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Wroclaw, Poland
Grand Hotel Wrocław
Wrocław’s Grand Hotel has spent a century changing names, identities, and fortunes - and is finally returning to its former glory.
From the CommunityClassic Facades
The stunners contained within this theme scream AWA. Guess what, they are all real places, each with a story to tell. We invite you to explore some of the most "classic" spots around the globe.
Thessaloniki, Greece
Hotel Augustos
Built in 1923 from the ashes of Thessaloniki's great fire, this hotel has witnessed a century of the city's transformation.
From the Community
Cape Town, South Africa
Muizenberg Beach Huts
Muizenberg's bathing boxes started as Victorian modesty machines on wheels, then lost their wheels when mixed bathing became legal in 1901.
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Porto, Portugal
Porto, Portugal
Two brothers gifted this street to Porto in 1824. Today, its true landlords have four legs and answer to no one.
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Robert Sobukwe, South Africa
Frontiers Karoo Restaurant
South Africa's most monument-dense town was once so rebellious its burghers declared independence from colonial rule: twice.
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Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig
Leipzig built 12,500 ornamental Gründerzeit buildings in just 43 years, housing a population boom from 100,000 to 700,000 residents.
From the Community
Söder-Öster, Sweden
Kampagården, Bokhultet Reserve
Every hiking trail in this Swedish nature reserve was accidentally created by soldiers during 78 years of military training.
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Barcelona, Spain
Casa Vicens
Gaudí's first house began with marigolds: the young architect turned wildflowers into ceramic tiles for a stockbroker's summer escape.
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Innsbruck, Austria
Südtiroler Platz 1
A Belle Époque hotel with its own power plant was bombed flat in 1944, rebuilt in orange concrete, and became an alpine icon.
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Panamá, Panama
Palacio Bolivar
Bolívar organized the 1826 Congress to unite Latin America but skipped it; too busy presidenting elsewhere. Only one nation ratified the dream.
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Warsaw, Poland
Warsaw Old Town Square
Warsaw's Old Town is a UNESCO site not for its age, but for being rebuilt from 18th-century paintings after 85% was destroyed in WWII.
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Bielsko-Biała, Poland
Frog House
One frog smokes a pipe, the other plays mandolin. They've been at it since 1903.
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Marrakech, Morocco
Jardin de la Ménara
This 12th-century basin trained Almohad soldiers to swim to Spain: and still irrigates olive groves via 900-year-old channels.
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Cascais, Portugal
Cascais
Portugal's iconic black-and-white pavements started as prison labor in 1842. Now they're headed for UNESCO recognition.
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Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Duncan Mclaren Locksmiths
Founded in 1851—the year a locksmith picked Britain's 'unpickable' lock at the Great Exhibition—this shop still cuts keys.
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Liverpool, United Kingdom
Shenanigans Irish Pub
This tilting Liverpool pub from 1841 stands alone after WWII bombing leveled its neighbors: the lean is a feature, not a bug.
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Lisbon, Portugal
Alfama House
Alfama survived Lisbon's 1755 earthquake on solid bedrock while the rest of the city was rebuilt, its medieval maze unchanged.
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Wien, Austria
Schmetterling Haus
This 1901 imperial greenhouse became a butterfly house after the Habsburg monarchy fell, ending palace renovations mid-project.
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Solferino, Italy
Comune di Solferino
Where a businessman's wrong turn led to the Red Cross: 40,000 battle casualties inspired the Geneva Conventions.
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Dubrovnik, Croatia
Sponza Palace
A 1522 customs house that survived Dubrovnik's devastating earthquake where merchants traded under God's watchful scales.
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Kazan, Russia
Old Tatar Settlement
Catherine the Great's 1767 decree ended a 215-year ban on stone mosques and her quip about minarets reaching heaven became legend.
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London, United Kingdom
Liberty
This department store was built from two decommissioned warships: its frontage matches HMS Hindustan's exact length.
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Uji, Japan
Pâtisserie Yuji
This French patisserie in Japan's 800-year-old matcha capital blends seven varieties of local tea into éclairs and tarts.
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Valencia, Spain
Estación del Norte
València's 1917 Nord station features an architect's sister-in-law immortalized in ceramic, and 'bon voyage' in nine languages.
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Buffalo, New York, United States
Richardson Hotel
Originally an insane asylum, with grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, this historic building is now a hotel and urban center.
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Tabriz, Iran
Constitution House
A merchant's home became revolution headquarters: printing presses ran in the parlor, plotting Iran's first constitution.
From the Community
Beaune, France
Tribunal d’Instance
Beaune's 1857 courthouse faced its prison across the street, connected by a tunnel for maximum judicial efficiency.
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Kyiv, Ukraine
Mariinsky Palace
Built for an empress who never visited, destroyed twice by fire and bombs—yet nothing of the original 1752 palace remains.
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Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki Cathedral
The architect envisioned restraint. The committee added a dozen zinc apostles to the roof.
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Manchester, United Kingdom
The Peveril of the Peak
The landlady ran this pub for fifty years, retiring at 93 after keeping Manchester's last detached pub alive.
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Aosta, Italy
Mercato Halles Aosta Valley
Aosta's Tuesday market has peddled Fontina and zero-kilometer honey beneath Alpine peaks for generations.
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København, Denmark
Nørrebrogade
At Superkilen, pink rubber climbs building facades along Nørrebrogade, turning architecture into park furniture since 2012.
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Dallas, Texas, United States
Southern Methodist University
SMU's Dallas Hall was so large when it opened in 1915 that it housed the entire university—plus a hamburger grill and a mummy.
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Bornem, Belgium
Castle d’Ursel
A theatrical designer known for trompe-l'œil gave this Belgian castle its eyebrow-raising yellow facade in 1761.
From the Community