The richest palace in the world. The largest palaces in the world

Residence of the Sultan of Brunei

The Istana Nurul Iman Palace (Palace of Light) is rightfully considered the largest palace in the world, the dimensions of which are simply amazing: the total area of ​​​​all its premises is 200 thousand square meters, on which there are 1788 different rooms and halls. In addition, it is not only a home, but also the current working residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah. This is still quite new of all the existing residences of the monarchs, its construction was completed only in 1984.

Palace decoration

The palace was designed by the famous Filipino architect Leonardo Locsin. He managed to create such a project in which the ultra-modern building looks like a real magical palace from oriental tale. Only the Sultan's garage occupies an area of ​​one square kilometer, where 153 cars can be freely accommodated, among which are the most expensive car models from around the world. The total number of cars of the Sultan reached almost 5 thousand pieces, and among them there are cars made by order of the monarch himself in a single copy.

Also, a very large and expensive collection of paintings by famous painters is stored in the chambers of the palace, among which, for example, a painting by Renoir, which was bought by the Sultan back in 1980 for a lot of money - 70 million dollars.

Palace for the Sultan and his relatives

The palace is built on the banks of the Sungey-Brunei, 4 km from the very center of the capital of Brunei. The Sultan himself, most of his relatives, live permanently on the territory of the palace, and they also receive guests here. A significant part of the building is occupied by government offices and the throne room. Thus, the government of the country is also conducted from this palace.

Palace for tourists and parishioners

The huge banquet hall can accommodate 4,000 people at the same time. And the mosque, built on the territory of the palace, can accommodate about 1.5 thousand parishioners.

Throughout the year, the palace is open for visits by tourists and local residents only three days, during the main Muslim holidays.

It is rather difficult to determine exactly which palace in the world is the largest, since representatives of different countries claim that they have the “most-most” palace. IN different countries palaces have different purposes: somewhere it is a building that is used as a royal residence, somewhere it is the official residence of the head of state, and sometimes it is the residence of the holy fathers. In this review, the most beautiful and famous palaces from around the world.

1. Royal Palace in Brussels

Situated in front of the Brussels Park in the center of the Belgian capital, the Royal Palace of Brussels is the official residence of the King and Queen of Belgium. Palace designed in neoclassical architectural style, has an area of ​​over 33,000 square meters.

2. Windsor Castle

Built back in the 11th century after the Norman invasion of England, Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world, and also the longest in use. royal palace in Europe. The castle, which combines original Gothic elements and Victorian design, has an area of ​​55,000 sq. m.

3. Winter Palace

4. Palace in Caserta

5. Royal Palace in Stockholm

6. Palace of Versailles

7. Topkapi Palace

8. Prague Castle

9. Buckingham Palace

Located in the Westminster area of ​​central London, Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. The palace has 775 rooms, big garden on 16 hectares, and its total area is 77,000 square meters. m.

10. Royal Palace of Madrid

Completed in 1755, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish royal family, but is only used for state ceremonies. With its incredible number of rooms (3,418), this building is currently the largest functioning palace in Europe. Its area is 135,000 sq. m.

11. Forbidden City

12. Apostolic Palace

13. Istana Nurul Iman

14. Louvre

15. Palace of Parliament

It turns out that in order to be interesting, a place or building does not have to be famous and visited at all. There is in this world at least

Often the residences of the heads of state are located in historically significant buildings, the architecture of which is particularly beautiful. After all, the presidential palace is the first thing high-ranking guests see when they arrive in the country. Where are the most beautiful residences - read in our material

White House (USA)

The White House is probably one of the most famous buildings in the world. However, the residence in which almost all the presidents of the United States lived and worked was not always called that. The construction of the building ended in 1800, and until 1901 it was officially called the “Presidential Palace” or “Presidential Mansion”.

Palace of Nations (Tajikistan)

Another snow-white building of national importance is located in Dushanbe and is called Kokhi Millat. Here, President Emomali Rahmon receives official guests and resolves state issues. However, getting inside common man you won’t succeed: you can only look at the palace from the side - for example, walking along the square, where one of the highest flagpoles in the world is installed.

Akorda (Kazakhstan)

The residence of Nursultan Nazarbayev is one of the most significant buildings in Astana. Despite the fact that the palace was built in just three years, Akorda has taken an important place in the life of the capital and even entered the list of the most beautiful presidential palaces in the world. Unlike the Palace of Nations, Akorda can be viewed from the inside, but only on those days when the head of state is away, and only with an official tour.

Presidential Palace (UAE)

The new palace of President Khalifa Nahyan is located in the capital of the United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi. The building is still under construction. The palace complex will include a main building with conference rooms, press rooms, dining areas and more, as well as two separate wings - for Supreme Council and to house ministers.

Prague Castle (Czech Republic)

On this moment the fortress is the residence of the President of the Czech Republic, and once the kings and emperors of the Roman Empire were located here. Prague Castle is considered the largest residence in the world. One of its brightest ceremonies is the solemn changing of the guard, which takes place daily. Prague Castle is open to tourists: appreciate the scale of the big castle You can buy a tour ticket.

Kremlin Palace (Russia)

The Moscow Kremlin is the main attraction of the city and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This active fortress is considered the largest in Europe.

It is possible to get into the residence: there is a museum-reserve on the territory of the palace, which organizes excursions around the Moscow Kremlin.

Palace complex "Oguzhan" (Turkmenistan)

Oguzhan replaced the old presidential palace. The construction of the complex took three years, and the incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov became its first owner. The palace has many halls for receiving officials. In addition, there are separate rooms for press conferences and various cultural events.

Unity Palace (Cameroon)

The residence of the President of Cameroon is located in the capital of the republic - Yaounde. Surrounded by green spaces, on one of the hills rises the Unity Palace - a bright architectural structure Cameroon. It represents high building surrounded by rectangular columns. And immediately opposite is a beautiful fountain complex.

Taiwan Presidential Palace

The residence of the President of the Republic of China is located in Taipei. Beautiful building of red and white brick was built in 1919 and previously served as the home of the Governor General of Taiwan. The building was bombed, but was successfully restored and in 1950 it was officially declared the presidential palace.

Presidential Palace in Ghana

The flagpole house, located in Accra, the capital of Ghana, is officially the residence of the president. The building was renovated and reopened in 2008. Now the current president of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, lives and works there.

Based on site materials

Nansach Palace (Incomparable)

The great monarch Henry VIII could not bear the thought of considering himself a less powerful monarch than his continental rivals. And so, he decided to build a palace that would be equal to him in status.

To date, nothing remains of the palace, except for fragments invested in other buildings (it stood from 1538 to 1682).

The ninth place in the list of the most famous palaces in the world is the Golden House of Nero - palace and park complex owned by the Roman emperor Nero. This is one of the largest urban residences of monarchs ever built in Europe.

Alhambra

The Alhambra Palace is a famous architectural and park ensemble located in the city of Granada in Southern Spain, served as a residence for the Muslim Nasrid dynasty. The palace was built in typical Moorish style and decorated with intricate stonework.

The Winter Palace is located in the city of St. Petersburg, was the official winter residence of Russian emperors. The palace has 1084 rooms, 1945 windows, 117 stairs (including secret ones). The height of the Winter Palace is 23.5 meters. It is interesting that in the basements and premises of the State Hermitage about 50 cats are officially serving.

Blenheim Palace is the family estate of the Dukes of Marlborough, built in 1705-1724. It is one of the largest palace and park ensembles in England. Located on the outskirts of Woodstock in Oxfordshire. In the walls of the palace in 1874, a descendant of the duke, Winston Churchill, was born. Today, the 11th Duke of Marlborough and his family occupy the eastern wing of the palace complex.

Potala

Potala Palace - royal palace and Buddhist temple complex, located in the city of Lhasa in Tibet, was the traditional residence of the Dalai Lama. Considered the tallest palace in the world. The total area of ​​the palace complex is 360 thousand square meters. At present, the Potala is a "synthesis" of two palaces built in different time. Today the palace is the most popular tourist place in Tibet.

In fourth place in the ranking of the most famous and incredible palaces peace is Imperial Palace, which is the main and official residence of the Japanese emperors. The total area of ​​this castle, together with the gardens, is 7.41 square meters. km. Although it is perhaps the least impressive palace on this list, which only has two floors, it is worth more than the cost of the entire state of California in the US.

Schönbrunn Palace is located in the western part of the city of Vienna, Austria. The palace has 1441 rooms, of which only 40 are open to tourists. On the territory there are gardens with labyrinths more than one and a half kilometers long, as well as the oldest zoo in the world.

When Mozart was six years old, he played for the Empress Maria Theresa in the "Hall of Mirrors" of this castle.

For five hundred years, the Forbidden City served as a residence for many Chinese emperors. It is located in the heart of Beijing and is the largest surviving palace complex in the world - 720 thousand square meters. (almost twice the size of the Vatican). IN forbidden city there are 8707 rooms (according to legend - 9999).

Versailles

Versailles is considered the most famous palace in the world. This palace and park ensemble located just a short drive from Paris, France. The famous palace was originally built as hunting lodge for King Louis XIII. But since 1661, the "sun king" wanted to expand the palace in order to use it as his permanent residence. The palace survived the French Revolution and today is one of the most popular attractions in the country.

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The palace is a monumental building that has housed royal families or heads of state, high-ranking dignitaries and bishops. The word itself comes from "prince's court". Over time, the most important public buildings began to be called palaces.

The earliest known are the royal residences of the Egyptian pharaohs at Thebes (in Karnak). IN East Asia, in Thailand, Japan and China, the imperial chambers consisted of many low pavilions surrounded by a huge garden, in contrast to the single building of medieval Europe.

Palaces of Europe

In France there was a clear distinction between palaces and castles. The palace has always been located in the city, as the royal residence of the Palais de la Cite, or popes in Avignon. The castle, on the contrary, is in the countryside, and had fortifications. An exception can be called - the residence of the king of France outside the city, but on French this estate is called Château de Versailles, and the official residence was the Louvre, devoid of defensive architecture, as it was completely surrounded by the city. Bishops also had palaces in the city and castles in the provinces. The same division was in Italy, Spain, Austria. IN Germany the distinction was not always respected.

IN England, by tacit agreement, there were no restrictions on the use of the name from the location. However, not everyone could be so majestically named as the residence of the British monarchs. So, the Beaulieu Palace got its name when it was acquired by Henry VIII. Blenheim Palace was built on the site of an abandoned royal estate in Woodstock, thanks to which he inherited the honor of bearing such a name. Set in the countryside, it clearly demonstrated that the "palace" had no specific urban restrictions in England.

IN Italy any urban mansion built with pomp was called a palace. It was not at all necessary to be a nobleman, many ancient mansions in Venice belonged to the patrician class. In the Middle Ages, they were also used as warehouses, commercial establishments, or residences.

palaces Spain amaze with their splendor. One of them is the Royal House in Madrid. Its decor and design is definitely a must see when traveling in Spain. Architecture is unparalleled: it seems to have absorbed the talent of thousands of architects of all known styles. The Royal Apartments amaze not only with their beauty, but also with their size. It is the largest palace in Europe with nearly 3,000 rooms. Currently, it is open to tourists, and the royal family lives in the small estate of Zarzuela. Special attention deserve Seville Alcazar(an elegant mixture of Moorish and European styles), the Alhambra, royal residence Aranjuez.

palaces Ukraine appeared much later. The rulers built estates for themselves in the form of castles and estates, following the architectural traditions of Europe. A striking example- - the estate of the Russian Emperor Alexander III in french style the time of Louis XIII. By order of Count Vorontsov, an English architect designed a mixture of Scottish and English Gothic with Moorish architecture. Razumovsky's estate - a large architectural and park complex - was built according to the project of Cameron. The Potocki Palace - one of the largest in Europe in the classical style - was designed by the French architect La Croix, interior decoration- Dutchman Merckx.

Palaces of Asia

IN China an excellent example of traditional architecture is the imperial residence in the center of Beijing, the largest residential complex in the world. Other examples: summer residence, in the suburbs of Beijing, and Mukden in Shenyang. Presidential palace in Nanjing displays European-influenced architecture. Unlike the massive buildings of Europe, the palaces and castles of China consist of many large and small buildings with parks and courtyards.

India became the birthplace of a large number of palaces and vast empires. The history of India has many dynasties that ruled in different parts of the country. Although most of the buildings from the ancient period have been destroyed, some medieval buildings have been restored. These magnificent buildings are an example of the great achievements of architects and engineers of that time. Floating flowers in huge fountains and magnificent pools, Doric columns, decorative brackets and stairs, pouring light in large windows - in India there are the most interesting ancient fortresses and palaces with truly royal grandeur, splendor and splendor. The Rajputs ("sons of the rajah") were known as brave soldiers who preferred to die rather than be captured. They were also great connoisseurs of art and brilliant builders.