Granada, Spain: The Exquisite Alhambra

Granada's dominant sight is the Alhambra, the last and greatest Moorish palace. For two centuries, until 1492, Granada reigned as the capital of a dwindling Moorish empire. As Christian forces pushed the Moors farther and farther south, this palace was the last hurrah of a sophisticated civilization. LINK: Youtube

Haiti Presidential Palace Before and After The Earthquake

It is difficult sometimes to imagine the damage that a natural disaster such as an earthquake can do - especially when you do not know the place(s) where the earthquake has happened. So, here is a before and after shot of the Presidential Palace in Haiti - as it was before the earthquake of 11 January 2010. Remember that this will be one of the more secure and well built structures on the stricken island. LINK

BEFORE

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AFTER

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Linderhof Palace

"A small but immensely extravagant palace built by the "Night King"
Of the three palaces "Mad" King Ludwig II had built, the Linderhof Palace was the only one he saw completed. Unfortunately for him, it was also the smallest. Prior to the Linderhof Palace, the grounds had been home to the Konigshauschen, Ludwig's fathers' old hunting cottage. The cottage was torn down in 1869 in order to build Ludwig's Linderhof.


Though much smaller, the architecture of the magnificent palace is extravagant with ivory candelabra's and carpets made of Ostrich feathers. Inspired by Versailles, Ludwig created a mirror image of "Sun King" Louis XVII's bedchamber and styled himself the "Night-King." Like his Neuschwanstein Castle, the Linderhof was also deeply inspired by composer Richard Wagner. Many rooms sport the themes of some of Wagner's greatest works.

Amidst the forested mountainous terrain, Ludwig built huge ornamental gardens that borrowed styles from a number of other countries and eras. Perhaps the most extravagant is the "Venus Grotto" a man-made cave lake. Ludwig enjoyed rowing across it in a golden swan boat. Finished in 1886 Ludwig had 24 early electrical dynamos installed at great expense so he could change the color of the grotto at will. LINK

Birdhouses Modeled After Dictators’ Palaces

In their installation "Super Kingdom," Artists Bruce Gilchrist and Jo Joelson of London Fieldworks created a set of (functional) birdhouses modeled after houses and palaces of dictators.

This one to the left is modeled after Nicolae Ceausescu’s Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania.

Link, Via: Fark, Via: Neatorama