photo #8886775

Leipzig, Germany 1908. The Neues Rathaus built 1905 atop a medieval castle's ruins 115m tower made it Germany's tallest city hall spire Over 600 rooms St Petersburg, Russia 1895 Compiègne, France — c. 1880–1900 The architecture is unmistakable The Hôtel de Ville de Compiègne Paris, 1880. Palais Garnier—the Paris Opera House, in the center. Before standardized indoor plumbing, automobiles, and the light bulb, they figured out how to build all these feats of engineering. Building domes without cranes. Solid limestone columns. The towering proportions.