Welcome to Famous Historic Buildings
The Historic Places Website
Providing information and photographs of some of the world’s greatest and most famous historic buildings and archaeological sites.
Site/Building of the Month
The Potala Palace, Tibet, China
The Potala Palace is situated on the top of the Red Hill in central Lhasa, at an altitude of over 3,700 metres, and rises over 100 metres. The residence of the Dalai Lama from 1648 until 1959 when he escaped to India during the Tibetan uprising. Converted to a museum by the Chinese government it is still a place of pilgrimage for many Tibetans. READ MORE
About the website
Many of the World’s famous Historic Buildings and Archaeological Sites can be found listed under the country in which they are situated. These can be accessed via the page tabs in the column on the left. A list of articles is shown for each country under the region page. If you are looking for a specific place you can look for it on the alphabetical contents block to the left.
A full list of buildings and sites can be found in the Site Index tab with a link to the article.
On the left side of the page for each country site is a small map, if you click on the map you will be taken to a larger version and an introduction to the country.
Some of the pages have a panorama of the sites which you can view by clicking on the link.
A number of the locations have a link to Encyclopaedia Britannica which will provide additional information and we would like to thank Britannica for allowing these links.
A glossary of the architectural terms and details of the people referred to on the site can be accessed from the menu on the left of each page or from the "Additional Information" link. We are in the process of inserting notes relating to architectural terms and details of people within the article. Just hover over the term or person and the information will appear. If you click on the word it will take you to the glossary page.
If English is not your first language you will find a translator at the bottom of each page.
We hope that you enjoy the website and that it encourages you to visit the places themselves. If you are planning a visit, we have put some links, which may be of use to you, on the "Useful Travel Information" page.
We also, work in collaboration with Goparoo.com, and on a number of our pages we have a link to some of their articles as they provide guidance and advice on visiting these buildings or architectural sites.
The site should be of interest to schools, for students of history and architecture, or for those planning or having been on a tour of the area.
Content and Photographs
All content is produced by Architectural Historian Ron Gatepain, who established and maintains the site in order to promote and encourage others to develop an interest in historic buildings. The photographs - sometimes shown as a video which provides a virtual tour of the sites and give an indication of what visitors will see. These were taken by Ron on his frequent trips around the world in order to indulge in his passion for history and architecture: A passion that he is keen to share with others through this website, by contributing to the Encyclopaedia Britannica and by the delivery of talks to special interest groups and as a Guest Enrichment Speaker on cruise ships throughout the world.
Generally, Ron is happy for the photographs to be used, providing it is for non-commercial use: Although his copyright must be acknowledged.
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