Famous Landmarks around the World

Built as a gift to the Roman people by Emperor Vespasian around A.D. 70, the Colosseum is an oval-shaped amphitheater made of stone and concrete.  To celebrate its opening in A.D. 80, there were 100 days of “games” which consisted of gladiator and wild animal fights.

The Colosseum measures 190 meters long, 155 meters across, and 50 meters high, and was the largest amphitheater in the ancient Roman world. Earthquakes, fires, and vandals have damaged the structure over the years.

The 50,000 spectators were arranged by class—the wealthier you were, the better your seat. Those seated in the top section were shaded by a velarium, an awning hung from 240 masts around the structure’s rim.  

Gladiators, slaves who were forced to fight, and wild animals such as lions were kept in rooms beneath the arena floor. For dramatic effect, animals and gladiators could pop up into the arena through any of the floor’s 36 trap doors.  

Each level of the Colosseum features arches, and there are 80 arched entrances in all. Columns supporting the ground level arches are Doric, those in the middle level are Ionic, and the top level’s columns are Corinthian. 

The Arch of Constantine stands near the Colosseum’s main entrance. The 25-meter-high arch was built in A.D. 315 to commemorate Constantine I’s military defeat of Maxentius at Pons Milvius.

The Atomium was built as a temporary structure in 1958 for the World Fair’s, also called Expo ‘58, but became such a beloved landmark, it was never taken down.

The 2,400-ton, 102-meter-high steel-clad structure was designed by André Waterkeyn to look like an iron crystal that has been magnified 165 billion times. It is meant to symbolize humankind’s faith in science, specifically the nuclear age. 

Today, the Atomium is one of Brussel’s most popular tourist destinations.

You can ride an elevator to reach the restaurant in the highest of the 9 spheres. As you dine, you’ll enjoy a 360 -degree view of Brussels below.

Many of the spheres, each of which measures 18 meters in diameter, feature exhibits that present the history of the Atomium and the 1958 World’s Fair.

To move from sphere to sphere, you walk or ride escalators through the connecting corridors.

The Rockgrowth is an indoor and outdoor art exhibit located in the courtyard surrounding the Atomium building.

When built in 1923, the Hollywood Sign was an illuminated outdoor advertising campaign for the upscale housing development “Hollywoodland.”  In time, the sign became the world-famous symbol of the glamour and glitz of the film industry. 

Each 50-foot letter is supported by a frame made of telephone poles, pipes, and wires. Over the years, celebrities have raised money to repair the sign, which has suffered from vandalism and termite damage. In 1973, the Hollywood Sign became an official Historical Landmark.

Back in 1923, tractors and mules hauled letter panels and other construction materials up Mount Lee’s dusty trails. Today, you can drive to the top of the mountain, which is approximately 1,700 feet above sea level. 

Los Angeles’s Central Communications Facility sits on Mt. Lee’s peak, approximately a half mile above the sign. This facility provides all radio, microwave, and cellphone signals to LA municipal agencies, including the police and fire departments.  

In the 1940s, the sign and surrounding land was sold to the city of Los Angeles and became part of Griffith Park, a 4,210-acre park located in the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range. 

Designed by Eero Saarinen and completed in 1965, St. Louis’s Gateway Arch was built to celebrate the success of the U.S.’s early pioneers. 

The 630-foot structure is also a memorial to President Thomas Jefferson, who orchestrated both the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark’s westward explorations. The arch, which is shaped like a reversed catenary curve, was built to withstand earthquakes. 

The Museum of Westward Expansion located beneath the arch focuses on St. Louis’s role in the nation’s westward expansion. 

At 2,350 miles long, the Mississippi River, which here separates the states of Missouri and Illinois, is the second longest river in the United States.  The construction of the arch and its surrounding park and trails revitalized the riverfront.

This wide stairway was built in 2003 to connect the Mississippi’s levee to the base of the arch. The stairway provides access to the arch from the road extending along the river’s edge.   

You can ride a tram to the observation deck located at the top of the arch. The deck features 16 windows on each side and provides an expansive view of the river and the surrounding land.

The arch structure is two steel walls separated by a layer of concrete. The foundation extends 60 feet underground. The arch is 54 feet wide at the base of each leg, but only 17 feet wide at the top. 

Built in 1963, the Glen Canyon Dam was constructed to create a water reservoir for use during times of drought and to produce hydroelectricity. The dam flooded the Glen Canyon to the north, and created Lake Powell, which stretches 186 miles upriver into Utah.

The dam’s construction also helped create the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, a popular water-recreation destination. The Glen Canyon Dam was part of the 1956 Colorado River Storage Project.

Built in 1963, the Carl B. Hayden Visitor Center sits 700 feet above the Colorado River and features exhibits and a store. The eastern side of the center is enclosed with glass, allowing you to gaze over the canyon’s edge.

At 710 feet high and 1,560 feet long, the dam is the second highest concrete dam in the U.S. It regulates the flow of the Colorado River and has been producing hydroelectricity since 1964.  

The Glen Canyon Dam Bridge provides an easy way for motorists to travel across the canyon. At 1,271 feet long and 700 feet high, it is one of the longest and highest steel arch bridges in the world.