Classic Facades

Stampa-Coltura, Switzerland

Gone for centuries, a family returned back to its ancestral home.

Pontresina, Switzerland

A grand hotel saved by wine.

Sao Paulo, Brazil

This sunset pink structure was the tallest in Latin America. And just kept growing.

Angoulême, France

This Cathedral has spiritual roots in pre-Christian France, both in location and architecture.

Coral Gables, Florida, United States

This grand hotel was the place to be in America's Jazz Age--and some patrons of that era have stuck around.

Portland, Oregon, United States

The Portland Building both referenced and parodied classical style.

Athens, Greece

Athens' largest church began construction on Christmas Day in 1842.

Warsaw, Poland

This royal palace was renovated in the 18th century by one of Poland's most powerful noblewomen.

Pécs, Hungary

Helsinki, Finland

Agra, India

An incredible love story behind a famed global site.

London, United Kingdom

London's law courts are rife with superstition and rooms with mysterious origins.

Tallinn, Estonia

This palace was built by Peter the Great as a gift for his second wife Catherine.

Capannori, Italy

This Villa's history is entwined with a 16th century love story that could rival Romeo and Juliet.

Venice, Italy

This museum holds the last piece of a legendary Venetian ship, that coud soon be reborn.

Cesenatico, Italy

This Hotel was financed by the inventor of the aseptic bandage.

Southwold, United Kingdom

The Swan Hotel, and the brewery behind it, has a 600 year history of brewing ale.

Wimborne Minister, England

This regal estate contained an Egyptian obelisk that helped decipher the Rosetta stone.

Potsdam, Germany

A palatial retreat with over two hundred rooms that served as a hangout used to impress visiting dignitaries.

Burano, Italy

Technicolor homes painted using the full rainbow are made all the more vibrant for their reflection off the green waters of the canals that snake through the town.

Trieste, Italy

The Lloyd Triestino Palace overlooks the sea and still serves as a hub for one of the oldest active shipping companies.

Dresden, Germany

A building of novel design that could satisfy city regulations while also providing clever advertising for his Turkish cigarettes.

Paris, France

The sinking house is ...not actually sinking.

Berlin, Germany

The gardens for the primary residence of the president of Germany contained some special buried history.

Wroclaw, Poland

A colorful example of architecture that the early inhabitants of modern Wrocław were determined to clear as it represented remaining traces of German habitation.

Wilmington, Delaware, United States

As a performing arts center, The Grand has hosted thousands of entertainers, from vaudeville shows to world-class symphonies.

Bari, Italy

This theater was built thanks to two enterprising brothers.

Prague, Czech Republic

This star-shaped villa is located in the middle of a hunting preserve.

New York, New York, United States

PSA: This building has *NOTHING* to do with our friends at Whalebone Magazine.

Kanses City, Missouri, United States

Once the tallest building west of the Mississippi River, this structure is a temple to all things light--and may be fighting some shadowy figures.

San Sebastián, Spain

This station building serves the oldest funicular railway in the Basque country.

River Ranch, Florida, United States

Experience early American cowboy life at this Florida dude ranch.

Tallinn, Estonia

According to legend, the Toompea Castle sits on a hill created by hand by an ancient woman named Linda.

Bucharest, Romania

Containing 1.5 billion pounds of steel and bronze, the Palace of Parliament is the heaviest building in the world.

Krasnodar, Russia

This Museum goes on underwater archeological expeditions to gather artifacts for its exhibits.