The idea of building a new city hall in Pipervika was first suggested by architect Oscar Hoff in 1906, but nothing came of the plans. In 1915, the idea was taken up by Hieronymus Heyerdahl, who had just stood down as mayor.  He noticed the city's lack of a representative city hall to receive the municipality's guests during the 1914 Jubilee Exhibition in Frogner.  He set up an architectural competition which received a total of 44 entries in the first of two rounds.  In 1918 Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson were selected as winners, whose project was clearly inspired by Stockholm City Hall.  A continued lack of funds meant that construction had to wait, and in the intervening years the architects made several changes to the project.  In 1930 they present their final draft, which had undergone significant changes, influenced by functionalism.  The most apparent change was the addition of two office towers.
The ground stone laying ceremony took place in September 1931, with King Haakon VII and Crown Prince Olav in attendance. Actual construction began in February 1933.  Various buildings were also torn down.  The city's old amusement park - Tivoli - was also forced to close as a new zoning plan created new plots of land for sale. The purpose was to raise funds for the construction of the building.
In November 1936 the shell of the building was completed. A few floors of office space were in use by the time war broke out in 1940. Construction resumed after the war and the office space was in use by 1947, while final touches were still being added.
Oslo City Hall was officially opened on 15 May 1950, as part of the city's 900-year anniversary.  Three musical compositions were written in connection with the celebrations, written by Ludvig Irgens-Jensen, Eivind Groven and Karl Andersen.
By the time it opened in 1950, the style of the building was no longer popular.  Brick was in stark contrast to the steel and glass which architects considered modern at the time, and no further buildings were built in that style afterwards.  Stockholm's city hall - also in brick - had been designed by Ragnar Östberg, and Martin Nyrop designed Copenhagen City Hall, which is also a monumental brick building.  Both Nyrop and Östberg were on the jury which selected the winning design of Oslo City Hall.


Oslo Spektrum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in east central Oslo, Norway that opened in December 1990. It is currently owned and operated by Norges Varemesse. Oslo Spektrum is primarily known for hosting major events such as the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert, the Eurovision Song Contest 1996, and concerts by artists of national and international fame.
Artists such as Alan Walker, Toto, Frank Sinatra, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, The Cure, Whitney Houston, Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Cher, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Shania Twain, Westlife, Selena Gomez, Christina Aguilera, Anastacia, Spice Girls, Lady Gaga, Michael Bublé, Lana Del Rey, Green Day, Metallica, Muse, Rammstein, a-ha, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Marcus & Martinus have performed at the venue.


The village of Groothusen was originally built on a long warft in the early Middle Ages and was an important trading centre and meeting place in the Frisian Emsigerland, as well as the provost office for 12 parishes. At that time, like many other places in Krummhörn, it was on the edge of a bay and was accessible to shipping. There were, in those days, three moated castles in the village: the Osterburg, Middelburg and Westerburg. Only the Osterburg - rebuilt in 1490 - has survived; the other two were destroyed by Hamburg forces during feuds in 1400 and 1432.
The Osterburg, is surrounded by a moat in the middle of a park with an old lime tree avenue. The oldest part is a long, two-story hall, which was built around 1490 by the chieftain family of Beninga. Around 1550 the castle was converted into a three-winged manor house, when two lower wings were built in front of the hall. In 1700 the right wing was demolished to make way for a Gulf farmhouse, which was built in 1707. The last structural change to the Osterburg was carried out in 1900, when a hallway was built in front of the hall. So the form of the original building cannot be easily seen from the front. From the rear of the building there is however a view of the original stage of construction.
Today the Osterburg houses a significant collection of cultural and art historical artefacts such as furniture, weapons, a library, items of Old East Frisian culture and a remarkable art collection of ancestral portraits from five centuries.
The castle is now owned by the descendants of the chieftain family of Beninga and may be visited in guided tours arranged by telephone. The left wing has been extended to create guest rooms, where bed and breakfast is offered.


On 17 October 1946 US Army trucks brought 12 coffins, purporting to contain the bodies of 12 American soldiers who had died in a hospital and were to be cremated in the presence of American officers. One was empty, and was present only in order to mislead onlookers. In reality the bodies were those of ten Nazi war criminals condemned by the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials to be hanged: Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Alfred Rosenberg, Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick, Julius Streicher, Fritz Sauckel, Alfred Jodl, and Arthur Seyss-Inquart. The eleventh body was that of Hermann Göring, who had committed suicide before his execution could take place. In order to prevent the graves later becoming centers of veneration, the ashes were scattered in the Isar.


While Otago Harbour might have the appearance of an excellent deep-water port, it was not naturally suited to such a role, especially in the early days of settlement when ships needed to dock close to the city. The flat land at the southern end of the harbour and close to the isthmus of Otago Peninsula was ideally suited for a city (and was the site for Dunedin), but the harbour itself could naturally accommodate deep-drafted ships only as far as Port Chalmers. At Port Chalmers, two islands (Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua and Goat Island / Rakiriri) almost bisect the harbour. Beyond them, the harbour is shallow and silty, and mudflats are often visible at low tide. In 1946 Otakou Fisheries was started based out of the township of the same name on the eastern side of the harbour. This was later to become a major part of the Otago fishing industry.
As the city grew, and particularly with the increase in commerce that developed following the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, it became desirable to provide a means for ships to reach the city's wharves. Though a contentious and expensive decision, it was agreed to dredge a channel along the northwestern side of the harbour. The channel was finally opened on 30 December 1881. The initial channel was narrow and shallow, and did not get off to an auspicious start, as the Union Steam Ship Company's SS Penguin, the first ship to use it, was temporarily grounded while using it. The channel was officially named the Victoria Channel by Keith Ramsay, chairman of the Otago Harbour Board. A significant area at the head of the harbour has been reclaimed since the founding of Dunedin, primarily for industrial use. Smaller portions have also been reclaimed at a number of places around the harbour, including Port Chalmers, Macandrew Bay, and Broad Bay.
As finance allowed, the channel was gradually widened and deepened, and by 1907, twice as many ships were using Dunedin's wharves as used Port Chalmers. It was only with the advent of Port Chalmers' container port in the early 1970s that the Victoria Channel again became quiet. The channel is maintained by Port Otago Ltd, who keep it dredged to a depth of eight metres, allowing ships of up to 40,000 tonnes deadweight to travel up the harbour to Dunedin. Much of the channel's larger traffic in the early 21st century is oil transport to Dunedin city and chemicals and fertiliser to and from Ravensbourne's fertiliser works.
Aramoana at the harbour mouth has twice been projected as the site for New Zealand's second aluminium smelter. The proposals, in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, were abandoned after major public protest. The harbour is tidal, shallow and seldom rough and for that reason is popular for water sports such as yachting and windsurfing.


The castle contains four circular towers. It contains a refectory and a dormitory, which were constructed during the Lusignan period. The castle's yard contains cannonballs left behind by the Spaniards and Ottomans, relics of its turbulent history.


Otjikoto Lake is the smaller of only two permanent natural lakes in Namibia. It is a sinkhole lake that was created by a collapsing karst cave. It is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of Tsumeb and only 100 meters from the main road B1. The lake was declared a national monument in 1972.
The diameter of the lake is 102 metres (335 ft); its depth is supposedly a maximum of 300 feet plus according  to scans. According to a Namibian tourism information organisation, "the depth varies from sixty two meters at the side to one hundred meters in the center, and in some places leading off from the side depths of one hundred meters have been recorded", while an article in the Allgemeine Zeitung explains the depth problem: "the lake tapers into a lateral cave system making it impossible to determine its exact depth, estimated to be in access (sic) of 142 meters."
The lake was known to the San under the name Gaisis ("ugly"). When the Herero moved into the area, they named it Otjikoto (Otjiherero: "deep hole"). Namibia's Oshikoto Region, in which the lake is situated, is an alternative spelling of Otjikoto and derives its name from that of the lake. The first Europeans to discover the lake were Francis Galton and Carl Johan Andersson, who during their search for Lake Ngami came upon Otjikoto Lake in 1851.
The lake was a dumping ground for German Schutztruppe during World War I; in June 1915 German troops dumped war materials in the lake before surrendering to stop the South African and British troops from using them. Most of the larger pieces have been recovered and are displayed in Tsumeb Museum, but at least two cannons, along with quantities of ammunition, are still in the lake and can be viewed with a special diving permit. According to legend, the Germans also dumped a sealed safe into the lake. The search for it and the 6 million gold marks it is said to contain has as yet not been successful.
Botanist Kurt Dinter visited the lake in 1911 and collected several hitherto unknown species of plants, among them grass of the genus Rottboellia. Tilapia guinasana, a species of cichlid fish which naturally was only found in Otjikoto's sister lake, Lake Guinas, was introduced to Otjikoto Lake. The claim that Lake Guinas is connected to Lake Otjikoto by caves is frequently made but not proven as yet.


The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 2 July 2007, but construction was delayed multiple times because of administration delays, location peculiarities and the world financial and economic crisis. Construction was scheduled to be completed between 2009 and 2010 but, as of 2009, the stadium was still in the design stage. In 2010, the stadium project underwent revision because it was rejected by an architectural council that found the project too ordinary. The current design was developed by AECOM, in association with Sport Concepts, and façade designer, Dexter Moren Associates adjacent to a separate indoor arena. The main financing of the construction came from the club's owner Leonid Fedun through affiliated companies LUKoil company and IFD Kapital.
With the construction of the stadium in 2015, the Moscow Metro station Spartak, which had been completed in 1975, opened for passenger traffic. On 19 February 2013 it was announced that the new stadium will be named "Otkrytiye Arena" for six years under the terms of the contract with Otkrytiye Bank. On August 27, 2014 the Spartak Metro Station was opened. On the same day President of Russia Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Vitaly Mutko, Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev and Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin visited the stadium. On 21 August 2014, a monument to the Starostin brothers, the founders of FC Spartak Moscow, opened near the north stands inside the stadium. A 24.5-meter sculpture of the Roman gladiator Spartacus, for whom the club is named, was unveiled in the square outside the stadium.
The stadium officially opened on 5 September 2014. Spartak played a friendly football match against Red Star Belgrade and drew 1–1, with Dmitri Kombarov scoring the first goal for Spartak at the new stadium after a free-kick. On October 12, 2015, a bronze statue of the Spartak and USSR national team player Fyodor Cherenkov was inaugurated next to the stadium.
The stadium was constructed on the site of the Tushino Airport. The new stadium was included in Russia's bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, hosting the opening game, with Luzhniki Stadium slated to host the final. The stadium was completed ahead of VTB Arena, which originally was planned for the World Cup opener. It was also one of four stadiums used for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Artists such as Incubus, Triggerfinger (Park Live 2015) have all performed at the stadium.
Available at the stadium are navigation assistance from volunteers, storage rooms, registration of children, lost and found office. Two sectors with 50 seats each are available for people with disabilities. This part of the arena is furnished with ramps and elevators. In 2018 the stadium won the nomination for the best stadium in Russia.


The town hall was raised in 1538, funded by Bishop of Wrocław Jakub von Salza. The tower was built in 1604, financed by Bishop Jan VI von Sitsch. In 1678, the town hall was renovated, and in the years 1828, 1921, and 1933 underwent reconstructions. The town hall was renovated and restored between 1973 and 1976.


Otterspool Promenade is a riverside walk and accompanying area of parkland in the Aigburth and Grassendale districts of Liverpool, England. The promenade runs along the bank of the River Mersey from just north of Garston Docks to Otterspool Park. A narrower footpath and cycling lane continue along the riverbank to the city centre, ending at the Albert Dock. The promenade adjoins the former private parkland estates of Cressington Park, Fulwood Park and Grassendale Park. It is notable for the excellent views it gives of shipping in the Mersey and over the river to the Wirral.
Opened in 1950, it was built by landscaping a site that had been used for disposal of household waste and rubble from the Queensway Tunnel. The stated desire of the local authorities was, "Firstly... provide a place where the citizens of Liverpool can enjoy their leisure in pleasant surroundings on the banks of the Mersey Estuary. Secondly... for providing a large area where the essential need to the community for the disposal of its refuse could be met economically and by the use of hygienic and up-to-date methods." Renovations of the promenade were undertaken in 2006 and 2007, including the creation of a children's playground. The renovations were opened in 2007 with a plaque commemorating Liverpool's 800th anniversary.
After several years of campaigning by skateboarders, rollerbladers, and BMXers, the promenade had a concrete skate park installed, which was completed in May 2015. To the north of the promenade on the riverbank was the 1984 International Garden Festival site.


The Oude Kerk is now a centre for contemporary art and heritage. Artists including Nicolas Jaar, Marinus Boezem, Christian Boltanski, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller were commissioned by the Oude Kerk to create site-specific installations. The church also has a permanent exhibit on its history and that of the city of Amsterdam.
In mid-March each year, Catholics arrive at the Oude Kerk to celebrate the "Miracle of Amsterdam" that occurred in 1345. After taking communion, a dying man vomited the Host. When his vomit was thrown into a fire, the Host did not burn and was proclaimed a miracle. The Host was put in a chest and installed at the Oude Kerk; however, it disappeared during the Reformation.


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The building, one of the largest Catholic churches in the United Kingdom, is designed in the Gothic revival style and follows the traditional cruciform layout. It features a polygonal apse and a central lantern tower. The construction includes Casterton stone for the foundation, Ancaster for the plinth, and the remainder in Combe Down stone. The interior is constructed in Bath stone, Plymouth marble and Newbiggin stone. The spire, the tallest in Cambridge, reaches 214 feet (65 m) and can be seen for a distance of several miles.
The stained glass windows depict, among other things, dedications of Cambridge Colleges and scenes from the lives of English martyrs, in particular St John Fisher.
To bring the sanctuary in line with the liturgical directives resulting from the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), its design and re-ordering was done by Gerard Goalen of Harlow. On 7 April 1973, Charles Grant, the Bishop of Northampton, consecrated the present central altar. The original high altar has subsequently been used mainly for reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.
The church is a Grade II* listed building.


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The priests in the church were originally only French, but during modern times, Tamil people were also appointed. The chapel was controlled by Capuchin priests, Holy Spirit Fathers subsequently and finally during 1887 changed hands to Foreign Mission Fathers from Paris. It is now under the purview of the Archdiocese of Pondicherry and Cuddalore. The Church got its name, Kaps Kovil from Capuchin Friars, who were the founders of this church. It is the only church that offers mass in three languages namely French, Tamil and English. Mass is offered various times of the day starting at 6:15 AM in some days to 6:45 PM. Novena is prayed at 6:30 PM in French during Tuesdays and Fridays, adoration and benediction at 6 PM during first Fridays in Tamil and at 6:45 PM on Saturdays. The annual feast of the church is organized during the second Sunday in August. Rosary service is held at 6 PM during Mondays and Fridays.


The church was designed in an Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style by Henry Engelbert, John F. Pope, and William J. Brinkmann. It features a barrel-vaulted ceiling that wraps around a high altar made entirely of Carrara marble.  It was declared a basilica by the Vatican in 1956.


The Ouse Valley Viaduct (or the Balcombe Viaduct) carries the London-Brighton Railway Line over the River Ouse in Sussex. It is located to the north of Haywards Heath and to the south of Balcombe. Known for its ornate design, the structure has been described as "probably the most elegant viaduct in Britain."
Construction of the Ouse Valley Viaduct commenced by the London & Brighton Railway company during 1839. It was designed by the principal engineer for the line, John Urpeth Rastrick, in association with the architect of the London to Brighton railway, David Mocatta. The viaduct is 96 feet (29 m) high and is carried on 37 semi-circular arches, each of 30 feet (9.1 m), surmounted by balustrades, spanning a total length of 1,480 feet (450 m). Each pier contains a jack arch with a semi-circular soffit, which had the benefit of reducing the number of bricks required. The roughly 11 million bricks required for its construction were mostly shipped up the River Ouse (via Newhaven and Lewes) from the Netherlands. On 12 July 1841, the viaduct was officially opened to train services, although the structure was not fully completed until the following year.
Despite the structure's fine design, materials and architectural features, the viaduct has had an expensive and problematic history. The first major restoration work occurred during the 1890s, during which sections of the original brickwork were entirely replaced in the belief that this would increase the structure's strength. However, the viaduct suffered considerable decay during the majority of the twentieth century. By May 1983, the viaduct had been recognised as a Grade II* listed structure. Between March 1996 and September 1999, the viaduct was subject to an extensive restoration by national rail infrastructure owner Railtrack; this work was part-funded by the Railway Heritage Trust, English Heritage and West Sussex County Council.


Roe deer, water deer badgers and otters are common large mammals on the washes, with brown hare on the adjacent grasslands and small numbers of water voles in the wet areas. Regularly recorded bats include soprano pipistrelle, noctule and Daubenton's bat. The large fish population includes European eel and spined loach.
There is a rich invertebrate fauna, including tansy beetle, which here feeds on water mint rather than the normal tansy. Scarce insects include the variable damselfly, scarce chaser, wall brown and clouded yellow.


Ouvrage Rimplas is a work (gros ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, known also as the Little Maginot Line.  The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks and three artillery blocks at an altitude of 986 metres (3,235 ft).  It was the first ouvrage of any portion of the Maginot Line to be completed, in 1928. The ouvrage features an aerial tram entrance.
Located on a height to the southwest of Rimplas, the position was originally called Ouvrage de la Madeleine. While it was a prototype for later work, it is not entirely typical of Maginot fortifications, with large expanses of wall armored with 20 cm steel plate and other sections overlaid with stone masonry. The construction encountered problems with soil consistency and water infiltration. The underground portion of the ouvrage, containing the ammunition magazines, living quarters, command spaces, generating plant and communication galleries between the combat blocks covers three levels.  Rimplas stands on a prominent height above the Tinée and Valdeblore valleys before their streams join to form the river Var. It is supported by the petits ouvrages of Fressinéa and Valdeblore, all planned to control the approaches to Nice along the Var.
Work began in November 1930 and was completed in April 1934, initially performed by a contractor named Faraut and completed by Contesso, at a cost of 34.2 million francs, including 1.7 million francs for the aerial tram. The final cost was four times the initial estimate, making Rimplas the second most expensive position (after Monte Grosso) in the Alpine Line. Difficulties with the friable nature of the rock required that some rock faces be concreted or covered with masonry to stabilize them. The project went through three major design changes before completion.  The ouvrage was fully equipped and operational in August 1937. In 1940 the position was commanded by Captain Toussaint.


Simserhof was, like most Maginot fortifications, composed of a combat section and a support section.  Two separate entries were provided for personnel and ammunition, with underground utilities, mess halls, and barracks near the personnel entrance. A large "M1" magazine was provided near the munitions entrance. The combat blocks were as much as 1800 meters from the entry.  The entire ouvrage was provided with a 60 cm gauge electric railway that connected the service areas with the combat blocks, and which extended outside the position to a network of similar surface railways behind the main Line. The gallery system was excavated at an average depth of 27 metres (89 ft) below the surface.
Block 1: Artillery block with one retractable twin machine gun turret, one automatic rifle cloche (GFM), one twin machine gun embrasure, one 135mm gun embrasure and one machine gun (JM)/47mm anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47).
Block 2: Infantry block with one observation cloche (VDP), one GFM cloche, one 81mm mortar cloche, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 embrasure.
Block 3: Infantry block with two GFM cloches, one 81mm mortar turret, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 embrasure.
Block 4: Artillery block with one GFM cloche, one retractable twin machine gun turrets, one twin machine gun embrasure, one JM/AC 37 embrasure and one 135mm gun embrasure.
Block 5: Artillery block with three 75mm gun embrasures, one GFM cloche, one VDP cloche and one grenade launcher cloche (LG).
Block 6: Artillery block with three 75mm gun embrasures, one VDP cloche, one LG cloche and one GFM cloche.
Block 7: Artillery block with one 135mm gun turret and two GFM cloches.
Block 8: Artillery block with two GFM cloches and one retractable twin 75mm gun turret.
Personnel entry: Entry block with two GFM cloches, one LG cloche and one JM/AQC47 embrasure.
Munitions entry: Entry block with two GFM cloches and one JM/AC47 embrasure.
Blocks 1, 2, and 5 comprised the west wing, and 3, 4 and 6 the east.  Blocks 7 and 8, with their turrets, we located between the two wings and to the rear, along with the command post.


While the passenger terminal includes parking facilities, the primary public transport links are located south of the Overseas Passenger Terminal, at Circular Quay. The area is a transport hub with connections for commuter heavy rail services from Circular Quay railway station, commuter ferry services from Circular Quay ferry wharf, light rail (tram) services from the Circular Quay stop on the CBD and South East Light Rail, and buses. Sightseeing boat services also operate from Circular Quay. It is also common that a large number of Sydney tours for main tourist attractions leave the overseas passenger terminal during the busy months such as December, January and February.


Owlpen Manor has been the inspiration and title of a number of 20th-century poems, including verses by U. A. Fanthorpe, John Burnside and Reginald Arkell. The house is reputed to have inspired scenes in novels by John Buchan and Wolfgang Hildesheimer, and more recently in the romantic fictions of Kate Riordan, The Girl in Photograph (Penguin Books, 2015), and Dinah Jefferies, The Tea Planter's Wife (Penguin Books, 2015).
In recent years, Owlpen Manor has been used as the location for a number of TV feature films, game shows and documentaries. They include Most Haunted (Series 4, 2004); The Fly and the Eagle (a BBC drama about the romance of Bristol poet laureate Robert Southey and Caroline Anne Bowles); The Trouble with Home (a documentary about the Manders at Owlpen made for HTV West); What the Tudors did for us; Countryfile; The Other Boleyn Girl; Watercolour Challenge; as well as antiques, cookery, gardening, travel, and art programmes. The holiday cottages and restaurant featured on BBC1's Holiday programme, presented by John Cole and introduced by Jill Dando.
Owlpen Manor appeared as Bramscote Court in the BBC's period drama adaptation of Tess of the d'Urbervilles (2008), starring Gemma Arterton and Eddie Redmayne and (briefly) in Becoming Jane, on the life of novelist Jane Austen. In 2017, the manor house and estate were used as one of the principal locations for the period drama film Phantom Thread starring Daniel Day-Lewis and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.


Two or three times a year, groups gather for memorial, commemorative, or historic reenactment
special events held at the park.  These are typically held on or near significant dates, usually Memorial Day, September 1 (the anniversary of the battle), and Veterans Day.
On Memorial Day, usually at 1 pm, the Ancient Order of Hibernians sponsors a wreath laying ceremony, which includes a color guard performed by Civil War re-enactors.
For several years, the 28th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Company B, held a commemoration on a weekend near September 1 which included living history presentations by Civil War re-enactors
local historians, demonstrations of infantry and medical activities with military and musket firing, displays of tents and gear, and cooking by the soldiers.


Robert D'Oyly the younger, Robert D'Oyly the elder's nephew, had inherited the castle by the time of the civil war of the Anarchy in the 1140s. After initially supporting King Stephen, Robert declared his support for Empress Matilda, Stephen's cousin and rival for the throne, and in 1141 the Empress marched to Oxford to base her campaign at the castle. Stephen responded by marching from Bristol in the Autumn of 1142, attacking and seizing the town of Oxford and besieging Matilda in the castle. Stephen set up two siege mounds beside the castle, called Jew's Mount and Mount Pelham, on which he placed siege engines, largely for show, and proceeded to wait for Matilda's supplies to run low over the next three months. Stephen would have had difficulty in supplying his men through the winter period, and this decision shows the apparent strength of Oxford Castle at the time.
Finally in December, Matilda responded by escaping from the castle; the popular version of this has the Empress waiting until the Castle Mill Stream was frozen over and then dressed in white as camouflage in the snow, being lowered down the walls with three or four knights, before escaping through Stephen's lines in the night as the king's sentries tried to raise the alarm. The chronicler William of Malmesbury, however, suggests Matilda did not descend the walls, but instead escaped from one of the gates. Matilda safely reached Abingdon-on-Thames and Oxford Castle surrendered to Stephen the next day. Robert had died in the final weeks of the siege and the castle was granted to William de Chesney for the remainder of the war. At the end of the war the constableship of Oxford Castle was granted to Roger de Bussy before being reclaimed by Henry D'Oyly, Robert D'Oyly the younger's son, in 1154.
In the Barons' War of 1215–17 the castle was attacked again, prompting further improvements in its defences. In 1220 Falkes de Breauté, who controlled many royal castles in the middle of England, demolished the Church of St Budoc to the south-east of the castle and built a moated barbican to further defend the main gate. The remaining wooden buildings were replaced in stone, including the new Round Tower which was built in 1235. King Henry III turned part of the castle into a prison, specifically for holding troublesome University clerks, and also improved the castle chapel, replacing the older barred windows with stained glass in 1243 and 1246. Due to the presence of Beaumont Palace to the north of Oxford, however, the castle never became a royal residence.


The Oxo Tower is a building with a prominent tower on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The building has mixed use as Oxo Tower Wharf containing a set of design, arts and crafts shops on the ground and first floors with two galleries, Bargehouse and Gallery@oxo. The Oxo Tower Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie is on the eighth floor, which is the roof-top level with fine and casual dining. In addition to this, situated on the eighth floor is a viewing gallery open to the public. The third to seventh floors contain 78 flats owned by Redwood Housing. Much of the second floor can be hired out for events and weddings.


The Oxo Tower is also famous for Harvey Nichols' very first restaurant. The tower's popular Restaurant, Bar and Brasserie opened in September 1996.


The Oyster Point Landfill is a closed, unlined Class III landfill that was in operation from 1956 to 1970. Prior to 1956, what would become the Oyster Point Landfill area consisted of tidal marshlands and upland soils and bedrock.
Between 1956 and 1970, the City of South San Francisco leased the site (approximately 57 acres (23 ha)) to the now defunct landfill operator The South San Francisco Scavenger Company.
In 1956, Scavenger began disposal operations at the landfill. Initially, municipal solid waste was disposed of on the ground and burned. This activity ended in 1957 following the enactment of laws prohibiting open air burning of rubbish in the Bay Area. To address the new air quality restrictions South City and Scavenger established a solid waste disposal site on the submerged lands just east of the original Oyster Point.
The landfill was developed in three phases. Filling of the first section began in 1957 and was completed by late 1961. The first area to be filled extended into the Bay about 1,500 feet (460 m) eastward from the original bluff. Scavenger placed waste directly into the tidelands and used a wire fence to control the discharge of solids into the Bay due to tidal action. Waste disposal operations eventually resulted in the relocation of the shoreline approximately 3,000 feet (910 m) to the east of the pre-landfill shoreline.
The landfill material is as deep as 45 feet (14 m), consisting of poorly compacted municipal and industrial waste. Typical waste found within the landfill includes the following: chemicals, drums, paper, cardboard, organic matter, wood, glass, metal, rubber, rocks, concrete, and other materials. The base of the landfill material has been compressed into, and mixed with, the upper part of the Bay Mud. The volume of waste in the landfill is approximately 2,500,000 cubic yards (1,900,000 m³) and total weight of this material is approximately 1,400,000 short tons (1,300,000 t). This volume of waste would cover a football field almost to the height of the Empire State Building.
Beginning in 1961, the landfill received liquid industrial waste for disposal. The types of liquid waste included paints, thinners, and coagulated solvent sludge. The liquid wastes were placed in a sump (Sump 1). No records describing the construction of the sump have been found. Liquid industrial wastes were disposed of in this sump from 1961 until 1966. In July 1966, the City of South San Francisco discontinued the use of Sump 1 and used Sump 2 until 1967. The total volume of liquid industrial waste received by the landfill in 1965 and 1966 is estimated at 608,351 and 378,680 US gallons (2,302,860 and 1,433,460 l; 506,558 and 315,317 imp gal), respectively. Sump 1 alone is almost enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool.
Consistent with landfill practices at that time, no liner was installed at the site. Waste disposal design features such as liners, cellular division of waste, and leachate collection systems were not installed. Instead, the waste materials were placed directly onto the Bay Mud and soils overlying bedrock. In order to contain the solid waste from contact with waters of the State, Bay Mud berms were constructed around portions of the waste disposal areas in 1961, 1962, and 1964. However, there is no data to suggest that the industrial waste sumps were ever constructed with additional berms or dikes to control the migration of liquid wastes.
In 1962, a small craft harbor was constructed along the north shore of the landfill. To create a breakwater for the east side of the marina, the second phase of landfill was placed in the form of a mole extending from the eastern end of the first fill and north about 400 feet into the Bay. The third phase of filling began in 1964 and was accomplished by dredging up Bay Mud and forming mud dikes and a dike-enclosed cell in which solid waste was later placed.


South City hopes to redevelop the site. The 2015 Semiannual Oyster Point Landfill Report states that a project would include excavation of landfill materials at the former Oyster Point Landfill and relocation of these materials on- and/or off-site. The landfill cap would be upgraded to meet the current requirements of Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations with the approval of the Regional Water Quality Control Board and San Mateo County Environmental Health Division.
The first phase of redevelopment plans call for up to 600,000 square feet of office/R&D space, envisioned as a biotech campus, and possibly a retail/restaurant building, in the area currently occupied by the existing commercial development at the eastern side of the landfill site. Phase I also includes the reconfiguration of Marina Boulevard and a portion of Oyster Point Boulevard, and a shuttle turn-around will be constructed adjacent to the Ferry Terminal. Parcels to the east of the new development will be graded and improved as sports fields. Further east a future hotel and retail complex is envisioned. The existing Yacht Club structure and the Harbor District maintenance building would remain.
The landfill is regulated by the San Mateo County Division of Environmental Health, the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.
On Dec. 9, 2015, Bruce H. Wolfe, Executive Officer of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board sent the City of South San Francisco an enforcement letter regarding recurrent flooding overtopping the landfill cap.
In October 2019, online payment processing company Stripe signed a lease for 421,000 square foot of office space in the redeveloped Oyster Point - thus becoming South San Francisco's largest tenant - and announced it would be moving its headquarters from neighboring San Francisco there in 2021.


Originally, the bridge was without a sculptural decoration. Today, replicas of baroque sculptures are lining the bridge. Their sandstone originals can be seen in the Prácheň Museum. There are four sculptural groups:
Calvary dates from the 18th century and was sculpted in the Jan Hammer workshop. Statues of the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and the Apostle John are arranged around a 6-meter high Cross with Christ. Replicas come from 1997.
John of Nepomuk with two angels - original by an unknown author
Saint Anne original - original dates from 1770
Saint Anthony of Padua - original dates from 1770


The bridge has been exposed to the onslaught of floods several times throughout the centuries, for example in 1432 and 1768. The most recent being the "thousand year flood" of 2002, when the Otava water level rose so high that it tore off a stone wall. Despite the current's fifty-fold increase in force, however, the bridge structure withstood the flood. The flood water removed the railings and some statues. After the flood, town of Písek started a general bridge reconstruction. The railings and statues were repaired; copy of the lost statue was recreated and the structure was retrofitted with a net of concrete and iron tubes. The bridge repair was enabled thanks to a public fundraiser that spontaneously started after the flood.


PNC Park has also hosted various concerts, including Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Styx, Jason Aldean, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Buffett, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Dave Matthews Band, Ed Sheeran, Zac Brown Band, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, Weezer and Metallica.


PNC Park is located at exit 1B of Interstate 279 and within 1 mile (1.6 km) of both Interstate 376 and Interstate 579.  The park is also served by the North Side transit station of the Pittsburgh subway system.


Populous, designers of PNC Park and Heinz Field, designed the building working with local architect Astorino to develop the construction documents, while the ICON Venue group and Oxford Development oversaw the building of the arena. More than a dozen buildings were razed in order to create room for the new arena. On April 8, 2008, Populous presented design renderings to the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission, receiving negative feedback. Local architect Rob Pfaffmann went so far as to say, "If I put a Home Depot sign on that, it looks like a Home Depot." Populous returned on May 6 with new plans, which were unanimously approved by the City Planning Commission.
The Penguins have contacted the Pittsburgh Technology Council, which includes 1,400 businesses, in order to find new technologies to implement into the arena's design. On demand replays from touch-screens will be available in luxury suites, while "Yinz Cam"—a system developed by Carnegie Mellon University students—will allow any fans to view instant replays from multiple angles on their cell phones. The arena's capacity will be 18,087 for hockey, in honor of Sidney Crosby's number 87, and 19,000 for basketball games. The venue will hold 14,536 to 19,758 for concerts, depending on the layout. The venue will also include 1,950 club seats and 66 suites, in honor of Mario Lemieux's number 66. Ticket prices will range from $115,000 to $150,000 per season for luxury boxes to individual game tickets at $22. Ken Sawyer, Penguins' chief executive officer, asked that the interior be modeled after that of the venue then known as Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. "I was just taken aback by their seats," said Sawyer, "Even when I was up in a high level, I had a great view." NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman called the building "very well designed." Bettman liked the size of the concourses and the view offered of Pittsburgh's skyline.
Mario Lemieux along with officials from the state and local governments ceremonially broke ground on a new hockey arena on August 14, 2008. Shovels, with shafts made from team captain Sidney Crosby's used hockey sticks, were used for the ground-breaking ceremony. Erection of structural steel took place from January 2009 to August 2009. While the arena was under construction, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, and brought the Cup to the arena's construction site on July 9, 2009, during the offseason.
The arena was originally named for Consol Energy, the largest producer of bituminous coal in the United States, which signed a 21-year agreement with the Penguins in December 2008. Secondary sponsors of the arena are PNC Wealth Management, UPMC, Verizon, American Eagle Outfitters, and Dick's Sporting Goods, the last three being existing sponsors carrying over from the Civic Arena. On October 4, 2016, PPG Industries purchased the naming rights from Consol as a result of Consol wanting to get out of the naming rights deal due to the company struggling financially as a result of low energy prices. Consol, which is also planning on letting its naming rights deal for Consol Energy Park expire, will remain a corporate sponsor with the Penguins in a lesser role.
PPG Paints Arena is one of the only major sports venues whose soft drink contract is not with The Coca-Cola Company or PepsiCo. (Coca-Cola previously held the contract with Civic Arena.) Instead, Dr Pepper Snapple Group holds a contract, and serves its own products such as RC Cola, Diet Rite, Cherikee Red, and Sunkist Orange Soda, in addition to its more popular brands such as Dr Pepper, 7 Up, and A&W Root Beer that are typically sold alongside Coca-Cola or Pepsi products in other venues. At the time of the arena's opening, Heinz Field sold Coca-Cola products and PNC Park sold Pepsi products, making Pittsburgh's three major sporting venues initially each selling different soft drinks. In 2012, Heinz Field joined PNC Park in pouring Pepsi products, breaking a 50-year commitment with Coca-Cola, while PNC Park switched to Coca-Cola products for 2014. The final years of the Civic Arena were without a pouring rights contract due to its impending demolition. In this time, Coca-Cola retained pouring rights in fountains (seemingly due to the cost of a large scale changeover) and Dr Pepper/7 Up products were exclusively sold in bottles. This is one of the few times that a venue this large has sold products from competing soft drink companies.
As with most other NHL arenas, the Penguins make use of a goal horn whenever the team scores a goal at home. It is also played just before the beginning of a home game, and after the Penguins win. Their current goal horn, made by Nathan Manufacturing, Inc. and introduced in 2005 to coincide with the arrival of Sidney Crosby to the team, was brought over from the Civic Arena to the PPG Paints Arena after the Penguins closed the Civic Arena.


Both the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University have dedicated locker rooms in the arena for use by the schools' basketball teams. Both schools made their first appearance on December 1, 2010, in the City Game, the first ever basketball game hosted in the venue. A neutral venue, Pitt was designated as the home team for the game, which the Panthers won 80–66. The first points at the arena were made by Duquesne freshman guard T. J. McConnell, with a basket at 27 seconds into the game.
The arena hosted the 2010 SEC/Big East Invitational, featuring Auburn playing Rutgers and Pittsburgh taking on Tennessee in Pitt's second appearance at PPG Paints. The games were televised nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN respectively.
Duquesne hosted three home games in the 2010–11 season: on December 12 against West Virginia, against Dayton on January 30, 2011, and against Xavier on February 13, 2011. During the 2012–2013 NHL lockout, Duquesne again hosted three home games – December 12 vs. West Virginia, January 19 vs. VCU, and February 9 vs. Xavier.  For the 2013–14 basketball season, Duquesne hosted Penn State on December 11 and Dayton on February 22.
Duquesne hosted second and third-round games of the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the arena and hosted the second and third-round games again in 2015. Duquesne had hosted three prior times at Civic Arena: 1997, 2001 (women's) and 2002. In 2022 Duquesne hosted the Round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
During his tenure as Commissioner of the NBA, David Stern mentioned the arena as a possible home for an NBA franchise should one move to Pittsburgh.
For their 2017–18 season and part of the 2018–19 season, the arena will serve as the home of the Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team for several games while the new UPMC Events Center is constructed on campus.


The arena opened on August 18, 2010, with a performance by Paul McCartney. The demand for the first show was so great that tickets sold out within five minutes of going on sale. This prompted the addition of a second show, a day later on August 19. Originally, Pittsburgh's own Christina Aguilera was planning to open the arena on August 3, 2010. Due to conflicts with construction, Aguilera canceled her show.
Other performers during the arena's first month included Lady Gaga, Roger Waters and Rush. George Strait, Reba McEntire, and Lee Ann Womack performed at the arena on October 14, 2010. Justin Bieber performed on both his My World Tour on December 13, 2010, and on his Believe Tour on November 20, 2012, both to sell-out crowds. Cher performed at the venue during her Dressed To Kill Tour on April 2, 2014. Katy Perry brought her The Prismatic World Tour to the arena on July 22, 2014. On February 17, 2016, Carrie Underwood brought her Storyteller Tour to a sold-out crowd with her critically acclaimed 360 degree stage stretching the whole arena floor. Céline Dion will perform at the arena for the first time on September 24, 2021, as part of her Courage World Tour.


PPG Place is a complex in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, consisting of six buildings within three city blocks and five and a half acres. PPG Place was designed by architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee.
Named for its anchor tenant, PPG Industries, who initiated the project for its headquarters, the buildings are all of matching glass design consisting of 19,750 pieces of glass. The complex centers on One PPG Place, a 40-story office building. Groundbreaking ceremonies occurred on January 28, 1981. The complex buildings opened between 1983 and 1984, and a dedication ceremony took place on April 11, 1984.  Total cost of construction was $200 million ($561.6 million today).  The buildings were sold by The Hillman Company to Highwoods Properties in 2011.


PPG Place sits on six city blocks (5+1⁄2 acres, 22,000 m²) bound by Forbes Avenue and the Boulevard of the Allies on its north and south sides, and Stanwix Street and Wood Street to its east and west.  The complex consists of six buildings, which surround an open-air plaza:
One PPG Place, a 40-floor building with a height of 635 feet (194 m), and a total capacity of approximately 1.5 million square feet (140,000 m²).  This is the tallest building in the complex, serving as the complex's centerpiece, and as of 2020 is the third tallest building in Pittsburgh.
Two PPG Place, a 6-floor building.
Three PPG Place, a 6-floor building.
Four PPG Place, a 6-floor building.
Five PPG Place, a 6-floor building.
Six PPG Place, a 14-floor building with a height of 223 feet (68 m).
One PPG Place includes the Wintergarden, an 8,000 square feet (740 m²) event space with vaulted glass ceilings.  While the Wintergarden is part of One PPG Place, it does not sit within the 40-story tower portion of the building.  Instead, it is attached to the side of the tower, facing Stanwix Street.
PPG Place is directly adjacent to Market Square, creating a large and popular public space in downtown Pittsburgh.


Paul McCartney performed in front of 45,000 fans in 1993, during his New World Tour.
On January 27, 28 and 30, 1995, the Rolling Stones performed three sold-out concerts at Pacaembu, to a total audience of 170,000 people.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers performed at the stadium in 2002 on their By The Way Tour.
Avril Lavigne's 2005 Bonez Tour made a stop here, in front of 40,000 fans.
Eric Clapton performed in front of 60,000 fans in 2001, during his Reptile World Tour.
Brazilian singer Roberto Carlos performed at the stadium in a 2001 concert.
Heavy metal band Iron Maiden has made two stops at the venue: in 1996 and 2004.
Pearl Jam performed at the stadium on December 2 and 3 in 2005 on their Pearl Jam 2005 North American/Latin American Tour in front of more than 80,000 fans.


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Pacific Century Place Marunouchi (パシフィックセンチュリープレイス丸の内, Pashifikku Senchurī Pureisu Marunouchi) is a skyscraper in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
The Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi is within the building. The building also houses Aeroméxico's Japan offices.
The building was developed following a tender of the underlying land by Japan Railway Settlement Corporation in 1997. Pacific Century Group acquired the land and led the development of the property. Nikken Sekkei was responsible for preliminary architectural design, while Takenaka Corporation and Kajima Corporation led the construction.
Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC acquired a large portion of the building in 2014 (excluding the hotel and certain other components) for $1.7 billion from Secured Capital Investment Management, which acquired the space in 2009 for around $1.3 billion.


Santa Monica Municipal Pier opened in 1909; it was primarily to carry sewer pipes out beyond the breakers and had no amenities. In 1916 Charles I. D. Looff, who built Coney Island's first carousel, started construction on an adjacent pier known as the Pleasure Pier, also called Newcomb Pier, for use as an amusement park. The two piers are now both considered to be part of Santa Monica Pier. Attractions on the Pleasure Pier eventually included the Santa Monica Looff Hippodrome building (which now houses the current carousel and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places), the Blue Streak Racer wooden roller coaster (which was purchased from the defunct Wonderland amusement park in San Diego), the Whip, merry-go-rounds, Wurlitzer organs, and a funhouse. The Pleasure Pier thrived during the 1920s but faded during the Great Depression. During the 1930s, the pier was mainly used as a ferry landing, while most of the pier was closed down and its attractions sold off.
Over the next several decades the city of Santa Monica proposed various plans to tear down Newcomb Pier. The city council approved a plan to replace the pier with a resort island in Santa Monica Bay. Local activists formed Save Santa Monica Bay and shot down that plan, and in 1973, the city formally revoked a standing order to demolish the pier. The city acquired ownership of the privately owned pier in summer 1974. In the 1980s, the pier was almost destroyed by winter storms. In 1983, the city formed a Pier Restoration and Development Task Force (now the Pier Restoration Corporation), tasked with returning the pier to its former glory. Summer music concerts were held on the pier.
In 1989, the Pier Restoration Corporation decided to "make the pier a year-round commercial development with amusement rides, gift shops, nightclubs with live entertainment and restaurants" that would be "reminiscent of its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s". The current 2-acre (0.81 ha) park opened in 1996 as a full-scale family amusement park.


Dr. José Protasio Rizal, Philippine National Hero, was secretly interred at Paco Park after his execution at Bagumbayan on December 30, 1896, and was guarded for fifteen days by the Guardia Civil Veterana. His remains were exhumed on August 17, 1898 and on December 30, 1912 was laid underneath the monument dedicated to him at Luneta as stated in the Park's marker.
Ramon Maria Llanderal Solano, Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines (1857–1860).
Fr. Jose Burgos, Fr. Mariano Gomez and Fr. Jacinto Zamora's mortal remains after their execution on February 17, 1892, were buried in the cemetery grounds as they were linked to the Cavite Mutiny, as stated in the Park's marker.


The nearest London Underground stations are Edgware Road and Paddington, the latter also being served by National Rail.


Padjelelanta hosts a very limited number of mammals, with a low variety of different species, almost all of which have small populations. The mammals that do exist are mostly lemmings and reindeer, as well as the predators that eat them; in this case the wolverine and the Arctic fox, respectively, both being permanently resident in the park.
Padjelanta's bird-life however is very rich and showcases most species associated with the Swedish bare mountain fell – and fell lake regions.
The most typical species on the heath are European golden plover, meadow pipit and northern wheatear but rock ptarmigan, Eurasian dotterel and Eurasian whimbrel are also fairly common sights.
In and around the lakes there are plenty of Anatinae, such as long-tailed duck, Eurasian teal and common scoter as well as many waders, which include red-necked phalarope, ruff, Temminck's stint and common redshank.
The northeast forest is also home to a great variety of species and contains an abundance of common redpoll, willow warbler, Lapland longspur, bluethroat and redwing.
Then there are also many birds that are not really constricted to one area but is spread throughout the park. This include lesser white-fronted goose, gyrfalcon, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, great snipe, rough-legged buzzard and long-tailed jaeger. During lemming-years you can even see the snowy owl which is otherwise rare seen in Padjelanta.
The park also contains a rich quantity of fish, Vastenjávrre and Virihávrre being especially densely populated.


The buildings at Nos. 5A, 5B, 5C and 6 Pai Tau Village are listed as Grade II Historic Buildings.
The Lam Ancestral Hall in Pai Tau Village, is a Grade III Historic Building.


Paigah Tombs or Maqhbara Shams al-Umara, are the tombs belonging to the nobility of Paigah family, who were fierce loyalists of the Nizams, served as statespeople, philanthropists and generals under and alongside them. The Paigah tombs are among the major wonders of Hyderabad State which known for their architectural excellence as shown in their laid mosaic tiles and craftsmanship work. The Paigah's necropolis is located in a quiet neighbourhood 4 km southeast of Charminar Hyderabad, at Pisal banda suburb, down a small lane across from Owasi Hospital near Santosh Nagar. These tombs are made out of lime and mortar with beautiful inlaid marble carvings. These tombs are 200 years old which represent the final resting places of several generations of the Paigah Nobles.
At first, Paigah Tombs may look deserted and totally uncared for, but on a closer look, you will find the place quite enthralling. With marvelous carvings and motifs in floral designs and inlaid mosaic tile-works, the tombs are exquisite to walk around. The tombs and their walls are delicately carved and enclosed in pierced marble facades, some of them in rows and some with beautifully carved screens and canopies.
The place is easily approachable and is set amidst a labyrinth of concrete houses built around the 30 acres of property in which the tombs are nestled. They are almost obscure and a marvelous piece of artistry in marble lost in time. The Indo-Islamic architecture is a mix of both the Asaf Jahi and the Rajputana styles of architecture. You will also see décor in fabulous stucco work, representing the Mughal, Persian and Deccan style too. The geometrical designs with their perforated screens are unique in their make and craftsmanship.


Today Painshill comprises 158 acres (64 ha) of the original more than 200 acres (81 ha) owned by Charles Hamilton in the 18th century. The landscape garden stretches along the banks of the winding River Mole on land that has a number of natural hills and valleys.
The central feature is a serpentine lake of 14 acres (5.7 ha) with several islands and spanned by bridges and a causeway. The water for the lake and the plantings is pumped from the River Mole by a 19th-century beam engine powered by a water wheel. Hamilton enhanced the views of hills and lake by careful plantings of woods, avenues and specimen trees to create vistas and separate environments including an amphitheatre, a water meadow and an alpine valley. As focal points in the vistas and as sympathetic elements to be discovered in the landscape, Hamilton placed a number of follies, small decorative buildings, which include a grotto, Gothic "temple", "ruins" of a Gothic abbey, a Roman mausoleum, and a Gothic tower with a view of the countryside.
All these still exist and have been restored, and the hermitage (for which a "hermit" was hired on a seven-year contract, but soon dismissed for absenteeism) and Turkish tent have been recreated. The crystal grotto was restored in 2013, and re-opened by Lady Lucinda Lambton. The Roman "Temple of Bacchus" has been reconstructed (2018), though there is now a cast of the Roman statue of Bacchus which it housed, among other antiquities bought on Hamilton's Italian tours. It was sketched in 1770 by the Swedish artist Elias Martin; he went on to illustrate the 1783 book Bacchi Tempel ("The Temple of Bacchus") by Sweden's national bard, Carl Michael Bellman.
Among the original plantings are a number of important specimens including fine examples of Cork Oak, Yew, Beech, Silver Birch and three Cedars of which one, known as the Great Cedar is 120 feet (37 m) high and over 100 feet (30 m) in width, and is thought to be the largest Cedar of Lebanon in Europe. In 2010, a conference at Painshill brought together elements of the restoration of this eighteenth-century Landscape Garden.


The colors of the Painted Hills come from the combination of elements including Aluminum, Silicon, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Titanium, Potassium, Oxygen, and Hydrogen, among others, which arrived with the initial ash fall. Originally light in color, the ash mixed with soils and other elements to form the minerals that give the hills colors such as red, yellow, and black.
The alternating red and tan layers within the hills are the result of cycling climate conditions, which were alternately warm and wet or cool and dry for a period of time between 34 and 28 million years ago. As the mild, humid Eocene epoch gave way to the Oligocene, the tropical climate shifted, becoming cooler and drier. Red soils came from floodplain deposits during the more tropical periods, and are made up of laterites, or soils rich in iron and aluminum. These rust-colored layers are full of iron and oxygen in the form of iron oxide. The yellow layers are from a drier and cooler time and take on their yellow hue from iron and magnesium oxides.
The darker, black soil is lignite that was once vegetative matter that grew along the floodplain. The grey coloring is mudstone, siltstone, and shale. The black marks on the hills get their color from manganese oxide.


In the early 1990s an ancient vaulted drain of extremely fine construction, probably 13th century in date, was rediscovered running from the abbey to the White Cart. Archaeological investigations and excavations took place in 1996, 3–16 September 2009, 2–12 September 2011 and 4 September 2013 and many items discovered. Some of these are now on display in the abbey.
These include:
a slate with music marked on it - which is believed to be the oldest example of polyphonic music found in Scotland
imported cloth seals
chamber pots from c.1500
tweezers
carved bone handles
pottery fragments
slate fragments
The drain is thought to date from AD 1350-1400 and is at least 90 metres long, up to 2m wide and up to 2.2m high; before accessing it water has to be pumped out. The drain contains stonemasons marks on the walls, and marks where gates used to be. A virtual tour of the drain is available on YouTube.
Events to involve the public in the archaeological investigation of the drain have been held, with the Renfrewshire Local History Forum.
Paisley Abbey Drain is designated by Historic Environment Scotland as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and has similarities to other monastery drains, such as Fountains Abbey, Dundrennan Abbey and Melrose Abbey.


Since 1996, the island, Lung Kwu Chau, and Sha Chau are within the boundaries of the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park. The three islands have been listed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1979. It is known as a dolphin sanctuary and a habitat for the Chinese white dolphin.


Designed by Italian architect Luis Fossatti, and constructed between 1941 and 1946 by Brazilian entrepreneur Joaquim Rolla, the Palácio Quitandinha is one of the most impressive architectural monuments in Petrópolis. The exterior is in the Norman-French style, while the interior is a mix of Brazilian Baroque and Art Deco. The surface area of the hotel is 50 thousand square meters. It has six floors, with a 10 meter high ground floor. It has 440 rooms plus 13 suites with decor by Dorothy Draper.
The hotel was, for many years, probably the second most famous hotel of the country, after the Copacabana Palace hotel in Rio de Janeiro, which is only about 65 km from Petrópolis. The scenic artificial lake in front of the hotel, loosely resembling the shape of Brazil, was built to provide a source of water in the event of a fire.
When it was opened as the "Cassino Hotel Quitandinha", the Palácio Quitandinha was the largest hotel casino in Latin America. Gambling had been permitted in Brazil since 1930, but it was outlawed on May 30, 1946 by decree of the federal government under president Eurico Gaspar Dutra. The ruling outlawed all types of gambling from casinos to games of chance in Brazil. As a result, the casino closed after only two years.
Notable guests who stayed at the hotel included Errol Flynn, Orson Welles, Lana Turner, Henry Fonda, Maurice Chevalier, Greta Garbo, Carmen Miranda, Walt Disney, Bing Crosby, politicians like Eva Perón and president Getúlio Vargas of Brazil and king Carol II of Romania.
The hotel eventually closed in 1962 and its rooms were sold as private residences in 1963. The imposing façade and the scenic surrounding of the hotel makes it an important tourist attraction itself. The building's enormous public areas were restored by SESC, a Brazilian commerce organization which had taken them over, beginning in 2007.


The first architect of the Palácio was Joaquim da Costa Lima Júnior, who was in charge of the project from 1840 until 1860. He was responsible for the general design of the building, inspired by the Neopalladian architecture that was in fashion in Porto since the late 18th century, expressed in buildings like the Hospital of St Anthony (by English architect John Carr), the English Factory (by another Englishman, John Whitehead) and several projects by Portuguese architect Carlos Amarante.
The general structure of the Palácio was completed by 1850, but several architectural details were later entrusted to architects Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves e Sousa (author of the stairway and the Arab Room), Tomás Augusto Soler (metallic dome of the courtyard) and Joel da Silva Pereira (Tribunal Room), among others.
The interior of the Palace, only finished in 1910, was magnificently decorated by several artists. The central courtyard (Nations' Courtyard - Pátio das Nações) is covered by a large metallic, octagonal dome with glass panels, designed by Tomás Soler and built after 1880. The lower part of the dome is decorated with the painted coats-of-arms of Portugal and the countries with which Portugal had commercial relations in the 19th century. To the back of the courtyard, a sumptuous stairway, built in 1868 by Gonçalves e Sousa, leads to the upper storeys and is adorned with busts by celebrated sculptors António Soares dos Reis and António Teixeira Lopes. The ceiling frescoes were painted by António Ramalho.
Several rooms of the Palace - Tribunal Room, Assembly Room, Golden Room - display furniture by José Marques da Silva, allegoric paintings by José Maria Veloso Salgado and João Marques de Oliveira, sculptures by Teixeira Lopes and many other works of art. The highlight of the Palace is, however, the Arab Room, built between 1862 and 1880 by Gonçalves e Sousa. The room is decorated in the exotic Moorish Revival style, fashionable in the 19th century, and is used as reception hall for personalities and heads of state visiting Porto.


The collections of the Palace Armoury include:
several suits of armour belonging to knights of the Order of St. John, mainly dating from around 1550 to 1650. These include the personal armour of Grand Masters Martin Garzez and Alof de Wignacourt, and Grand Commander Jean-Jacques de Verdelin.
many suits of battle armour for regular soldiers, dating from around 1550 to 1650. These were mainly manufactured in Italy, but some were made locally or in France, Spain or Germany.
many firearms, swords, and other weapons, dating from the 16th to the 18th centuries. These include some Ottoman arms captured during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.
several cannon and other artillery pieces, which were used to arm the various fortifications of Malta. These date back to the 15th to 18th centuries. Two of the cannons were retrieved from sea in 1964 from a knights period shipwreck in Mellieħa.
Some modern armament dating back to World War I and World War II was also included in the collection. When the armoury was moved in 1975, these were transferred to the National War Museum in Fort Saint Elmo.


It was used as the headquarters for the Republican Army during the Spanish Civil War. Indalecio Prieto and Jose Miaja used it as their base to organise the Battle of Brunete. After the war Franco lived there for many years.


The Palace of Justice (Romanian: Palatul Justiției), located in Bucharest, Romania, was designed by the architects Albert Ballu and Ion Mincu and built between 1890 and 1895. The foundation stone was laid by King Carol I of Romania on October 7, 1890. The façade of the building is adorned with several statues representing allegories: Law, Justice, Justice, Truth, Force, and Prudence; the statues are the work of sculptors Carol Storck and Frederic Storck.
Located on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, the palace houses the Bucharest Court of Appeal, the Sector 5 Court,
the National Union of Romanian Bars, and the Bucharest Bar. Its last major restoration was between 2003 and 2006.
The Palace has 690 rooms with a total area of 33,235 m² (357,740 sq ft).


The Palace of Mafra (Portuguese: Palácio de Mafra), also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra and the Royal Building of Mafra (Real Edifício de Mafra), is a monumental Baroque and Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal, some 28 kilometres from Lisbon. Construction began in 1717 under King John V of Portugal and was completely concluded in 1755.
The palace was classified as a National Monument in 1910 and was also a finalist in the Seven Wonders of Portugal. On 7 July 2019, the Royal Building of Mafra – Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and Hunting Park (Tapada) was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


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Built by Sembol Construction at a cost of 8.74 billion Kazakh tenge (approx. $58 million), the project was conceived as a permanent venue for the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, which meets triennially in a purpose-built conference chamber at the apex of the pyramid. In 2011 and 2013, the International Astana Action Film Festival was held in the Palace.


The Palace of Sporting Games "Uralochka" (DIVS) (Russian: Дворец игровых видов спорта «Уралочка» (ДИВС)) is a multi-purpose arena on the shore of the Iset River in the city center of Yekaterinburg. It has a capacity of 5000 spectators and is the second largest sports arena in the city, with KRK Uralets being the largest. Volleyball and basketball clubs of men and women, as well as a futsal team play their home games at the arena. Occasionally, competitions in individual sports, rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, or tennis take place. Concerts take place in the arena equally often.


WikiWeb_Palace of the Kings of Majorca_5

The Palace of the Kings of Majorca is a fortified Palace in the Gothic style. It is organised around three courtyards 60 m square. The first foremen on the site were Ramon Pau and especially Pons Descoyl, very active in Perpignan and the Baleares.
It has two chapels, one above the other: the lower is the Queen's Chapel, while the upper is Holy Cross with a pink marble door.
Here we have together in the “Great Hall“, the seat of political power, the chapel and the royal residence. The position of the chapel in the heart the royal apartments, opposite the throne room, indicates the importance of the spiritual over the temporal. The plan of the palace was inspired by those of Majorca, and the chapel is like that of the earlier Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
The walls, built with uncut stones and bricks bound with mortar, were coated with lime and painted.
Doors, corridors, stairs, armatures and the main towers are all made of cut stone: ochre stone from Les Fonts, Baixas Blue, Sandstone, Red Marble from Villefranche-de-Conflent, White and Blue Marble from Ceret.


The building was completed in the latter half of the 19th century as a residence for the well-to-do Haedo family. Mariano Francisco Haedo (1816–1886) had made a fortune in railways and banking. Designed by the architects Passeroni and Brizuela in the Neo-Gothic style, it first resembled an Italian castle. It was fitted out as a villa suitable for an aristocratic family and subsequently enhanced with Renaissance trimmings.
In 1871, the residence was acquired by Reynaldo Villar and subsequently by Dominga Villar y Cristina Manuela Villar, but soon came under the ownership of the Banco Popular Argentino. In October 1942, under President Ramón Castillo, the State bought the building for the national parks directorate (Dirección de Parques Nacionales). In so doing, it contributed to preserving the surroundings of the Plaza San Martín. Today, the strangely shaped triangular complex bounded by Maipú, Avenida Santa Fe, and Marcelo T. de Alvear, still houses the headquarters of the national parks authority, now known as the Administración de Parques Nacionales. Bibliotica Francisco P Moreno is also located in this building.


Palacio Taranco, located in front of the Plaza Zabala, in the heart of the Old City of Montevideo, Uruguay, is a palace erected in the early 20th century during a period in which the architectural style was influenced by French architecture. It was  designed by French architects Charles Louis Girault and Jules Chifflot León, who also designed the Petit Palais and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This building contains European furniture and drapings and currently contains the Museum of Decorative Arts in Montevideo. The palace is often used as a meeting place by the Uruguayan government.
The palace was erected on the site of Montevideo's first theatre in the historical centre of the city which had been built in 1793. The Taranco Ortiz family commissioned the construction of the building in 1907 and it was completed in 1910.
In 1943 the Uruguayan state purchased the residence and part of the furniture and gained access to its works of art, but it wasn't until 1972 that it became a museum, and it was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
The Museum of Decorative Arts contains various paintings, sculptures, textiles, ornaments, and European furniture. On the ground floor and first floor of the building can be found some of the furniture of Louis XV and Louis XVI finely inlaid; the works of Ribera (1591–1652), Teniers (1610–1690), Mierevelt (1567–1641), Van der Helst (1613–1670), Appiani (1754–1817), Pradilla (1846–1921), Zuloaga (1870–1945), and Sorolla (1863–1923); Benlliure sculptures (1862–1947), Bouchard (1875–1969), Landowski (1875–1961), Vermare (1899–1919) etc.
The Decorative Arts Museum has an important collection of Classical Art and Archaeology in the basement, consisting of artifacts of ceramics, glass, and bronzes and various items related to Greco-Roman and Near East art and archaeology. The museum also has collections of various textiles, from Persian curtains to Flemish tapestries, and has various ointments, oils, and perfumes.


The Palacio de Torre Tagle is a building built during the colonial era of Peru that currently serves as the main headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru. It is located in the Jirón Ucayali in the historic center of Lima, two blocks southeast of the Plaza Mayor de Lima.
It comprises a built area of 1699 m². The materials used in the construction of the Palacio de Torre Tagle were brought from Spain, Panama and other Central American countries.


After the Philippine Exhibition of 1887, the Spanish government allocated the Palacio de Velázquez for use as a museum of Spain's overseas territories.
Since 1908, it has hosted the National Fine Arts exhibitions.  The works of contemporary painters are often exhibited at the Palacio; since 1987, artists such as Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, Juan Muñoz and José Manuel Broto have showcased here. The Palacio closed in 2005 for restoration and conservation, re-opening in 2010 with an exhibition dedicated to the Catalan multidisciplinary artist, Antoni Miralda. The Palacio is currently operated by the Ministry of Culture, and is dedicated to temporary exhibitions of Spain's national museum of modern art, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.


The palace was built, together with two other buildings, by Otto Wagner at the end of the 19th century. The style of the Historicism was pursued during the realisation of the palace and the facade is Rococo and Vienna Secession (Art Nouveau).
Wagner kept the building in the middle, Rennweg 3 (Palais Hoyos), for himself, while Gustav Mahler lived in the adjacent building, Rennweg 5, from 1898 to 1909.
The site once housed the Trinity hospital and the barracks of the k. k. adelig-polnischen Leibgarde military unit, which were called the Arcièren-Leibgarde later on.
In 1903, the palace was bought by the widowed countess Marie Hoyos. The Hoyos family owned another palace in the Ringstraße, which is nowadays known as Hotel Bristol.
In 1957, the palace in Rennweg was sold by the Hoyos family to Yugoslavia, in order to serve as its embassy in Austria. After the breakup of Yugoslavia, the building became the possession of Serbia, serving the same purpose.
Following the agreement of Yugoslav successor states on the distribution of former country's foreign assets in 2011, the building passed on to Croatia.
In 2013, Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs started a major renovation (4.6 million kuna, or over 600,000 euro) in order to move the Croatian embassy there from Heuberggasse 10.


The Palais des Beaux Arts is a residential and office building at Löwengasse 47-47A in Vienna's third district, Landstraße. The building has housed the embassies of the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Moldova since 1994. The building was erected between 1908 and 1909 by Anton and Josef Drexler, who also designed several houses on Rudolf-von-Alt-Platz and contributed other designs to the surrounding Weißgerberviertel quarter of the district. The building was originally built as home to Chic Parisien, a center for fashion.


To decorate the palace, in several campaigns Montano employed some of the greatest artists of his time: Giovanni Battista Zelotti (who had already intervened in the interiors of Palladio's Villa Emo at Fanzolo), Anselmo Canera and Andrea Vicentino; the stuccoes were entrusted to Lorenzo Rubini (who contemporaneously executed the external decorations of the Loggia del Capitanio) and, after his death in 1574, to his son Agostino. The net result was a sumptuous palace capable of rivalling the residences of the Thiene, the Porto and of the Valmarana, a palace which permitted its patron to represent himself to the city as a ranking member of the Vicentine cultural élite.


The Palazzo Barbarigo Minotto (also called Palazzo Minotto Barbarigo) is a 15th-century palace on the Grand Canal in Venice, northern Italy, next to the much larger Palazzo Corner.  Built in the Venetian Gothic style, it was originally two palaces, Palazzo Barbarigo and Palazzo Minotto, later joined together. The Barbarigo palace was owned by  the Barbarigo family for several centuries and was the birthplace of Gregorio Barbarigo, who once refused the Papal Crown. It was later owned by the Minotto and Martinengo families.
Three staterooms face the Grand Canal and another three face Rio Zaguri. In the first half of the 18th century frescoes and paintings by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Francesco Fontebasso and Carpoforo Tencalla were commissioned by Pietro Barbarigo. Its chapel has  Louis XIV Style elm flooring inlaid with olive-root marquetry. The palace's doors, are in the same style, banded in walnut with bronze handles shaped as vine leaves. The floors of the staterooms are a blend of terrazzo paving and Venetian "pastellone" paving.


Palazzo Barbieri is a Neoclassical style palace located in Piazza Bra in Central Verona; it now serves as the town hall.
The palace was originally named Palazzo della Gran Guardia Nuova, and housed staff associated with the occupying Austrian Army forces. It was designed by Giuseppe Barbieri and was later named in his honor. Construction began in 1836 and was completed by 1848.
The interiors contain a large canvas (1595) by Felice Brusasorzi depicting the victory of the Veronese over Benacensi in the year 829. Others who worked in the studio or contributed were Alessandro Turchi, Pasquale Ottino, and Sante Creara.
A 14th-century fresco depicting a Crucifixion and the Madonna from a private house was implated into the wall near the entrance. One room has tapestries from the 16th century. One designed by Paolo Farinati depicts the 1164 Victory of the Veronese against Frederick Barbarossa. Tha palace also contains various paintings by Carlo Ferrari and Eugenio Gignous.


The palace was first commissioned by Borso d'Este in 1449, and gifted to his supporter, Pellegrino Pasino, who then sold it to the Roverelli family, and they in turn to Cornelio Bentivoglio marchese di Gualtieri e Generale del Duca Alfonso II in 1583.
The design of the facade has been attributed to a combination of Pirro Ligorio and Giovanni Battista Aleotti.
Bentivoglio decorated the facade with military trophy symbols in marble; the exuberance of the decoration asserts the Mannerist style of the architecture. The pilasters are banded, small framed windows above the ground-floor, volutes prop above the entrance, and curved scrolls above the windows.
The palace remained property of the Bentivoglio family until the 19th century. For a time, it housed a tribunal in Ferrara. It now has private offices.


Begun in 1383 as the residence of merchant Francesco Datini, it was subsequently decorated by artists such as Agnolo Gaddi and Niccolò di Pietro Gerini, both internally and externally, although the latter paintings are rather damaged. It once included, in front of the current façade, a botanical garden which was among the first ones in Italy. In 1409 the palazzo was visited by Pope Alexander V and Louis II of Anjou, King of Naples.
After Datini's death, all the papers from his archive were shut in a wall of the buildings; they were discovered, nearly intact, in the 19th century and are now housed, for a total of some 150,000 documents, in the building.
Filippo Lippi's Madonna del Ceppo was once located in the palace's garden.


Palazzo Dolfin Manin is a palace in the sestiere of San Marco on the Canal Grande of Venice, northern Italy. It is located near the Palazzo Bembo and Palazzo Dandolo Paolucci, not far from the Rialto Bridge.


Antonio Doria, cousin of the Genoese Admiral Andrea Doria, after his former residence was demolished to make way to the construction of the new walls, commissioned the palace to Bernardino Cantone and, later, to Giovan Battista Castello. The area was, at the time, immersed in nature near the demolished Acquasola Gate, which the same new walls had made redundant. At the end of the 16th century, Taddeo Carlone completed the facade with the marble portal at the main entrance. In 1624 the palace passed to the Spinola family, which expanded it to the East with a richly-decorated gallery by Andrea Ansaldo, demolished in the 19th century to open via Roma. The main rooms were decorated by Giovanni and Luca Cambiaso with scenes from the Trojan War and battles between sea monsters. The palace contains a room inspired by the Gallery of Maps in the Vatican, documenting the achievements of the Doria family and, in particular, of the first owner Antonio Doria, who worked as strategist for the Spanish Crown. In 1877, the palace became the seat of the Province of Genoa and the Prefecture.


The Palazzo Grassi was designed by Giorgio Massari. The main stairwell was frescoed by Michelangelo Morlaiter and Francesco Zanchi. The ceilings were decorated by Giovanni Battista Canal and Christian Griepenkerl.


The three-floor façade of the palace is in Baroque style. It starts at a slightly higher level than the square: underneath remains can be seen of the ancient Roman Capitoline Hill, where the Piazza delle Erbe later was settled.
The first floor has five arcades between tympani. Over each arcade a window with an elegant balcony is placed, separated by Ionic semicolumns decorated by large masks.
The third floor is in the same style as the second, but with smaller windows and fake framed columns. The top of the facade is designed as a balustrade with six statues of divinities: Hercules, Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, Apollo and Minerva. The latter are cut from local marble, with the exception of the Hercules, which is believed to have come from an ancient temple once located on the Roman Capitoline Hill.
The interior is home to a bizarre helicoidal stone staircase, that leads from the underground stores all the way up to the roof.


The original stock exchange of Milan was established in 1808 in the seat of the Mount of piety of the city. The following year it was moved to the Palazzo dei Giureconsulti, in Piazza Mercanti, and at the beginning of the 20th century it was relocated again in a newly constructed building in Piazza Cordusio; this building now houses the headquarters of the Poste Italiane postal service, and has thus been renamed Palazzo della Posta ("Post Palace").
In 1925, the city authorities of Milan launched a project for a new, larger building for the stocks exchange. Architect Paolo Mezzanotte began his design in 1927, and construction works began in 1929. The ruins of a Roman theatre were discovered during the excavations, and this delayed the construction. A plaque showing the map of those ruins is now affixed on one of the outer walls of the palace.
The building was completed in 1932. At its inauguration, it qualified as the most technologically advanced building in Italy; it was the first building to implement a single call button controlling several elevators, it had air conditioning, and housed the largest electric display of the times (in Italy) where stock quotations where updated in real-time.
The building has a monumental, 36 m high facade, in a style that mixes 20th-century architecture and Neoclassicism; it is realized in marble and travertine and decorated with sculptures by Leone Lodi and Geminiano Cibau.
The main room of the Palace, called "sala delle grida" ("cries room") as businessmen would shout their offers to buy and sell, is lighted by a large net, affixed to the ceiling, which reproduces the constellations in the celestial sphere. Since the 1990s, all business is done remotely via the network, and the room has lost its original function; it is now mostly used to house conferences.


A large house was built at this site by Agnolo di Ghezzo della Casa at the end of the fourteenth century. Excavations at the site located the remains of an 11th-century bridge over the former river Mugnone. In 1618, the property was bought by Capponi, then in 1621, by  the wealthy merchant Bandino Niccolò Panciatichi, who commissioned two terraces and moved the portal.
In 1696, Cardinal Bandino Panciatichi, living in Rome, commissioned Carlo Rainaldi and Francesco Fontana to design a remodeling. The work was forwarded by Antonio Maria Ferri and Paolo Falconieri, who completed the interior in 1697.  In 1741 some rooms inside were painted by Giovanni Domenico Ferretti, Vincenzo Meucci and Pietro Anderlini, other rooms were decorated in 1750 by Niccolò Agostino Veracini and Vincenzo Torrigiani. Between 1742-1757, the palace underwent further expansion of the palace directed by Giulio Mannaioni. Around the mid-nineteenth century, the descendants of the Panciatichi moved to a palace in Borgo Pinti, and converted the rooms of the palace into apartments.
In 1910 the property was sold to Cattolica Assicurazioni, then to the National Institute of Insurance (Istituto Nazionale di Assicurazione). Rented in part in 1960 to the Education Authority, the complex was later to house the Regional Council of Tuscany, which still has its headquarters there. To this end, the building was remodeled by Franco Bonaiuti between 1972 and 1973. The palace now is connected to the adjacent Palazzo Capponi Covoni.
At one corner is an aedicule with a Madonna and Child by Desiderio da Settignano (original in the National Museum of the Bargello). At other corners are the coat of arms of the Panciatichi.


The first ministry that the building served was the Ministry for Posts and Agriculture. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs moved to the palace in October 1973. The exterior and interior of the building were subsequently restored. Approximately one hundred workers, including diplomats, work in the building. Since 2014 the building has been considered unsafe, according to appointed architects, and is in process of refurbishment.
The palace is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority. It is also listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.


Built in the second half of the 15th Century by the Bembo family, the palace soon became the residence of a branch of the noble Pisani family (the Pisani Moretta branch). The palace was renovated, modified and extended over the following centuries, finally taking on its current aspect in the 18th Century. In fact many of the valuable interior decorations date back to the 18th Century. Past guests to the palace included important historic figures such as Tsar Paul I of Russia, Joséphine de Beauharnais and Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
Palazzo Pisani Moretta remained in the Pisani family until it died out in 1880 but the building is still owned privately.
The interior rooms were decorated by Baroque artists such as Tiepolo, Jacopo Guarana, Gaspare Diziani and Giuseppe Angeli. The palace once housed, among other things, Paolo Veronese's monumental painting The Family of Darius before Alexander, which was viewed here by Goethe in 1786 (diary entry from October 8 of that year) and acquired by the National Gallery, London, in 1857, where it now hangs. The palace is said to have housed a ceiling painting called, The Chariots of Aurora by Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini (1675-1741), which was restored and installed in the Library of George Vanderbilt's Biltmore House in Asheville, NC.
It hosts an annual masquerade ball Il Ballo del Doge, held during the Carnival period.


The palace was inhabitable from December 1549, though less than half the façade was standing and would only be completed three years later, in 1552. Numerous autograph drawings by Palladio record the complex design process. They show that right from the beginning Palladio planned for two distinct, residential blocks, one to lie along the street and the other contiguous to the back wall of the courtyard. In I quattro libri dell'architettura (1570) the two blocks are interconnected by a majestic courtyard with enormous Composite columns: this is quite clearly a re-elaboration of the original idea in the interests of publication.
Compared with the Palazzo Civena, only built a few years earlier, the Palazzo Porto fully illustrates the extent of Palladio's evolution after the journey to Rome in 1541 and his acquaintance with both antique and contemporary Roman architecture. The Bramantean model of Palazzo Caprini is here reinterpreted, with Palladio observing the Vicentine custom of living on the ground floor, which is higher as a result. The splendid, four-columned atrium represents Palladio's reinterpretation of Vitruvian spaces, but one where traditional Vicentine typologies also survive.
The two rooms to the left of the atrium were frescoed by Paolo Veronese and Domenico Brusasorzi, while the stuccoes are by Bartolomeo Ridolfi. On the palace attic, the statues of Iseppo and his son Leonida, in antique Roman garb, keep watch over the entrance of visitors to their house.


The palazzo was first built by cardinal Michele Bonelli, nephew of pope Pius V, who, in 1585, acquired a pre-existing palazzo from Giacomo Boncompagni at the extremity of what was then piazza dei Santi Apostoli. Today the palazzo is separated from that piazza by via Quattro Novembre, opened later to connect the new via Nazionale with piazza Venezia. The cardinal was also the owner of a large part of the area which extended, behind the palazzo, above the ruins of the imperial fora of Trajan and Augustus, known by the name "Pantano" due to being subject to impaludamenti or flooding. Over the same years the district on the ruins of the imperial fora was subjected to a general development of the land and to a systematic urbanisation, with the creation of the "quartiere Alessandrino" in the cardinal's honour (he was nicknamed "cardinale alessandrino" after his origins in a village in the province of Alessandria). The quarter was destroyed in the 1920s and 1930s to open via dei Fori Imperiali.
The trapezoidal plan of the palazzo was designed by Domenico Paganelli. Thanks to substantial funds ploughed into the project by the cardinal, the palazzo was quickly completed within 3 years after building started.  In the 17th century the building was then subject to a series of major renovations and expansions, carried out on behalf of  cardinals Carlo Bonelli and Michele Ferdinando Bonelli.  The palazzo was partially demolished and rebuilt by Francesco Peparelli for its new owner, cardinal Renato Imperiali, who organised the important family library (the "Imperiali") of around 24,000 volumes.
At the start of the 18th century, the palazzo was leased to several prominent personalities, including marchese Francesco Maria Ruspoli from 1705 to 1713, who made it the site for a private theatre and hosted illustrious musicians of the time such as Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti and Arcangelo Corelli.  The entire building was then acquired in 1752 by cardinal Giuseppe Spinelli, who realised a new decorative scheme for the first floor and systematised the library (meant by him for public use, and frequented by Johann Joachim Winckelmann) on the ground floor.
In 1827 the Prussian banker and consul general Vincenzo Valentini acquired the palazzo, in which he settled and to which he gave his name.  The palazzo was later expanded and rebuilt at great expense, and its new owner used it to house his own collection of paintings as well as increasing the palazzo's own substantial library and archaeological collection. Completion of the works at the back of the palazzo, overlooking the column of Trajan, was entrusted to the architects Filippo Navone and Giovanni Battista Benedetti.  Between 1861 and 1865 Vincenzo's son Gioacchino Valentini commissioned two further expansions on the left side, along via di Sant'Eufemia, designed by the architect Luigi Gabet.  The provincial deputation of Rome acquired the palazzo as their base in 1873, commissioning the architect Gabet to complete the right side on via de’ Fornari, at the top of vicolo di San Bernardo.


The palace has had multiple owners over the centuries. In the 16th century, the Granacci combined a number of structures at the locale into one palace and garden. From the 16th to the 18th century it was owned by the Gaburri including by the art patron Francesco Maria Niccolò Gabburri, before being inherited by the Lotteringhi della Stufa family. In the 19th century, it was owned by the banker Michele Giuntini, who commissioned a cycle of frescoes here. From 1857 to 1979 it was owned by the Vivarelli Colonna.
The palace once had frescoes by Antonio Domenico Gabbiani, Pier Dandini, Alessandro Gherardini, and Giovanni Camillo Sagrestani, commissioned by Gaburri. Now the 19th century frescoes displayed in the first floor were completed by Angiolo Angiolini, Luigi Catani, Gasparo Martellini, Giuseppe Collignon, Francesco Nenci, and Giuseppe Bezzuoli.
The palace has a small formal Italian-style garden adorned with an 18th-century wall fountain and grotto installed by Gabburri depicting Orpheus and his lyre. The garden was restored just before the year 2000. The building is now owned by the City of Florence.


Pope Benedict in 1917 assigned the building to the newly founded Congregation for the Oriental Churches. In 1929, within the framework of the Lateran Treaties, the palace enjoyed the privileges of extraterritoriality.
In 1937, during the construction of the Via della Conciliazione, the palace was demolished, and then reconstructed until 1941 west of Palazzo Torlonia. The relocation was supervised by Giuseppe Momo, the "court architect" of Pius XI (r. 1922–39), who after 1929  reshaped the new Vatican City. Momo collaborated in the reconstruction with Marcello Piacentini and Attilio Spaccarelli (the designers of via della Conciliazione). The architects moved the palace to an area that, until the mid-19th century, had been occupied by the houses of Soderini, an early Renaissance complex. The accuracy of the reconstruction allows the consideration of the rebuilt Palazzo dei Convertendi not as a new building, but as another phase in the centuries-old life of the edifice.
From 1939, when the reconstruction was still incomplete, the palace was home to the Magistero di Maria SS. Assunta school. In 1946, the school moved to new premises, also along Via della Conciliazione. Since that date, the palace has housed several offices of the Holy See and the apartments of high-ranking prelates.


The Palazzo della Cancelleria (Palace of the Chancellery, referring to the former Apostolic Chancery of the Pope) is a Renaissance palace in Rome, Italy, situated between the present Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and the Campo de' Fiori, in the rione of Parione. It was built 1489–1513 by Baccio Pontelli and Antonio da Sangallo the Elder as a palace for Cardinal Raffaele Riario, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, and is regarded as the earliest Renaissance palace in Rome. The Palazzo houses the Papal Chancellery, is an extraterritorial property of the Holy See, and is designated as a World Heritage Site.


Designed by Pio Piacentini, it opened in 1883.  It has housed several exhibitions (e.g. Mostra della Rivoluzione Fascista, Mostra Augustea della Romanità), but was temporarily modified during the Fascist era due to its style being thought to be out of step with the times.
The building is owned by the City of Rome and the gallery is administered by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, an agency run by the City's Office for Education and Culture.
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