Plaza Mayor
The Plaza Mayor was built during the Hapsburg period and is a central plaza in the city of Madrid, Spain. It is located only a few Spanish blocks away from another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape, measuring 129 by 94 meters, and is surrounded by three-story residential buildings having 237 breathtaking balconies facing the Plaza. It has a total of nine entrance ways. The Casa de la Panadería, serving municipal and cultural functions, dominates the Plaza Mayor.
Plaza De Mayo
The Plaza de Mayo is the main square in the Monserrat barrio of central Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is flanked by Hipólito Yrigoyen, Balcarce, Rivadavia and Bolívar streets. Since being the scene of the 25 May 1810 revolution that led to independence, the plaza has been a hub of political life in Argentina.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London, England, United Kingdom built around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. It is in the borough of the City of Westminster. At its center is Nelson’s Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art. The square is also used for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year’s Eve.
The Zocalo
The Zócalo is the main plaza or square in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City. The plaza used to be known simply as the “Main Square” or “Arms Square,” and today its formal name is Plaza de la Constitución (Constitution Square). This name does not come from any of the Mexican constitutions that have governed the country but rather from the Cádiz Constitution which was signed in Spain in 1812. However, it is almost always called the Zócalo today. Plans were made to erect a column as a monument to Independence, but only the base, or zócalo, was ever built. The plinth was destroyed long ago but the name has lived on. Many other Mexican towns and cities, such as Oaxaca and Guadalajara, have adopted the word zócalo to refer to their main plazas, but not all.
Grand Place
The Grand Place is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city’s Town Hall, and the Bread-house. The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis. It measures 68 by 110 metres (223 by 360 ft), and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Old Town Square
Old Town Square is a historic square in the Old Town quarter of Prague in the Czech Republic. Located between Wenceslas Square and the Charles Bridge, Prague’s Old Town Square is often bursting at the seams with tourists in the summer. Featuring various architectural styles including the gothic Týn Church and baroque St. Nicholas Church, the square is an oasis for travelers wearied by Prague’s narrow streets. Among many churches, tourists may find the Astronomical Clock on this square, while the tower at the Old Town Hall offers a panoramic view of Old Town shop.The square’s center is home to a statue of religious reformer Jan Hus, who for his beliefs was burned at the stake in Constance. The statue known as the Jan Hus Memorial was erected on July 6, 1915 to mark the 500th anniversary of his death.
Piazza San Marco
Piazza San Marco, is the principal public square of Venice, Italy, where it is generally known just as “the Piazza”. All other urban spaces in the city (except the Piazzetta and the Piazzale Roma) are called “campi” (fields). The Piazzetta (the ‘little Piazza’) is an extension of the Piazza towards the lagoon in its south east corner (See plan). The two spaces together form the social, religious and political centre of Venice and are commonly considered together. A remark usually attributed to Napoleon calls the Piazza San Marco “the drawing room of Europe”. (The attribution to Napoleon is unproven). It is one of the few great urban spaces in Europe where human voices prevail over the sounds of motorized traffic.
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate (Gate of Heavenly Peace) located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world (440,000 m² – 880m by 500m). It has great cultural significance as it was the site of several important events in Chinese history. Outside China, the square is best known in recent memory as the focal point of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, a pro-democracy movement which ended on 4 June 1989 with the declaration of martial law in Beijing by the government and the death of several hundred civilians.
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. Times Square, iconified as “The Crossroads of the World” and the “The Great White Way”, is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway theater district, one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world’s entertainment industry. According to Travel + Leisure magazine’s October 2011 survey, Times Square is the world’s most visited tourist attraction, bringing in over 39 million visitors annually. Formerly named Long-acre Square, Times Square was renamed in April 1904 after The New York Times moved its headquarters to the newly erected Times Building, which is now called One Times Square and is the site of the annual ball drop on New Year’s Eve.
Saint Peter’s Square
Saint Peter’s Square is located directly in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome (the Piazza borders to the East the rione of Borgo). The square is actually round, with the perimeter marked by two huge colonnades. The roofs of these colonnades are supported by four rows of Doric columns 60-feet tall. The ellipse symbolizes Saint Peter’s, the mother church of Christianity, embracing the world. At the center of the square is an Egyptian obelisk brought to Rome by Caligula in 38 from the town of Heliopolis, on the Nile Delta. It was part of Nero’s Circus where Saint Peter was crucified, and where construction on Saint Peter’s began in 324. The obelisk was moved to its present location by Pope Sixtus V. While being positioned it almost fell over.
Piazza del Campo
Piazza del Campo is the principal public space of the historic center of Siena, Tuscany, Italy and is regarded as one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares. It is renowned worldwide for its beauty and architectural integrity. The Palazzo Pubblico and its Torre del Mangia, as well as various palazzi signorili surround the shell-shaped piazza. At the northwest edge is the Fonte Gaia. The twice-a-year horse-race, Palio di Siena, is held around the edges of the piazza.
Jamaa el Fna
Jamaa el Fna is a square and market place in Marrakesh‘s medina quarter (old city). The origin of its name is unclear: Jemaa means “congregational mosque” in Arabic, probably referring to a destroyed Almoravid mosque. “Fanâ’” or “finâ’” can mean “death” or “a courtyard, space in front of a building.” Thus, one meaning could be “The mosque or assembly of death,” or “The Mosque at the End of the World”. A more likely explanation is that it refers to a mosque with a distinctive courtyard or square in front of it. The place remains the main square of Marrakesh, used by locals and tourists. During the day it is predominantly occupied by orange juice stalls, youths with chained Barbary apes, water sellers in colorful costumes with traditional leather water-bags and brass cups, and snake charmers who will pose for photographs for tourists.
The Main Market Square
The Main Market Square in Kraków is the most important market square of the Old Town in Kraków, Poland and a principal urban space located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century, and – at roughly 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²) – it is the largest medieval town square in Europe. Rynek Glówny is a spacious square surrounded by historical townhouses (kamienice), palaces and churches. The center of the square is dominated by the Sukiennice (the Cloth Hall or Drapers’ Hall), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style, topped by a beautiful attic or Polish parapet decorated with carved masks. On one side of the Sukiennice is the Town Hall Tower , on the other the 10th century Church of St. Wojciech (St. Adalbert’s) and 1898 Adam Mickiewicz Monument. Rising above the square are the Gothic towers of St. Mary’s Basilica (Kosciól Mariacki).
Red Sqaure
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod. As major streets of Moscow radiate from here in all directions, being promoted to major highways outside the city, Red Square is often considered the central square of Moscow and all of Russia. The square was meant to serve as Moscow’s main marketplace. It was also used for various public ceremonies and proclamations, and occasionally as the site of coronation for Russia’s Tsars. The square has been gradually built up since that point and has been used for official ceremonies by all Russian governments since it was established.
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