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Tehran, Iran
National Garden Gate
Tehran's pre-Azadi icon: a gate to a garden that barely existed, where a bugler once announced dawn and dusk to the city.
From the CommunityArchitectural Wonders
Architecture is the art that molds our landscapes into the backdrops that enrich our lives. What denotes an architectural wonder you ask? Sometimes it’s a well known town staple, other times it’s a hidden gem. So keep your eyes peeled.
Vienna, Austria
Louis Vuitton Vienna
Julius Meinl kept one store when selling 700+ locations. Louis Vuitton now occupies the building next door to it.
From the Community
Kashan, Iran
Mahinestan Raheb Hotel
A Qajar mansion with three courtyards (one for family, one for guests, one for servants) now welcomes everyone equally.
From the Community
Florence, Italy
Piazzale Michelangelo
Nine pairs of oxen hauled a bronze David up Florence's hills in the 1800s, and the museum it was meant for never opened.
From the Community
London, United Kingdom
Chelsea Embankment
How a river too putrid for Queen Victoria became one of London's most pristine waterfronts.
From the Community
Rapallo, Italy
Excelsior Palace Hotel
Italy's first casino hotel secretly hosted three world-altering treaties between champagne service and celebrity sightings.
From the Community
Shiraz, Iran
Nasir al-Mulk Mosque
This mosque's expensive gamble turns morning prayers into a daily light show.
From the Community
Skopje, North Macedonia
Matka Exhibition Center
Handle 80-year-old dials in a control room frozen in time when the new plant opened next door.
From the Community
Paris, France
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
Sacré-Cœur's travertine stone self-cleans with every rainstorm, releasing calcite that recoats the basilica white.
From the Community
Kathmandu, Nepal
Durbar Square
Three rival Malla kings turned sibling rivalry into an architectural competition that lasted 300 years and produced 150+ temples.
From the Community
Paris, France
Eiffel Tower
The con man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice... because the first buyer was too embarrassed to call the cops.
Jaipur, India
The Leela Palace Jaipur
Opened in 2021, its dining room holds 350,000 hand-cut mirrors and a marble fountain copied from Shah Jahan's Red Fort.
AWA visted here
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Echternach, Luxembourg
Abbey of Echternach
Each Whit Tuesday, Echternach revives its centuries-old dancing procession: a handkerchief-linked, brass-band swirl of faith and footwork that even Saint Willibrord would jump back in line for.
From the Community
Wilmington, Delaware, United States
Winterthur Museum & Gardens
This 175-room “American palace” is equipped with wild gardens, 90,000 art pieces, and a history grand enough to once include a prize-winning dairy herd.
AWA visted here
Presented with
Taipei City, Taiwan
National Palace Museum
Taipei’s National Palace Museum, once exiled from Beijing, holds 700,000 imperial treasures including the famed Jadeite Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone!
From the Community
San Diego, California, United States
Liberty Station
Liberty Station, once a rigid Naval Training Center, is now a dependable cultural hub where San Diegans gather for art, food, and community.
From the Community
Florence, Italy
Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore
The most famous landmark of Florence, il Duomo still holds some secrets within its constrcution.
AWA visted here
Presented with
Pisa, Italy
Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower is a prime example that beauty comes in many shapes, sizes and… inclinations.
AWA visted here
Presented with
Stockholm, Sweden
Qvarnen Tre Kronor
The story of Sweden's crown jewel of milling.
From the Community
Vatican City, Vatican City
Vatican City
The world's smallest army protecting the world’s smallest sovereign state.
From the Community
Presented with
Aveiro, Portugal
Palheiros da Costa Nova
Who needs a light house when you have these?
From the Community
Brighton and Hove, United Kingdom
Brighton Bandstand
Still working at 140 years old… with no retirement in sight!
Granada, Spain
Alhambra
One of the most notable and best-preserved monuments of Islamic architecture in the world.
From the Community
Seville, Spain
Palace of San Telmo
One of the most beautiful buildings in Seville, and that says a lot.
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
Vanguard Hotel
Providing uncommon accomodation for the common man.
Presented with
Leipzig, Germany
St. Nicholas Church
The church remains a testament to courage and hope in the face of oppression.
Havana, Cuba
Hotel Sevilla
This historic hotel was once closely associated with Havana's mafia network.
Carlton, Australia
Royal Exhibition Building
From vaccination centers to the Olympic games to world fairs, this building has been home to major world events since its construction in the late 1800s.
Manaus, Brazil
Teatro Amazonas
This grandiose opera arena has been declared one of the most beautiful opera houses in the world.
From the Community
Porto Alegre, Brazil
Palácio do Comércio
Palácio do Comércio is not just a source of “architectural pride”, but a historical city-wide landmark.