Page 148 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS

ABOVE The quirky church of Notre Dame du Haut, strikingly situated on a hilltop in Ronchamp, France
RIGHT Sir Norman Foster’s towering, elegant Millau Bridge spanning the Tarn Valley, southwest France

NOTRE DAME DU HAUT, RONCHAMP, FRANCE Le Corbusier’s snowy-white Notre THE MILLAU BRIDGE, TARN VALLEY, FRANCE Sir Norman Foster, architect of the
Dame du Haut church was built on the crest of a hill in 1955 on the site of a pilgrimage Millau Bridge, said that it was designed to have “the delicacy of a butterfly.” And so it has,
chapel destroyed during World War II. “Here we will build a monument dedicated to particularly when emerging from the morning mist, a perfect combination of strength
nature and we will make it our lives’ purpose,” said the architect. Constructed mainly of and subtlety. Seven slender piers support the road bridge, soaring up to align with seven
reinforced concrete, with thick walls punctuated by irregular stained-glass windows, the graceful steel pylons. Rising to 1,125 ft (345 m) at its highest point, this is the world’s
curvaceous building is topped by an upturned roof resembling a billowing sail. Among tallest road bridge. It was built with practicality in mind, to ease traffic and shorten the
its quirky details is an outdoor pulpit, used during open-air services. journey to the Mediterranean, but it could stand simply as a beautiful piece of engineering.

HIROSHIMA PEACE CENTER, JAPAN This is an awesome sight, a reminder of the horror TAIPEI 101, TAIPEI, CHINA Hailed as WORLD’S FAIR SITE, NEW YORK, USA
of nuclear devastation and hope for a peaceful future. Its centerpiece is the Genbaku one of the Seven New Wonders of the If anything symbolized the flamboyant,
Dome, which was the closest structure to withstand the atomic explosion on August 6, World, this 101-floor tower rises 1,670 ft optimistic attitude of the 1964 World’s Fair,
1945. It has been preserved just as it was immediately after the bomb hit, the cladding of (510 m) above the city. Made from pliant it was the Unisphere. Celebrating the dawn
the dome melted away to reveal its raw steel skeleton. It is complemented by architect steel, its slender pagoda-like structure of the Space Age, the huge model of Earth
Kenzo Tange’s Peace Center, a rectangular building raised on pillars, and the Peace combines ultra-modernity with stands in a pool surrounded by fountains,
Monument, a parabolic arch beneath which fresh flowers are constantly replenished. references to traditional Chinese culture. at the end of an avenue of national flags.

THE OMAYYAD MOSQUE, DAMASCUS, CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL, GARDEN KREMLIN, KAZAN, RUSSIA The word
SYRIA This is one of the oldest mosques GROVE, CALIFORNIA, USA “kremlin” actually means citadel, and
in Islam and one of the most beautiful. This huge evangelical church, which Kazan’s is a splendid example. Enclosed
Built in the 8th century, during Omayyad opened in 1980, is constructed of by white stone walls, it was begun under
rule, it was originally a place of worship mirrored glass and built on a steel frame Ivan the Terrible in the mid-16th century.
for both Muslims and Christians: Muslims in the shape of an elongated four-pointed Its oldest building is the five-aisled
prayed at the eastern side, Christians at star. The interior can accommodate 3,000 Annunciation Cathedral, but its newest
the west. Besides its fine courtyard, the worshipers. A section of the walls opens may be the finest: the Kul Sharif mosque,
most stunning features are the glorious to allow people to see and hear the dating from 2005, with its gleaming blue-
decorative mosaics that cover the walls. services from their cars. green cupola and delicate minarets.

RYUGYONG HOTEL, PYONGYANG, WIELICZKA SALT MINE, POLAND UNAM LIBRARY, MEXICO CITY,
NORTH KOREA Resembling a huge space Dating from the 13th century, this unusual MEXICO The library of Mexico’s National
rocket, the Ryugyong has been nicknamed UNESCO-listed site remained a working University, built in the early 1950s, houses
the “Hotel of Doom.” It was begun in mine until 1996. Its 185 miles (300 km) its books in a solid, windowless tower
1987, when it was intended to be the of galleries are home to a depiction of illuminated by artificial light. Wishing to
world’s tallest hotel at 1,085 ft (330 m), Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper, a statue imbue the building with truly Mexican
but has never been finished. Construction of Pope John Paul II, and a “crystal” character, designer Juan O’Gorman had
started again in 2008 but, due to chandelier, all carved in rock salt. The the external walls covered with intricate
structural defects and the enormous cost Chapel of St. Kinga, patron saint of Poland, figurative mosaic murals in bold colors,
of completion, it’s unlikely to open soon. is one of several underground chapels. depicting Latin American themes.

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