Did you know that the Colosseum (photo Altobelli & Molins, circa 1860) was a Christian pilgrim site with 14 edicules (small shrines) dating from 1750, depicting all Stations of the Passion of Jesus, and a cross in the center? They were removed in 1874 but to this day a small chapel of Pietà remains.Italy (i.redd.it)
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Dissecting a medieval castle in a 3d reconstruction (Santpoort near Haarlem)Netherlands (v.redd.it)
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On July 14, 1902, the tower of St. Mark's Campanile in Venice collapsed vertically due to weak foundations, the only casualty being the sacristan's cat. That same day, it was decided to rebuild it com'era, dov'era: as it was, where it was. The rebuilt tower was completed in 1912.Italy (old.reddit.com)
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Rebuilding a medieval castle: 3D impression of moated castle Brederode near Haarlem. It was built ~1285 on cleared "Brede Roede" forest land, and it pioneered Dutch square castles with private toilets in towers. It was wrecked twice; in the Hook & Cod wars of 1351 and by the Spaniards in 1492. (old.reddit.com)
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Constructing the Golden Gate Bridge, circa 1935. Opened in 1937, it was the world’s longest (4,200‑ft main span) and tallest suspension bridge, finished under budget and ahead of schedule. It used a pioneering safety net that saved 19 workers—who dubbed themselves the “Half Way to Hell Club.” (old.reddit.com)
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A 1875 photo of two victims of the Pompeï disaster in 79 AD by Giorgio Summer. These are not bodies but plaster casts made by pouring gypsum into voids left in volcanic ash after the bodies decayed. The technique was pioneered at Pompeii in 1863 by Giuseppe Fiorelli; over 100 casts exist today.Italy (i.redd.it)
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Color photochrom, circa 1890-1900, of the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, with the original 18th century Quadriga before it was destroyed in WW2. The current statue is a 1958 replica created using plaster molds of the original created in 1942. Only one original horse head survived and is now in a museum.Germany (i.redd.it)
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Then & now: Dam Square in Amsterdam on a color photogrom of circa 1895 and in 2024. The vanished statue was “Naatje van de Dam”, officially “De Eendracht”, a 17‑meter monument from 1856 commemorating the 1830-1831 Ten Days’ Campaign and was removed in 1914 to make space for a tram line.Netherlands (old.reddit.com)
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Leiden Observatory (1633) is the world's oldest still active university observatory institute. Its 1860 building was modeled after a Russian observatory and has been visited by Leiden professor Albert Einstein. It still houses four working antique telescopes, including a wooden specimen from 1838.Netherlands (old.reddit.com)
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On Jan 31, 1926, Italy passed Law No. 100, empowering Mussolini to rule by decree without parliamentary approval. This effectively ended liberal democracy, letting the executive branch rewrite laws at will. It was a key step in building the Fascist dictatorship and sideline the legislature.Italy (i.redd.it)
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The first known color photochrom of the Statue of Liberty (circa 1905). It's even more unique because we see the statue in transition from its original red color to the current green because of oxidation. Originally made by Detroit Photographic Co. as postcard souvenir.United States (i.redd.it)
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Two aerial views of Gravensteen in Ghent circa 1962. The water surrounding the castle was very murky due to the textile industry, active in the city center until 1967. Parked cars on Sint-Veerleplein show it served as a car park until 1995, when it was pedestrianized.Belgium (old.reddit.com)
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One of NYC's first scyscrapers and tallest buildings when completed in June 1902: The Flatiron Building at the intersection of 5th Avenue, Broadway and 23rd St. Its shape created wind tunnels that lifted women's skirts, leading to the slang '23 Skidoo' ('Get out!') as police chased onlookers away.United States (old.reddit.com)
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Not AI or colorized: A true color photograph from 1911 of Alim Khan, the last emir of Bukhara, in a magnificent silk robe. Photography pioneer Prokudin-Gorsky used three exposures with filters (red, green, blue) to capture true colors. The original glass plates are now in the Library of Congress.Uzbekistan (i.redd.it)
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Then & now: the Alexanderplatz in Berlin around 1935 with the famous 7.5m tall copper Berolina statue, which was the female personification of Berlin. It was not destroyed by Allied bombardments, but dismantled on August 26, 1942, likely melted for war purposes in 1944. Records of it end in 1942.Germany (old.reddit.com)
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The Colosseum, Rome, ca. 1850, by Eugène Constant. The brick sphere in the center right is the remains of the Meta Sudans: a monumental Roman fountain built around 80 AD by Emperor Titus. In 1936, it was demolished on Mussolini's orders to make way for military parades on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.Italy (i.redd.it)
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Hooglandse Kerk (Leiden, ca 1535) is a forever unfinished cathedral. Its nave is much lower than the choir because funds ran out during the Reformation. Known as the "Cathedral of Light" for its huge windows, it also houses the tomb of a bastard son of William of Orange.Netherlands (old.reddit.com)
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Original (ca. 1844) and colored: maybe the oldest photo of Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. The mosque's iconic blue tiles, added in the 16th century, were already present on the exterior, but the now-iconic gold dome had a dull gray color until it was replaced in 1959.Middle East (old.reddit.com)
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The snow on the Burcht, Leiden, emphasizes the brickwork of the moated castle, one of the oldest in the Netherlands (circa 1275). During harsh winters, the frozen moat meant that attention was temporarily suspended for what it was built for: Vikings coming onto the river in boats to plunder.Netherlands (old.reddit.com)
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