Multiple choice. :)
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Multiple choice. :)
moldova haha
I honestly think France is full of beautiful architecture.. I love the Gothic style churches in particular.
Iceland
Germany
Denmark
Luxemburg
Slovakia
Montenegro
Luxemburg
Switzerland
And if anyone has examples, feel free to post :)
In terms of quantity and diversity, the podium is clearly Latin: IBERIA + ITALY + FRANCE.
Coincidentally, UNESCO World Heritage Sites agrees with my opinion. ;)
moldavian adobe houses are the best
Saint Peterburg, Prague and Budapest should also rank high.
I forgot about Prague. I agree.
The richess country for architecture is France , everyboby knows it .
A lot off variety in our traditional houses ,
along the regions , for adaptation with the human activity
and the local ressources in buiding materials .
Plus the neibourhood of so many different countries
make us having at the borders their influences .
Dutch in the north , German in the east , West-Brits in the west ,
Spanish or Italian maybe as well , but it is less obvious for those two .
Plus all the churches , castles , cathedrals from all style , roman gothic ...
Sometime I wonder who were those giants who builded those wonders
that we are incapable of doing anymore .
In this specific aspect is TRULY hard to compete with Spain and Italy. Even when there are glorious architercture all over Europe, Spain and Italy have the most world heritage sites in the world.
I'm posting the architectural landmarks classified as World Heritage in Portugal (9 out of 13) as of now.
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...1001205630.jpg
Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0424164036.jpg
Convent of Christ in Tomar
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0424182852.jpg
Cultural Landscape of Sintra
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0424171251.jpg
Historic Centre of Évora
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0526151835.jpg
Historic Centre of Guimarães
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0428145028.jpg
Historic Centre of Oporto
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0424173112.jpg
Monastery of Alcobaça
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0424162722.jpg
Monastery of Batalha
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...1125175625.jpg
http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/thumbs...0923104954.jpg
Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon
Source: http://whc.unesco.org
tough choice but;
(1) spain/portugal (ibera)
(2) 'hanseatic' towns (north & baltic sea, brick gothic style etc)
(3) italy
i'm not 'reflexively' anti-modern but modern architecure has made a sad mess of the areas it blights most compared to the pre-war, it's amazing how bad things got so quickly and symptomatic :(
I voted for Italy and Greece; classical architecture is the most beautiful in the world.
i have voted italy and france, because the main european architectonic styles were developed in these two countries (romanesque, gothic, mannerism, renaissance architecture, baroque, roccoco, etc) and the rest of europe followed them.
I like it but don't know wether it can be considered the best of all , it's a tie with Romanic imho.
http://www.moldrek.com/Immagini/sant...l%27aquila.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_D4DWeqnqd7...S.Ambrogio.jpg
http://www.rome-roma.net/photos/lati...ietro_9339.jpg
I've also voted for Austria Spain France and Belgium due to their massive presence of modern styles such as Liberty and Modernism.
I voted France, Germany, Belgium and Sweden.
France of course, due to the sheer variety of our regional styles but chiefly because of our inexhaustible inventory of Gothic buildings.
Here an example you've certainly never heard of (most French aren't even aware of its extence), a parish church serving a village of 650 inhabitants less that 200 km East of Paris, Notre-Dame de l'Epine:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._l%27Epine.JPG
French Gothic is not only churches, see the Pala of Justice of Rouen:
http://his.nicolas.free.fr/Histoire/...stice3_WEB.jpg
Germany because of the wonderful Hanseatic brick Gothic (Lübeck, Dantzig), and also because of its revival als Backsteinexpressionismus in the 20's:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...chhaus-HAZ.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi.../Chilehaus.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...rstrasse01.jpg
Belgium because of the well-known Flemish Mediaeval and Renaissance masterpieces, but also because of the less famous Mosan Art of Wallony:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...anvier2006.jpg
http://www.grandcurtiusliege.be/images/curtius2.jpg
And Brussels hosts one of the most revolutionary buildings ever, the Palais Stoclet, built in the years 1907-1911. With it the Austrian architect Josef Hoffman literally invented Art-Deco, well ahead of its time:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...17_%281%29.jpg
Sweden because I'm madly in love with Nationalromantik architecture, an impressive endeavour to develop a uniquely Swedish style (basing upon late German Jugenstil) in the early years of the 20th century:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ö_högskola.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ity_Hall_2.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...runa_kyrka.jpg
http://www.ostersund.se/images/18.2e...radhuset01.jpg
http://www.aviewoncities.com/img/sto...kvesv0536s.jpg
I'm not crazy about Italian styles, except for Fascist Neo-Classicism of the 30's:
http://www.imageschangetheworld.com/...y/_DSC9060.jpg
Florence's S:ta Maria Novella (mid-30's) is the most perfect railway station ever:
http://www.tuscaning.com/img/art/67-...4947182_l.jpeg
some smashing samples of Spanish military structures and churches
http://granadaholidays.files.wordpre...ra-galeria.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Burgos_II.jpg
http://vadesara.files.wordpress.com/...sa20gaudi3.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...aCathedral.jpg
http://www.ignaciopara.com/wp-conten...-Segovia-2.jpg
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_jMojNImQojQ/TP...20Catedral.JPG
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/o...l/16844986.jpg
http://www.absolutmadrid.com/wp-cont...-escorial1.jpg
http://www.laserasdehontanares.com/i...o_siguenza.jpg
http://blog.rtve.es/.a/6a014e6089cbd...7d23163970d-pi
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_95Yb4E_y8C...ponferrada.jpg
http://www.canal-viajes.es/rincones_...la_muralla.jpg
http://www.malagahistoria.com/malaga...s/alcazaba.jpg
http://casaruralurbasa.files.wordpre...illo-olite.jpg
http://www.atlasrural.com/images/cas...129_loarre.jpg
The list is ENDLESS. Only Italy is superior to Spain in the whole world in terms of architecture (although if we speak of Iberia as a whole, it would be difficult to decide)
I may be biased.. but I damn well say the Netherlands and Belgium. The Netherlands has a reputation when it comes to the canal houses and the mediaeval architecture.. and it's modern architecture.
'Belgium' -- (or the Southern Netherlands) has a reputation when it comes to it's guild-houses, Jugendstil, cloth halls and the mediaeval cities of Bruges and Ghent.. let alone for instance Ypres.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...jpg?uselang=nl
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...jpg?uselang=nl
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...tAmsterdam.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...erland_077.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...Oude_Loo_1.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...adhuisbrug.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...theekOBA_2.jpg
http://www.maastrichtcongresbureau.n.../image_preview
Only one true winner...
http://www.scrapbookpages.com/nurnberg/Nurnberg02.jpg
Some places regarded as Architectural/Cultural World Heritage Sites in Catalonia.
Church of the Holy Family
http://lh6.ggpht.com/__qUxBp-jang/TN...%20acabada.jpghttp://www.que.es/archivos/201104/3791298w-365xXx80.jpg
Güell Park
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_rqMQjsqW8e...uell%25202.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Et4Ip18Ji6...rque-guell.jpg
Batlló House
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/113/2...86025cc925.jpghttp://www.cheapbarcelonahotels.co.u...atllo-roof.jpg
Milà House, called La Pedrera (The Quarry)
http://www.gaudidesigner.com/data/article/60.jpg
Palau de la Música Catalana
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/45...dab8eeaa7e.jpghttp://www.noucicle.org/lhora/wp-con...talle.jpeg.jpg
Hospital de Sant Pau
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R...+Pau+-+008.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/...614eb8e87e.jpg
Romanesque Churches in the Vall de Boí, densest Romanesque concentration in Europe.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3497/...12ff01757b.jpg
Monastery of Poblet, pantheon of the Kings of the Crown of Aragon
http://fotos0.mundofotos.net/2009/25...-de-poblet.jpghttp://www.ojodigital.com/foro/attac...3548-copia.jpg
Roman ensemble of Tarragona
http://www.turismoyarte.com/regiones...arragona80.jpg
Uhahahahaha Slovakia and Montenegro???
Ahahahahahahahahahaha
Cordoba, Spain:
http://www.casapinosolo.com/uploads/...mesquita01.jpg
http://cache.virtualtourist.com/3929...08-Cordoba.jpg
Granada, Spain:
http://www.reisefotos.de/weblog/g16a.jpg
Palermo, Sicily:
http://image.shutterstock.com/displa...y-49352674.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5xHr0DTmOGc/TC...ABEE2237-1.jpg
http://www.worldcitypics.com/wp-cont...dral-bjs-1.jpg
Santorini, Greece:
http://onthemovewithus.com/images/Bl...reekChurch.jpg
France.
Then Italy.
Italy no contest.
Specifically, the châteaux of the Loire valley.
I find it very hard to cast a vote, since I can think of examples of great architecture in all European countries. But since the Eastern ones have rather recently turned their back to the traditional lifestyle and culture and they are too poor (among other things) to conserve their historical buildings, I would say its a western country, probably a former empire.
France, Belgium
I voted for France because more than any other European country it has an unrivaled diversity in styles, as someone has already mentioned, due to the fact that France is so large in size and has more neighbors than other countries. And on top of all this it is home of probably the most magnificent style in my opinion Gothic!
If the opinion of the masters of the Renaissance is valued, then the style should be the Classical or, rather, the Neo-Classical and thus: Italy, France, Spain, England (or England, Spain, not sure).
But personally I find beauty in the sobriety (and simplicity) of the Romanesque (and pre-Romanesque) architecture, which has its largest representation in Spain, also with a rich diversity of styles from east to west.
Just my personal choice
France, Italy, and Spain seem to be the 3 most popular choices.
The post Soviet nations of Eastern Europe are definitely underrated.
Prešov
http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/29225.jpg
http://www.skrz.sk/image/1/big/2851.jpeg
Trnava
http://www.slovakia.travel/data/Reso...a_veza_jpg.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...baptist_02.jpg
Nitra
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TQ9_rOblmK...00/nitra+1.jpg
Žilina
http://www.visitslovakia.com/data/us..._6x%281%29.jpg
German Bavarian houses are the best imho.
Asides from the obvious choices, Latvia should have gotten more votes.
Even been to Riga? It's the "Prague" of the North... ;)