Your city´s oldest buildings?

[Mr Bricks]

So what´s you city´s oldest buildings? buildings, houses, churches, castles etc..

Helsinki was founded in 1550 but the buildings back then were built of wood and there is nothing left today. Helsinki also lacks an "old town" so typical for many European cities. The oldest buildings in the capital today are situated in Alexander street on right side of Senate square.

The oldest in that area is Sederholm House which is a stone building built in 1757.




Another old building (built in 1764) in the corner of Alexander street and Sofia street.



Then there is the Pyhän Laurin kirkko which was originally built in 1460 but was destroyed by fire in 1893 and restored in 1894. The belfry was built in the 17th century, and the original wooden upper part was replaced with the new brick part in the 1850s. The church is the oldest building around Helsinki area.

[Marco_]

de oude Kerk (old Church) build in 1306


het houten huys (wooden house) +/- 1450

[Novak]

I think it is the wooden church of Ahlainen, completed in 1796. The city of Pori (Finland) itself was established in 1558, but because of the many fires that destroyed the city over and over again, there aren't left any very old building.

[wjfox]

In London, the oldest structure is the remains of the old London Wall which surrounded the City and dates back to Roman times.








The oldest fully intact building is the Tower of London, which was founded in the 11th century and stands on the northern bank of the River Thames, next to Tower Bridge -













Another (very) old structure is Westminster Hall, which forms part of the Houses of Parliament. This dates back to 1097. Westminster Hall is one of the largest halls in Europe with an unsupported roof; it measures 21 by 73m.

[Stifler]

My town was founded around 1000 A.C.

Iglesia de los Padres, a romanic church built in the 12th century.



Another church (Iglesia de Sabugo), this one from the 13th century



And the oldest civil building: Palacio de Valdecarzana. A 14th century's gotic palace.

[Slartibartfas]

I really dont know when Vienna was founded. It really depedns upon your definition. Personally I would say in the 1st century AD by the Romans (they called it "Vindobona"). Under their rule it really became a large city for that time within a few hundred years. (around 40.000 inhabitants). After the fall of the Roman empire it got quite depopulated, but its said, that allways a rest settlement remained (coins and graves from that time were found) and in the 9th century it is allready officially mentioned again. One could however argue that its even older. After all the Roman name Vindobona was just a modification of the name of the celtic settlement that existed there before.


Ruprechtskirche is supposed to be the oldest church in Vienna. Most likely it was built between 796 and 829 AD





I guess the following does not count as its far from being intact anymore, but the oldest structures in Vienna are the roman ruins at the Michaelerplatz directly in front of the imperial palace.


(allthough these walls are a mixture out of the centuries, a considerable part orginiates from roman ages.)


The largest very old structure is the Stephans Cathedral. Its located in the very heart of Vienna and the oldest parts date back to the 12th century. (namely the main portal + the two towers beneath it on the left side of the picture) The rest of the exteriour was finished in its current form within the next 400 years. Interestingly the material the oldest parts of the cathedral are made of are stones from the Roman ruins.

[Crownsteler]

Well, the oldest building in Leiden is (almost certainly) the Burcht (which means stronghold) in the center of town.

It was build in 12th century (+- 1150)

Another old building is the Gravensteen, build in the 13th century as a refuge for the counts of Holland

(best picture I can find, the 13th century part is in the center)

[Mr Bricks]

Impressive! Ruprechtskirche looks very old.

Btw. Are there any "normal" buildings in London that are very old?

[Unsing]

Sangedatsu Gate of Zojoji Temple (1622)
The temple itself was founded in the 9th century. The other buildings of the temple were destroyed by 1945 bombing.

[sjinadasa]

In Colombo (Sri Lanka) the oldest buildings might be

The Galle Face Hotel- Built in 1864 known as Asia's Emerald on the Green and is believed to be the oldest hotel east of the Suez Canal.



Cargills and Millers departmental store -Sri Lanka's and one of the world's first supermarketing and department stores dating back to the mid-19th Century


(red building)

Old Parliament -





More Colonial (19th Century) Buildings in the city



There are many buildings built around 1800s in the city i cant find the pictures of and since the city was founded during that time most of the buildings only date back to the 19th century . But the oldest buildings in the country dates back more than 2000years.

[wjfox]

Originally Posted by SuomiPoika

Btw. Are there any "normal" buildings in London that are very old?

Below is a list of the oldest surviving buildings I could find in London (from before the Great Fire of 1666). I'm sure there are plenty of houses or "normal" buildings which could be added here, but these are some of the more well-known buildings. Most of them are churches -


London Wall (Roman ruins)
Tower of London (1078)
Westminster Hall (1097)
St Dunstan-in-the-East (1100’s)
St Bartholomew-the-Great (1100’s)
Temple Church (1100’s)
St Helen Bishopsgate (1200’s)
Winchester Palace (1220)
Southwark Cathedral (1220)
Westminster Abbey (some parts date from the 1300’s)
Leadenhall Market (1300’s)
All Hallows Staining (1320)
St Sepulchre-without-Newgate (1400’s)
St Ethelburga's Bishopsgate (1411)
Guildhall (1411)
Lambeth Palace (1440)
St Olave Hart Street (c.1450)
Eltham Palace (parts date from the 1470's)
Hampton Court Palace (early 1500's)
Croydon Palace (some parts date from the 1500’s)
St. Margaret's, Westminster (1523, orig. 12th century)
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese pub (originally 1530's, rebuilt 1667)
Hall Place (1530’s)
St Andrew Undershaft (1532)
St Giles-without-Cripplegate (c.1550)
Syon House (1550’s)
The "George Inn" Pub (1600’s)
Fenton House (1600’s)
Holland House (parts date from 1605)
Ham House (1610)
Banqueting House (1620's)
St Katherine Cree (1631)
Down House (1650)
Burlington House (parts date from the 1660's)

[Erebus555]

For Birmingham:
Blakesley Hall - Built in 1590.


Old Crown Inn - Date unknown but could date to 1300s.


Saracen's Head Pub - Built in 1490


Aston Hall


Saint Pauls Church - 1777


Selly Manor - 1300s


Weoley Castle - 12th Century


Perry Bridge - 1700s


There are the ruins of a Roman Fort at Metchley Park and Icknield Street went through Birmingham. There are the remnants of roman roads in Sutton Park too. They look like scars from space.

[cristianocani]

In Cagliari (Sardinia - Italy) the olest structures are:


The Phoenician necropolis of "Tuvixeddu" (VIII sec. A.C.) - The largest necopolis of mediterranean area:









The Roman amphiteatre (and more other structures - I sec. B.C.)







Tha Byzantine Basilica of "San Saturnino" (V sec. B.C.)







The Elephant's tower (Pisa's domination - 1307)

[Taller, Better]

Toronto is not an old city by European standards, or even by the standards of the Eastern seaboard of America, but our oldest building is a modest log cabin from 1793:



our oldest lighthouse, from 1808:



our oldest banking building, from 1827:



our oldest pub, from 1832:



and Osgoode Hall, from around the same time:



May I say what a fascinating thread this is, and I hope we see lots more pictures from cities all over the world!!

[mdiederi]

In Las Vegas, Nevada, the adobe Old Mormon Fort, originally built in 1855, is the oldest "restored" structure and it's in the downtown area, just north of the freeway on Las Vegas Boulevard, in front of the Cashman baseball stadium. Only a couple of the original adobe walls remain and the rest is recreated.

The Kyle Ranch, established by Conrad Kiel in 1875, is actually the oldest fully extant building, is also adobe and includes a cemetery, but the stupid idiots in charge, who were supposed to turn it into a park and restore the structures, have closed it to the public and allowed industrial development to encroach on the site and also allowed dumping directly on the site and allowed the structures to decay. I think they should be thrown in jail. We don't have much early history here, and now we have even less.

Kiel Ranch news story
http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story....av=menu102_1_4

Mormon Fort
http://parks.nv.gov/olvmf.htm
http://www.cr.nps.gov/NR/TWHP/wwwlps/lessons/122fort/
http://www.friendsofthefort.org/html/default.view

Kyle Ranch
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Ranch
http://dcnr.nv.gov/markers/mark_224.htm
http://www.clan.lib.nv.us/content.asp?id=413


Southern Nevada History
http://www.1st100.com/part1/fremont.html

[El_Greco]

Originally Posted by SuomiPoika

Btw. Are there any "normal" buildings in London that are very old?

Some hidden gems :

Lincoln's Inn (Late 15th Century)
Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge (1543)
Old Curiosity Shop (1567)
Staple Inn (1586)
Gray's Inn (Late 16th Century)
Prince Henry's Room (1611)
Charlton House (1612)
Apothecaries' Hall (1617)
Church Farmhouse (1660)
Spaniards Inn (16th Century)

[Dallas star]

In chicago its the water tower

[TheKansan]

Rather than show the oldest structure in KC (which is probably some old wooden house, I will show the oldest high-rise. At 13 floors, 55 meters and constructed in 1888, it is the oldest high-rise in the city.

[Dallas star]

I bet Dubais oldest building is from like 2000 lol

[Cobain]

Madrid was founded at some point in the 9th century.

The oldest ruins of the city are the medieval city walls, which date from the 10th century.




The oldest standing building in Madrid is the San Nicolas church, which dates from the 12th century.




Then we've got the San Pedro church (15th century) and the Casa de los Lujanes (1400-1410, picture below)




Other old buildings in Madrid are the House of the Seven Chimneys (Casa de las Siete Chimeneas) from 1577




The Segovia Bridge (Puente de Segovia) finished in 1584.




Or The Bishop's Chapel (Capilla del Obispo) from 1535.




However, to be precise the oldest and most magical building in Madrid is the Temple of Debod (Templo de Debod) which was build in 200-180 BC. In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat it posed to certain monuments and archeological sites, UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical patrimony. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple to Spain in 1968. (source: Wikipedia)