Travelling isn’t always for everyone, but once caught, the travel bug can really change a person’s life. The world is filled with landmarks that are sometimes just as famous as the cities that they call home. Though you will be familiar with landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower, it’s likely that you might not know everything about them as there are some rather obscure facts about them to know. Here are some fun facts about some world-famous landmarks.
Eiffel Tower
Paris is one of the world’s great cities and is home to a number of famous landmarks, but there’s no question of which is the most iconic, the Eiffel Tower. That’s why it comes as even more of a surprise that the 1,063ft tower was only intended to be temporary. It was in fact built for the 1989 World’s Fair and was scheduled to be dismantled by 1909. However, the tower was proved useful for communication reasons and as a result stayed. Over a hundred years on from its scheduled dismantle date the Eiffel Tower is the most visited paid monument in the world and the cultural icon of a nation.
Statue of Liberty
For many migrants who sailed to America in search of a better life one of the first things they will have seen will have been the 151ft sculpture on Liberty Island. The sculpture was a gift from France to America, built by Gustave Eiffel who would soon build the Eiffel Tower. Though we now recognize the sculpture as green, it was originally a dull brown but oxidation over the course of 30 years gradually turned the copper green.
Las Vegas Hotels
Holidaymakers from around the world head to Las Vegas seeking to enjoy its unique and energetic atmosphere. For that reason the city is home to no shortage of hotels, including some of the world’s biggest and most luxurious. Of the world’s 25 largest hotels an incredible 18 are located in Las Vegas. An even more baffling fact is that it would take 288 years to spend a night in every Las Vegas hotel room.
Colosseum
Rome is a city packed full of ancient landmarks but not are perhaps as famous as the Colosseum, the world’s largest amphitheatre. Built under the rule of Emperor Vespasian, the 50,000 capacity Colosseum took 8 years to build, finishing in AD 80. Though we can never know for sure, it is estimated that 500,000 people and over a million wild animals were killed during the games held there.
Big Ben
Big Ben is a name commonly used to refer to the clock tower at the Houses of Parliament, however the official name for the tower is in actual fact Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is actually the nickname for the bell itself, which has the official name of the Great Bell. The nickname derives from Sir Benjamin Hall, the first commissioner of works who directed the final stages of the rebuilding of parliament.
There we have it, our five fun travel facts from around the world. It just goes to show how often there’s a fascinating story behind a world famous landmark.
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