even as a sort of bragging rights to show off to friends and family when returning home. For example, anyone traveling to Egypt is likely to want photos in the shadow of the Great Pyramids or the Sphinx, rather than a busy modern picture of Cairo.
Likewise, visitors to London will want to see such world-renowned landmarks as Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Visitors to Britain are also likely to want to visit the Tower of London and observe the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
In many ways, these visual landmarks help to define a country. In some cases, they are historic landmarks, like Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, or natural landmarks like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon in North America. In other cases, they are achievements from the country’s history, like the Coliseum of ancient Rome or the Parthenon in Greece.
The unifying factor of world landmarks is that they signify something about the region and draw people to the site. In the United States, the most famous of landmarks is the Statue of Liberty. Though the Statue was a gift from France, the American people and by association the world have come to identify the statue as a sort of representation of the country. Perhaps even more than the Declaration of Independence, it announces tot he world that the United States believes in the pursuit of liberty.
In France, the single best-known landmark is the Eiffel Tower. The tower was built in the late 1880s to signify France’s achievement in engineering and art. Though no longer the tallest building in the world, it stands as a testament to the way the French people think of themselves: progressive, intelligent and surrounded by art.
The Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx testify to the ancient civilizations of Egypt and its ability to stand the test of time. The Parthenon serves as a reminder of both the Greek gods and the birth of democracy.
In China, the Great Wall stands as a reminder that the world’s largest country has long been the victim of outside aggression and has struggled to defend its people. Even the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London speaks to the nature of the country, stoic and driven by duty.
World landmarks help define, in the broadest terms, what we believe about the nations that surround us and help us give clarity to history.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Paris Landmarks
The most famous of the Paris landmarks is without a doubt the Eiffel Tower. The tower has become so synonymous with Paris that it has been destroyed in several major motion pictures, including Independence Day, to signify the destruction of Paris and France as a whole.
The tower was constructed between 1887 and 1889 to be the world’s tallest building. It no longer holds that title, but is the most recognizable landmark in France, possibly in all of Europe. The Paris landmark houses a small historical exhibit, detailing the construction and maintenance of the structure, and an ice-skating rink among other things. Visitors can take stairs to a second floor observation post, but to go any higher must take the elevators.
For more than a century, the Eiffel Tower has been repainted every 7 years in a process that takes more than a year to complete and uses a graduated “Eiffel brown” with the lightest brown at the top of the structure and a darker brown at the bottom. In recent year, the committee that oversees the Paris landmark has decided to paint the lower levels of the Tower more often and paint the top of the Eiffel Tower every ten years.
The Arc de Triomphe, constructed under the rule of Napoleon I, is another don’t miss Paris Landmark. The imperial archway was Napoleon I’s attempt to make Paris as grand as ancient Rome and is among the city’s oldest and most well known landmarks.
Also popular among Paris landmarks is the Cathedral of Notre Dame, where Victor Hugo set his famous novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The Cathedral is renowned for its historical role in France and for its bell towers, home to the fictional Quasimodo.
No visit to Paris would be complete without a visit to the Louvre, the most famous art museum in the world and home to great works of art including the Mona Lisa. And, Americans visiting Paris may want to visit the smaller sister of their own Statue of Liberty, a replica of which stands along the Seine River in Paris. The replica is one of two smaller statues the French made while constructing the American Statue of Liberty as a gift to the United States for its centennial in 1876.
Other attractions in the Paris area include the former home of kings, the Palace at Versailles and the Bastille, the infamous prison where French citizens were involuntarily kept during the French Revolution.
The tower was constructed between 1887 and 1889 to be the world’s tallest building. It no longer holds that title, but is the most recognizable landmark in France, possibly in all of Europe. The Paris landmark houses a small historical exhibit, detailing the construction and maintenance of the structure, and an ice-skating rink among other things. Visitors can take stairs to a second floor observation post, but to go any higher must take the elevators.
For more than a century, the Eiffel Tower has been repainted every 7 years in a process that takes more than a year to complete and uses a graduated “Eiffel brown” with the lightest brown at the top of the structure and a darker brown at the bottom. In recent year, the committee that oversees the Paris landmark has decided to paint the lower levels of the Tower more often and paint the top of the Eiffel Tower every ten years.
The Arc de Triomphe, constructed under the rule of Napoleon I, is another don’t miss Paris Landmark. The imperial archway was Napoleon I’s attempt to make Paris as grand as ancient Rome and is among the city’s oldest and most well known landmarks.
Also popular among Paris landmarks is the Cathedral of Notre Dame, where Victor Hugo set his famous novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. The Cathedral is renowned for its historical role in France and for its bell towers, home to the fictional Quasimodo.
No visit to Paris would be complete without a visit to the Louvre, the most famous art museum in the world and home to great works of art including the Mona Lisa. And, Americans visiting Paris may want to visit the smaller sister of their own Statue of Liberty, a replica of which stands along the Seine River in Paris. The replica is one of two smaller statues the French made while constructing the American Statue of Liberty as a gift to the United States for its centennial in 1876.
Other attractions in the Paris area include the former home of kings, the Palace at Versailles and the Bastille, the infamous prison where French citizens were involuntarily kept during the French Revolution.
Landmarks
Most people think of a specific place when they are calling something a landmark. In giving directions, a landmark can be something as simple as Bob’s Gas Station at the corner of Main and Sixth streets, or as complex as the third house on the left after the blue penguin.
Originally, however, the term was meant to use features of geography to give directions. Pioneers might have been able to find safe spots to camp or directions to a water source via landmarks, like a table rock or a cliff shaped like a face. Even a river or stream could be used as a landmark to define how far a person had traveled or what direction they might need to travel in, as in turn north at the Mississippi River.
The key to a useful landmark was that it was something that could be added to a map and that travelers would be unlikely to miss. These were among the first things added to early maps, as it was difficult to measure exact distances. For example, a large cave on the Ohio River was added to maps in the earliest explorations of the continent, long before there was a nation on the North American continent.
Cave-In-Rock, named by a French explorer, was a way for people heading down the river to know how close they were to the juncture of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Later in westward expansion in American history, Pikes Peak in what would become Colorado became an important landmark, as it was the first of the Rocky Mountains visible from the Great Plains.
Landmarks were most important in the days before street signs as a way of finding someplace. In the modern context, landmarks have become defined two ways: First, they are still used to give directions, as in turn left at the fire station and then go to the third driveway on the right.
Second, the term has been modified to mean places of interest. A modern landmark could be anything from a geological formation of great interest, like the Grand Canyon, to a modern art museum. Generally, places designated as a landmark have some historical or geographical importance, but not always.
And, the designation as landmark usually varies by region. A well-known golf course that has been in the same location for fifty years may be a landmark in some regions or some cities may unofficially designate certain buildings as landmarks, perhaps long after they have ceased to be used for the purpose that they once were. These regional designations are most often used when landmarks are being used for the purposes of giving directions not increasing tourism dollars.
Originally, however, the term was meant to use features of geography to give directions. Pioneers might have been able to find safe spots to camp or directions to a water source via landmarks, like a table rock or a cliff shaped like a face. Even a river or stream could be used as a landmark to define how far a person had traveled or what direction they might need to travel in, as in turn north at the Mississippi River.
The key to a useful landmark was that it was something that could be added to a map and that travelers would be unlikely to miss. These were among the first things added to early maps, as it was difficult to measure exact distances. For example, a large cave on the Ohio River was added to maps in the earliest explorations of the continent, long before there was a nation on the North American continent.
Cave-In-Rock, named by a French explorer, was a way for people heading down the river to know how close they were to the juncture of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Later in westward expansion in American history, Pikes Peak in what would become Colorado became an important landmark, as it was the first of the Rocky Mountains visible from the Great Plains.
Landmarks were most important in the days before street signs as a way of finding someplace. In the modern context, landmarks have become defined two ways: First, they are still used to give directions, as in turn left at the fire station and then go to the third driveway on the right.
Second, the term has been modified to mean places of interest. A modern landmark could be anything from a geological formation of great interest, like the Grand Canyon, to a modern art museum. Generally, places designated as a landmark have some historical or geographical importance, but not always.
And, the designation as landmark usually varies by region. A well-known golf course that has been in the same location for fifty years may be a landmark in some regions or some cities may unofficially designate certain buildings as landmarks, perhaps long after they have ceased to be used for the purpose that they once were. These regional designations are most often used when landmarks are being used for the purposes of giving directions not increasing tourism dollars.
Historical Landmarks
It is very common for landmarks around the world to be defined by their historical significance. The Parthenon in Greece is known throughout the world both for its religious significance as a temple to ancient Greek gods, but also as a birthplace of modern democracy.
In the United States, though the Statue of Liberty is well-known for the political thoughts the statue is meant to represent, it is also a historical landmark, signifying the once close relationship between the United States and France and the shared democratic ideals of the two nations. The Statue was a gift from the French to commemorate the centennial of the United States.
Other historical landmarks within the United States include everything from monuments to American history to places of historic significance. For example, Independence Hall in Philadelphia is a national landmark because it was the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the home of the Liberty Bell. The Old North Church in Boston is a historical landmark because of its role in the American Revolution and because Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized in the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”.
Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado is a historic landmark because the cliff dwellings as fairly unique within the country. They represent a physical and visual piece of history that cannot easily be had in other parts of the country.
Another less famous historic landmark that is a natural site is Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, on the Ohio River. The limestone cave is a natural formation of the rock and the river, but is a historic landmark because it was used as a haven for pirates, counterfeiters and murderous gangs during the country’s westward expansion.
Other landmarks of historic significance vary by state and country. Within the United States, there is Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, the Abraham Lincoln Museum and home in Springfield, Illinois, and the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion in St. Louis, Missouri, among hundreds of others.
Many states have historic landmarks that are important both to the state’s history and to the nation’s, ranging from sites in Leadville, Colorado, related to “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” to sites in New Orleans related to the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and the American Revolutionary and Civil wars.
In the United States, though the Statue of Liberty is well-known for the political thoughts the statue is meant to represent, it is also a historical landmark, signifying the once close relationship between the United States and France and the shared democratic ideals of the two nations. The Statue was a gift from the French to commemorate the centennial of the United States.
Other historical landmarks within the United States include everything from monuments to American history to places of historic significance. For example, Independence Hall in Philadelphia is a national landmark because it was the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the home of the Liberty Bell. The Old North Church in Boston is a historical landmark because of its role in the American Revolution and because Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized in the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”.
Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado is a historic landmark because the cliff dwellings as fairly unique within the country. They represent a physical and visual piece of history that cannot easily be had in other parts of the country.
Another less famous historic landmark that is a natural site is Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, on the Ohio River. The limestone cave is a natural formation of the rock and the river, but is a historic landmark because it was used as a haven for pirates, counterfeiters and murderous gangs during the country’s westward expansion.
Other landmarks of historic significance vary by state and country. Within the United States, there is Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, the Abraham Lincoln Museum and home in Springfield, Illinois, and the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion in St. Louis, Missouri, among hundreds of others.
Many states have historic landmarks that are important both to the state’s history and to the nation’s, ranging from sites in Leadville, Colorado, related to “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” to sites in New Orleans related to the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and the American Revolutionary and Civil wars.
Famous Landmarks
Around the world, there are many man-made constructions that are considered famous landmarks. Some, like the Great Wall of China, are leftovers from the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Others, like Big Ben in London, are more modern than the wall, but still of significant historic importance. Most designate something about their country of origin that the world wants to remember. In France, with a rich history of culture and art, among the most famous landmarks are The Louvre art museum and the Eiffel Tower.
Marvels of ancient science including the pyramids in Egypt and the Great Sphinx as well as the aqueducts and Great Coliseum are among the most famous landmarks in the world. Other historical and famous landmarks include the Parthenon in Greece, Red Square in Moscow, and Westminster Abbey in London.
In recent years, sites have also become famous landmarks because they remind the world of the atrocities that occurred there including Tienamen Square in China and Auschwitz in Germany.
Famous landmarks across the world sometimes become famous because of the developments to international society that occur there, as with the United Nations Building in New York City. Or, it becomes a landmark because society never wants to forget the tragedy and horror of a location, like many battlefields, Ground Zero in New York City and the Nazi prison camps in Germany.
Other famous landmarks are famous simply because they exist and are different from other parts of the world. The Grand Canyon, redwood forests in California, the La Brea Tar pits and various meteor craters around the world fall into this category. These sites are world-famous landmarks because they represent an element of nature not seen often in the remainder of the world.
In the United States, famous landmarks also include monuments made to the nation’s history and progress. Among the most famous are those surrounding Washington D.C., the Vietnam wall, the Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Cathedral and, of course, the government buildings including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon.
Outside of Washington, D.C., landmarks tend to be tied to the history of the region more so than the entire nation, with some notable exceptions including the Statue of Liberty in New York.
For example, one of the most famous national landmarks in the Midwest is the Arch in St. Louis. The Arch was constructed in the 20th century to commemorate the nation’s movement toward westward expansion and the role of the Mississippi River and St. Louis as the gateway to the West.
Others, like Big Ben in London, are more modern than the wall, but still of significant historic importance. Most designate something about their country of origin that the world wants to remember. In France, with a rich history of culture and art, among the most famous landmarks are The Louvre art museum and the Eiffel Tower.
Marvels of ancient science including the pyramids in Egypt and the Great Sphinx as well as the aqueducts and Great Coliseum are among the most famous landmarks in the world. Other historical and famous landmarks include the Parthenon in Greece, Red Square in Moscow, and Westminster Abbey in London.
In recent years, sites have also become famous landmarks because they remind the world of the atrocities that occurred there including Tienamen Square in China and Auschwitz in Germany.
Famous landmarks across the world sometimes become famous because of the developments to international society that occur there, as with the United Nations Building in New York City. Or, it becomes a landmark because society never wants to forget the tragedy and horror of a location, like many battlefields, Ground Zero in New York City and the Nazi prison camps in Germany.
Other famous landmarks are famous simply because they exist and are different from other parts of the world. The Grand Canyon, redwood forests in California, the La Brea Tar pits and various meteor craters around the world fall into this category. These sites are world-famous landmarks because they represent an element of nature not seen often in the remainder of the world.
In the United States, famous landmarks also include monuments made to the nation’s history and progress. Among the most famous are those surrounding Washington D.C., the Vietnam wall, the Lincoln, Washington and Jefferson memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Cathedral and, of course, the government buildings including the White House, the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon.
Outside of Washington, D.C., landmarks tend to be tied to the history of the region more so than the entire nation, with some notable exceptions including the Statue of Liberty in New York.
For example, one of the most famous national landmarks in the Midwest is the Arch in St. Louis. The Arch was constructed in the 20th century to commemorate the nation’s movement toward westward expansion and the role of the Mississippi River and St. Louis as the gateway to the West.
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