List of palaces

Contents

This is a list of palaces by country. For main article please see palace. See it also for the definition, what is mentioned to be a palace, and what is not.

Afghanistan

Albania

Argentina

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bangladesh

Belarus

Belgium

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Brazil

Brunei

Bulgaria

Burundi

Cambodia

Canada

Residences of provincial Lieutenant-Governors:

Chile

China

The English word "palace" is used to translated the Chinese word 宮 (pronounced "gōng" in Mandarin). This character represents two rooms connected (呂), under a roof (宀). Originally the character applied to any residence or mansion, but starting with the Qin Dynasty (3rd century BC) it was used only for the residence of the emperor and members of the imperial family. Chinese palaces are different from post-Renaissance European palaces in the sense that they are not made up of one building only (however big and convoluted the building may be), but are in fact huge spaces surrounded by a wall and containing large separated halls (殿 diàn) for ceremonies and official business, as well as smaller buildings, galleries, courtyards, gardens, and outbuildings, more like the Roman or Carolingian palatium.

List of Chinese imperial palaces, in chronological order

Apart from the main imperial palace, Chinese dynasties also had several other imperial palaces in the capital city where the empress, crown prince, or other members of the imperial family dwelled. There also existed palaces outside of the capital city called "away palaces" (離宮) where the emperors resided when traveling. The habit also developed of building garden estates in the countryside surrounding the capital city, where the emperors retired at times to get away from the rigid etiquette of the imperial palace, or simply to escape from the summer heat inside their capital. This practice reached a zenith with the Qing Dynasty, whose emperors built the fabulous Imperial Gardens (御園), now known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Brightness (圓明園), and better known in English as the Old Summer Palace. The emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and worked in the Imperial Gardens, 8 km/5 miles outside of the walls of Beijing, the Forbidden City inside Beijing being used only for formal ceremonies.

These gardens were made up of three gardens: the Garden of Perfect Brightness proper, the Garden of Eternal Spring (長春園), and the Elegant Spring Garden (綺春園); they covered a huge area of 3.5 km² (865 acres), almost 5 times the size of the Forbidden City, and 8 times the size of the Vatican City. comprising hundreds of halls, pavilions, temples, galleries, gardens, lakes, etc. Several famous landscapes of southern China had been reproduced in the Imperial Gardens, hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in the halls, making the Imperial Gardens one of the largest museum in the world. Some unique copies of literary work and compilations were also stored inside the Imperial Gardens. In 1860, during the Second Opium War, the British and French expeditionary forces looted the Old Summer Palace. Then on October 18, 1860, in order to "punish" the imperial court, which had refused to allow Western embassies inside Beijing, the British general Lord Elgin- with protestations from the French - purposely ordered to set fire to the huge complex which burned to the ground. It took 3500 British troops to set the entire place ablaze and took three whole days to burn. The burning of the Gardens of Perfect Brightness is still a very sensitive issue in China today.

Following this cultural catastrophe, the imperial court was forced to relocate to the old and austere Forbidden City where it stayed until 1924, when the Last Emperor was expelled by a republican army. Empress dowager Cixi (慈禧太后) built the Summer Palace (頤和園 - "The Garden of Nurtured Harmony") near the Old Summer Palace, but on a much smaller scale than the Old Summer Palace. There are currently some projects in China to rebuild the Imperial Gardens, but this appears as a colossal undertaking, and no rebuilding has started yet.

Colombia

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Main article: List of castles and palaces in Denmark

Egypt

see list of palaces in Egypt

Cairo

Alexandria

Estonia

Ethiopia

Finland

France

Paris

Versailles

Île-de-France

Elsewhere

Germany

See also: List of castles in Germany

German has two contrasting words, parallel to French usage: Schloss which connotes a seat that is enclosed by walls, a fastness or keep, and Palast, a more conscious borrowing, with the usual connotations of splendor. The former Holy Roman Empire, a congeries of independent territories, is filled with residences that were seats of government and had every right to be called "palace." Even the Socialist government of the former East Germany met in the Palast der Republik (built in 1976).

Baden-Württemberg

Bavaria

Berlin

Brandenburg

Hesse

Lower Saxony

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

North Rhine-Westphalia

Rhineland-Palatinate

Saxony

Thuringia

Ghana

Greece

Haiti

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Presidential palaces

Royal palaces

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Italy

See also: List of palazzi in Italy

Rome

Florence

Venice

Elsewhere

Japan

Jordan

Raghadan Palace, Amman. Royal Residence of the Hussein Family

Korea

Goguryeo

Baekje

Silla

Balhae

Taebong

Goryeo

Joseon

Kuwait

Laos

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Malta

Mexico

See also: List of castles in México

Baja California

Chihuahua

Distrito Federal

Jalisco

Nuevo León

Veracruz

Yucatán

Monaco

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nepal

The Netherlands

New Zealand

Apart from the large complex at Turangawaewae Marae located in the town of Ngaruawahia, the previous Māori Monarch Te Atairangikaahu had a home at Waahi Marae in Huntly where she lived for most of her 40 year reign with her consort Whatumoana Paki. The Māori King or Queen are required to attend 33 Poukai annually conducted at Marae loyal to the Kingitangi movement. Many of these Marae maintain residences for the Māori King or Queen for them to use during such visits.

Norway

Oman

Pakistan

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Gatchina

Moscow

Oranienbaum

Pavlovsk

Pella

Peterhof

Pushkin

Saint Petersburg

Taganrog

Tver

Rwanda

Serbia

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Sweden

Spain

Slovakia

Main article: List of palaces in Bratislava

Taiwan

Thailand

Tibet

Turkey

In Turkish, a palace is a Saray.

Turkmenistan

Ukraine

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

United States of America

Colorado

Hawai'i

Main article: List of Hawaiian royal residences

North Carolina

Puerto Rico

Virginia

Washington, D.C.

Vatican City

Venezuela

Vietnam

List of non-residential palaces

Some large impressive buildings which were not meant to be residences, but are nonetheless called palaces, include:

Note, too, the French use of the word palais in such constructions as palais des congrès (convention centre) and palais de justice (courthouse).

See also

References

  1. ^ reuters.com
  2. ^ Galbraith, William; Canadian Parliamentary Review: Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1939 Royal Visit; Vol. 12, No. 3, 1989
  3. ^ web.mit.edu
  4. ^ patrimonionacional.es