Page 145 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS

MAIN IMAGE Central portal of Notre-Dame d’Amiens during the laser
illuminations BELOW (left to right) Lofty central nave of the cathedral;
Angel of Sorrow sculpture; the magnificent western facade

3 MORE CHURCHES TO RIVAL
NOTREDAME DE PARIS

STEPHANSDOM, VIENNA, AUSTRIA Vienna’s St Stephen’s
Cathedral is another Gothic beauty, famed for its diamond-
patterned tiled roof. Don’t miss the fabulous Wiener Neustadt
altarpiece of 1477, the pulpit rail crawling with lizards and
toads, or the tomb of Emperor Frederick III with its gruesome
creatures trying to revive the defunct ruler.
CATEDRAL DE SANTA MARIA, BURGOS, SPAIN This Spanish
cathedral was a long time in the making; it was started in 1220
but was not finally completed until 1795. The resulting vast
edifice melds Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles, and
houses the tomb of the Spanish national hero, El Cid.
KERIMAEN KIRKKO, KERIMAEKI, FINLAND The small town
of Kerimaeki, in Finland’s lakeland region, is home to Kerimaen
Kirkko – not a Finnish racing car driver but the largest timber-
built Christian church in the world. Built in 1837, it is
148 ft (45 m) long, 138 ft (42 m) wide and 88 ft (27 m) high.

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