Sep 20, 200610:29 AMThe Life

Trek from PS to... classic architecture

When work began on the Parthenon in 447 BC, the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. Do you remember "Doric," "Ionic" and "Corinthian"?!

During the days of the Roman Empire, the Coliseum of Rome was called the Flavian Amphitheatre (after the emperor dynasty that built it, starting in 72 AD). Eventually, people simply nicknamed it the Coliseum, which derives from a Roman word meaning "gigantic."

Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was completed in 22 years (1631-1653) by a workforce of 22,000.

From 1541 to 1686, Budapest was occupied by the Ottoman Empire. As a result, this Hungarian city contains some of the world's finest Turkish baths. For example, the Széchenyi Bath complex is the largest medicinal bath in Europe. Set amidst the tranquil surroundings of the Városliget (City Park), this bath is housed in a grand old building to which Budapest families flock during the summer. The outdoor pool is extremely convivial: old-timers play chess on floating boards while everyone else just lazes around.

Moscow's Kremlin is a historic fortified complex at the very heart of the city, overlooking the Moskva River to the south and Red Square to the east. It is the best known of the kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes four palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing wall, with towers. The existing Kremlin walls and towers were built by Italian masters between 1485 and 1495.

Today's featured photo is the Eiffel Tower (1,056 feet high), courtesy of Google Maps. The structure was built between 1887 and 1889 as the entrance arch for a World's Fair marking the French Revolution's centennial. Originally, the tower was to stand for only 20 years, when ownership reverted from designer Gustave Eiffel to the City of Paris, which had originally planned to tear it down. Part of the contest rules for designing the tower was that it could be easily demolished. Maintenance of the tower includes applying 50/60 tons of paint every seven years to protect it from rust. Occasionally, the color of the paint is changed; on the first floor, there are interactive consoles hosting a poll to choose the color for the next session of painting.



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