From ancient temples to exotic castles, our world is teeming with awe-inspiring architectural wonders. While you may all have marveled many a time at the beauty of the Taj Mahal or the Great Pyramids of Giza, there are numerous lesser-known structures that are no less breathtaking. These spectacular architectural accomplishments will leave you stunned!
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1. Takayama, a beautiful Japanese city known for its exceptional preservation of Edo Period (1603-1868) historical center
2. An exquisite bookstore in Chengdu, Sichuan, China
3. An elegant stairway in The House of Scientists in Lviv, Ukraine. Built in 1897-98, this building was initially a casino but serves as a place for cultural, political, and scientific conferences and meetings today.
4. Kylemore Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland
5. Les Espaces D'abraxas (Abraxas's Spaces), a high-rise residential building in Noisy-le-Grand, France. It features 591 apartments and three buildings designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill in 1978.
6. Hans & Gretel pancake house, a fairytale-themed restaurant in Zeewolde, Netherlands
7. The Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. This stunning Brazilian library was established in 1887 and has a massive collection of 350,000 titles.
8. The Gran Hotel in Mexico City. Originally built between 1895 and 1899 as a trade center, it's now known as the world's most beautiful glass ceiling hotel.
9. "The inflatable "Gaia" installation in the 18th century Baroque Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, UK."
10. Romanian Athenaeum, a concert hall in Bucharest, Romania
11. Leuven Town Hall, Belgium. This iconic building was constructed in a Brabantine Late Gothic style between 1448 and 1469. It's world-renowned for its ornate architecture.
12. A beautiful building surrounded by rock and trees in Hrensko, Czech Republic
13. Pietragalla, a small hilly village in the Province of Potenza, Southern Italy
14. The Kailasa temple in Ellora, India, is considered one of the most impressive cave temples in the world. This 8th-century temple was carved from a single block of excavated stone
15. Castillo de Colomares, a monument in the form of a castle in Spain. It was built between 1987 and 1994 and is dedicated to the life of Christopher Columbus.
16. A traditional medieval cave house with a courtyard found in Libya’s Naufosa Mountains, in the Berber village of Gharyan. Residents say this house was dug out in the year 1666.
17. Hammam Essalihine (the bath of the righteous or thermal baths of Flavius), an ancient Roman bathhouse in Khenchela, Algeria. The historical site was built over 2,000 years ago and is still in use.
18. The Adalaj Stepwell in Ahmedabad, India. This five-story stepwell was built in 1499 by Queen Rudabai, wife of the Vaghela chief Veersinh to hold water and serve as a spiritual refuge for hundreds of years for pilgrims and caravans.
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