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It was a grand palace with rich exotic decor that was consistently admired by foreigners who saw it. The Tsars contemporaries referred to it as the Eighth Wonder of the Word. Although built only for summer residency, it became a favorite residence for both Tsar Alexis and his successors. The palace survived up until the time of Catherine the Great, who had the palace demolished. The wooden palace you see in Kolomenskoye today is a replica built very recently from the original architectural plans....

The shipyard no longer exists, but the crane is still there. It has been transformed into a popular tourist attraction and beautifully illuminated at night. On a clear evening one can see the mighty cantilever crane from miles away. The dock was used for fitting out vessels, and the crane would lift engines and boilers into ships. It could lift 160 tons when built and was upgraded to 203 tons in 1938....

Gaddafi called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. Photo credit Libya is one of the sunniest and driest countries in the world. Less than 5% of the country receives enough rainfall for settled agriculture. Little was left for irrigating the land. The exploration team discovered four huge basins with estimated capacities of each ranging between 4,800 and 20,000 cubic km. “The water changed lives. “The quality of life is better now, and it’s impacting on the whole country....

There are also cafes and eateries offering delicious Thuringian specialties. The bridge is unique in Europe, and is often compared toPonte Vecchio in Florence. The stone bridge was completed in 1325. It was provided with half-timbered houses and two stone churches on each end. Photo credit Sources:Wikipedia/Erfurt Tourism/www.urlaubsziele.com

About a thousand people live here permanently. Photo credit The area of Christiania originally consisted of military barracks. The towns biggest attraction is Pusher Street, where hash and marijuana are sold openly from permanent stands. The stands were evicted in 2004 but is said to have returned. Christiania is considered to be the fourth largest tourist attractions in Copenhagen, with half a million visitors annually. The infamous Pusher Street. Cameras are not allowed here....

The contrast between the warm, comfortable theater seats and the cold, backstage machinery is exciting. The series first started while Klaus was photographing a theatre for an architect. viaThe ColossalandIt’s Nice That

Photo credit Stiltsvilles popularity grew after an article appeared in Life Magazine in 1941. Even Florida’s then Governor LeRoy Collins frequented the place. At its peak in 1960, Stiltsville had twenty-seven buildings. Subsequent hurricanes cleared out the remaining structures and by 1992, only seven houses were standing. As the deadline approached, the owners sought for extension and launched a petition drive. Today, a non-profit organization called the Stiltsville Trust looks after the remaining seven buildings....

Some sources claim the ships were even longer 180 meters (600 feet). In heavy seas, the ships flexed causing the long planks to twist and buckle. The first ships to attain 126 meters length were 19th century steamers with iron hulls. The route of the voyages of Zheng He’s fleet. Compared with other ships, treasure ships were wide in ratio to their length which helped them achieve stability. The hull was V-shaped, the keel long and the ballast heavy....

These slaves were called Cape Malays, even though not all of them were of Malaysian descent. Many local women converted to Islam to marry Muslim men. “They didn’t drink alcohol, so they made better husbands,” a local guide explained. Today, the people of the Bo-Kaap call themselves Cape Muslims. In earlier days, all the houses of Cape Town were painted white. Then the residents of Bo-Kaap began painting their houses in vivid colors in preparation for the celebration of Eid....

Switzerland is a politically neutral country, yet it has a strong military. Enormous caverns are dugout on the mountain side to function as ad-hoc airbases with hangars. Highways can be converted into runways by quickly removing the grade separations in between the lanes. Every male citizen under 34 years old (under 50 in some cases) is a reserve soldier. Soldiers are even allowed to take all personally assigned weapons to home....

Sometimes bodies are so badly mutilated and burned that many fallen soldiers remain unidentified. Today, there are many such memorials around the world. They are called Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Here are some selected Tombs of the Unknown Soldier from around the world. The tomb was unveiled in November 11, 1921. To serve as a Tomb Guard is considered one of the highest honors. The tomb is guarded all round the clock, no matter what the weather is....

Most were demolished between 1806 and 1812 when the old city walls were torn down. Today the tower is one of Frankfurt’s most famous landmarks. Fortification of Neustadt began during the middle of the 14th century and took over one hundred years to complete. The cornerstone for the original gate tower was laid on 11 October 1349. This was replaced by the Eschenheimer Turm built between 1426 and 1428. Photo credit...

Deception and decoy are part of war strategy. One such deceptive operation that came to light only a few years ago is the so called Ghost Army. The men that made up this secretive unit werent your regular soldiers. They were artists, illustrators and sound technicians handpicked for the job from New York and Philadelphia art schools. Often the thousand-men-unit would impersonate the presence of twenty to forty thousand men....