A historic and culturally significant Canadian monument was recently named one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
Timeout has unveiled what it believes are the 24 most beautiful buildings in the world.
“There’s beauty all over the place – not to mention some heart-wrenching stories that inspired these structures,” the publication said.
The only Canadian building to receive a mention was the National Holocaust Monument, located in Memorial Park in Ottawa, at 1918 Chaudière Crossing.
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Built in 2017, Timeout says that the building’s structure centres around six triangular volumes which form the Star of David.
“It’s organized around two planes – one ascends, pointing to the future, and the other descends into a space which features murals and photographs of the Holocaust to ensure it’s not forgotten.”
National Capital Commission
According to the National Capital Commission (NCC), the monument was built to ensure “the lessons of the Holocaust, as well as the incredible contribution Holocaust survivors made to Canada, remain with the national consciousness for generations to come.”
Some of the features of the monument include images and facts about the Holocaust, and photographic landscapes of Holocaust sites painted on the walls. There’s also a 21-panel interpretive exhibit.
Timeout says, “It’s our collective duty to learn from the past, and commemorating dark chapters in our history with such stark monuments is one way to encourage that vital introspection.”
“Technically entitled ‘Landscape of Loss, Memory and Survival’, the details in Canada’s National Holocaust Monument have been thoughtfully designed to ensure it lives up to its name,” it adds.
The Taj Mahal in India was #1 on Timeout’s list of the world’s most beautiful buildings.
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It was followed by Hallgrímskirkja in Iceland.
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The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt rounded out the top three on Timeout’s list.
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The full list:
- Taj Mahal, India
- Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland
- The Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
- Fallingwater, USA
- Ad-Dayr in Petra, Jordan
- Foundation Louis Vuitton, France
- Trinity College Library, Ireland
- Great Mosque of Djenne, Mali
- Nasir Ol Molk Mosque, Iran
- The Twist, Norway
- Sagrada Familia, Spain
- Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, Bangladesh
- Pantheon, Italy
- Palmenhaus at Schonbrunn Palace, Austria
- Bát Tràng Ceramic Community House, Vietnam
- Museum at Eldridge Street, USA
- Santuario de Las Lajas, Colombia,
- Museum of Old and New Art, Australia
- Maggie’s Centre, St James’s Hospital, UK
- Baháʼí Temple of South America, Chile
- Futuna Chapel, New Zealand
- Komera Leadership Centre, Rwanda
- National Holocaust Monument, Canada
- Enryaku-ji, Japan