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Mogoșoaia Palace, example or Romanian Renaissance in architecture

Two centuries after the Italian Renaissance and at a much lower scale, Romanian County experienced its own period of blooming arts. Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu assumed the role of “The Magnificent” Lorenzo de Medici as protector of arts, commissioner of great buildings and patron of a new original style in architecture that bears his name. And […]

Festetics Palace in Keszthely, an impressive Baroque castle on the Balaton lake

The Festetics were a Hungarian noble family attested since the 17 century, that included even a prince. Their wealth came from farming large plantations, in connection to which they made some philanthropic actions, like building a hospital or agricultural colleges. They were also supporters of culture, as the large library inside the palace shows, with […]

Doge’s Palace, the splendor of Venetian Gothic

This palace is almost glued to St Mark’s Basilica, the only building that surpasses it in beauty and fame in the city on the lagoon. Doge’s Palace has on its side the advantage of being right next to the canal, which gives it an even more poetic look and emphasizes the floating effect that the […]

The Garden of Eden, brought to life in the Moorish gardens of Alcazar, Seville

Coming from a dry continent, the Arabs developed a profound admiration for green gardens, sometimes building the necessary springs themselves, which required some impressive engineering skills for the time. The Quran itself is full with images of the Paradise described as an oasis in the desert. So when the Muslims crossed the Mediterranean to the […]

Cotroceni Palace, from royal residence, to presidential palace

An absolute must see if you visit Bucharest, the Cotroceni (pronounced Kotrocheny) has a history of 400 years, a beautiful architecture and a very relaxing surrounding domain. It was first intended as a monastery, with churches and cells. Probably some kind of religious construction existed there prior to 1600. Prince Serban Cantacuzino, who financed the […]

Dolmabahce Palace, the architectural treasure of the sultans

Dolmabahce Palace is the largest and most luxurious residence in Turkey: 15,000 square meters, 285 rooms, without counting baths, halls and annexes. In the palace the oriental opulence of the six sultans who have lived here (past rulers of the Ottoman Empire) meets Western sophistication. The palace looks more like an imperial residence of French […]

Contemporary Art Museum in a Baroque Palace in Timisoara

In Timișoara, the most Western city of Romania, contemporary art lives along with the atmosphere of a XVIII building. The most valuable exhibits are part of the painting collection by Corneliu Baba, which you can admire, but not take pictures of. The source of inspiration for this building’s architecture is the Kinsky Palace in Vienna. […]

Caserta, the Italian Versailles with bigger gardens

The king of Naples, Carlos Sebastian (Charles VII), wanted to underline his status as a descendant of Louis XIV (The Sun King) and ordered a palace that would compete with the famous French castle of Versailles. For this Charles VII picked a rural area 20 km away from Naples. The existing Royal Palace in Naples […]

Schonbrunn Palace, the residence of Habsburg emperors

A landmark of Vienna, Schonbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the imperial house of Austria, is among the most important tourist attractions of the city. Be sure to reserve a whole day for a complete tour of the 1442 (!) rooms palace, the zoo garden, the famous labyrinth, the botanical garden, and all the alleys […]

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