As much as I love "top ten" lists, and enjoy creating them; I realize that virtually no one is likely to totally agree with my choices, nor the order in which I have listed them. My choices are unavoidably subjective to some degree, but I like to think they are also both knowledgeable and reflective of at least a modicum of good taste. In listing the ten most beautiful buildings in the world, I have screened out those structures which, though once quite beautiful (such as the Parthenon in Athens), but which now lie in ruins. I've also not considered architectural/engineering structures, build entirely for show (such as the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, or St. Louis' Gateway Arch. Beyond that, I've also not considered buildings that, while they may be architecturally daring, perhaps even pointing the way toward the future in architecture, are at this point problematical, and in some cases even downright ugly (here I'm not going to cite examples). The buildings I've selected, without exception, serve a purpose. They were built to house human activities. Only two are more than a hundred years old. If that shows a bias for the contemporary over the classical, then so be it. The same applies to the fact that two of my choices are works by the same architect. I've already written about several of the buildings listed so I've created links to them so as not to be redundant. I'm hoping some of my choices may be surprising, thus bringing to light some very beautiful creations which thus far may have slipped beneath the architectural radar (so to speak). By the same token, I've no doubt left out some excellent possibilities with which the reader may take issue. If so, by all means make your feelings known in the comments section at the bottom.
Username: Bongsong Published on 2024-10-09 16:27:57 ID NUMBER: 122927
Located more than 2,000 feet above sea level, this garden is filled with surrealist structures, created by eccentric English poet Edward James, in a subtropical rainforest. Natural waterfalls are interlaced with pools and the towering structures.
Located in Villandry in central France, this Chateau is known for its spectacularly manicured gardens. The chateau was purchased in 1906 by Joachim Carvallo who spent a large amount of time curating the extravagant gardens.
One of the most famous gardens in the world – and certainly the best spot to catch a glimpse of the Dutch tulips – more than seven million tulips line the winding river of Keukenhof Gardens.
These 600-acre gardens were originally purchased with the intention to make a fruit plantation but were instead turned into a wildlife conservation project. They are now divided into nine different sections including the ‘Flower Valley’, ‘French Garden’ and ‘Stonehenge Garden’.
These gardens were established between 1931 and 1940 when a new owner completely transformed the gardens of Villa Taranto to make them the floral oasis they are today.
These gardens cover an impressive 1,077 acres, woodlands and meadows. The gardens came to fruition after Pierre S. du Pont purchased them in 1906 and have been wow-ing visitors ever since.
This garden was laid out by Ludwig Remy in 1821 and is situated on the grounds of Hofburg Palace. It's famous for its rose garden with over 3,000 rose bushes and 200 different cultivars of roses.
Kew Gardens has long been a Saturday afternoon staple for Londoners but with the Temperate House – the largest Victorian glasshouse in the world – reopening next month, there’s been no better time to visit.
If you visit one garden in your life, let it be this one. Claude Monet’s garden, at the home he lived in in Giverny, France, is, quite literally, like something out of a painting. A quick train ride from Paris, the garden is split into two parts - a flower garden called Clos Normand and a Japanese-inspired water garden.
