The world is recovering from the news of Notre Dame. You’d be surprised to know that within hours, around a billion dollars were raised for the rebuilding of the iconic landmark. Keeping in the spirit of rebuilding iconic structures and restoring them to their former glory, here are five heritage buildings that were destroyed and then rebuilt in Europe;
St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna
The first entry of our list is going to be the ‘magnificent Gothic edifice’ that has also been called the mother church of Roman Catholic Archdiocese. The St. Stephen’s Cathedral is one of the most culturally important landmarks in Austria. The original commencement date on the church goes back all the way to 1137.
It was added on upon over the centuries while remaining true to its Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles. The church became a victim of aerial bombing back in WWII. However, it was brought back to former glory right after the war.
Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac
The Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas or Karlovac Cathedral has also made quite a recovery. It sustained heavy damage in WWII and was then also devastated in 1991 while the War in Croatia raged on. Mines were being detonated inside the church occasionally. The church was constructed after the local Serbian community had raised money for it originally in 1787. It also featured artworks from Arsenije Teodorovi. It made its recovery in 2007 and 2012!
Palace of Versailles
The riches of Versailles remain unmatched. It enjoys a special place among the French and the tourists. It was Louis XIV who transformed the former French royal residence and center government into the extravagant palace that it is. It sustained considerable damage because of a 210 kilometer per hour windstorm that destroyed multiple roofs all over the landmark, damaged windows, and even uprooted more than 10,000 trees. Furthermore, the Golden Gate of Versailles was also fully decimated during the French Revolution. Over the past 20 years, however, more than 50,000 trees have been grown in Versailles’ garden whereas the Golden Gate was restored back in 2008.
Reims Cathedral/Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
The High Gothic style cathedral is located in Reims France and enjoys a history dating back to 496 and the Roman Empire. It attracts about one million visitors on a yearly basis. It was a crucial landmark during the First World War when it was commissioned as a hospital. It was shelled by the German Army in 1914 and incurred heavy damage. Eventually, most of the cathedral was destroyed thanks to war including the consistent bombings. The cathedral was rebuilt under the guise of Rockefellers in 1938 and renovations keep on taking place every few years on a regular basis.
City Palace, Potsdam
The Potsdam City Palace has been the official vacation residence of Prussian Kings since the start of 1662. However, owing to the turbulent history of the building; very little of the original castle still remains. The building was bombarded in WWII and was dismantled by the Eastern German communist regime. City Palace’s reconstruction started in the early 2000s and ended in 2013. Currently, it serves as the house for the parliament of the federal state of Brandenburg with complete new exterior and interior!