List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
List of pre-twentieth century structures by height
Name | Municipality (current) | Country (current) | Height (feet) | Height (metres) | Completed | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eiffel Tower | Paris | France | 986 | 300 | 1889 | |
New Brighton Tower | New Brighton | United Kingdom | 567 | 173 | 1900 | Tower dismantled from 1919. |
Washington Monument | Washington, D.C. | United States | 555 | 169 | 1884 | |
Mole Antonelliana | Turin | Italy | 549.54 | 167.5 | 1889 | |
Ulm Minster | Ulm | Germany | 529.92 | 161.53 | 1890 | |
Lincoln Cathedral | Lincoln | United Kingdom | 525 | 160 | 1300 | Spire destroyed in 1549. |
St. Olaf's Church | Tallinn | Estonia | 522 | 159 | 1519 | Spire destroyed in 1625. Reconstructed with 139 meter. |
Blackpool Tower | Blackpool | United Kingdom | 518 | 158 | 1894 | |
Cologne Cathedral | Cologne | Germany | 516 | 157 | 1880 | |
Yongning Pagoda (永宁宝塔) | Luoyang | China | 448 | 137[1]~154.95[2] | 516 | |
Rouen Cathedral | Rouen | France | 495 | 151 | 1876 | |
St. Mary's Church | Stralsund | Germany | 495 | 151 | 1625 | Spire destroyed 1647. Reconstructed with about 104 meter. |
Old St. Paul's Cathedral | London | United Kingdom | 493 | 150.2 | 1240 | Spire destroyed in 1561. Completely destroyed in 1666. |
St. Nikolai | Hamburg | Germany | 482 | 147 | 1874 | |
Pyramid of Khufu | Giza | Egypt | 481 | 146.6 | c. 2570 BC | The Great Pyramid. |
Pyramid of Khafre | Giza | Egypt | 475 | 143 | c. 2530 BC | |
Strasbourg Cathedral | Strasbourg | France | 472 | 142 | 1439 | Highest building between 1647 and 1876, between the St. Mary's Church spire collapse and the construction of the Rouen Cathedral. |
Halsbrücker Esse | Halsbrücke | Germany | 459 | 140 | 1889 | |
St. Peter's Basilica | Vatican City | 452 | 138 | 1626 | ||
St. Stephen's Cathedral | Vienna | Austria | 448 | c. 136.74 | 1433 | |
St. Martin's Church | Landshut | Germany | 428 | 130.6 | 1500 | Tallest brickwork tower in the world. |
Amiens Cathedral | Amiens | France | 415 | 126.6 | 1533 | |
St. Mary's | Lübeck | Germany | 410 | 125 | 1350 | Second tallest brickwork tower in the world. |
Cathedral of Our Lady | Antwerp | Belgium | 404 | 123 | 1521 | |
Salisbury Cathedral | Salisbury | United Kingdom | 404 | 123 | 1320 | |
Belltower of Peter and Paul Cathedral | Saint Petersburg | Russia | 401 | 122.5 | 1733 | |
Jetavanaramaya | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 400 | 122 | 273–301 | |
Basilica of San Gaudenzio | Novara | Italy | 397 | 121 | 1887 | |
Phra Pathommachedi | Nakhon Pathom | Thailand | 396 | 120.45 | 1870 | |
Kanishka stupa | Peshawar | Pakistan | 400 | 120 | 200 CE | Destroyed by White Huns in 460 CE. |
Pharos Lighthouse | Alexandria | Egypt | 338~387 | 103~118[3] | c. 280 BC | Destroyed by earthquakes in 1303 and 1323. |
Sint-Walburgiskerk | Zutphen | Netherlands | 384 | 117 | 16th c. | Current height: 76 m. Until 1600, the church was 117 m tall and the highest structure in the Netherlands before the 20th century. |
Potala Palace | Lhasa | China | 384 | 117 | 1694 | |
Freiburg Minster | Freiburg im Breisgau | Germany | 380.7 | 116 | c. 1330 | |
Church of Our Lady | Bruges | Belgium | 379.3 | 115.6 | c. 1465 | Third tallest brickwork tower in the world. |
Florence Cathedral | Florence | Italy | 375 | 114.5 | 1436 | |
Torrazzo of Cremona | Cremona | Italy | 369.75 | 112.7 | 1309 | |
Shwedagon Pagoda | Yangon | Myanmar | 367 | 112 | 1775 | Successively rebuilt taller: 18m (1362); 40m (1462) |
New St. Paul's Cathedral | London | United Kingdom | 365 | 111.2 | 1677 | Built after the destruction of Old St. Paul's. |
Dom Tower of Utrecht | Utrecht | Netherlands | 358 | 109 | 1382 | Restored in 1912 to reach current height of 112 metres. |
Nieuwe Kerk (Delft) | Delft | Netherlands | 356.79 | 108.75 | 1895 | |
Milwaukee City Hall | Milwaukee | United States | 353 | 108 | 1895 | |
Chaturbhuj Temple | Orchha | India | 344 | 104.8 | c. 1558 | Chaturbhuj Temple dedicated to Vishnu was the tallest structure in the Indian subcontinent from 1558 CE to 1970 CE. |
Red Pyramid | Dahshur | Egypt | 345 | 105 | c. 2600 BC | |
St. Catherine's Church | Hoogstraten | Belgium | 343.5 | 104.7 | 1548 | |
Palace of Justice | Brussels | Belgium | 341 | 104 | 1883 | |
Old City Hall (Toronto) | Toronto | Canada | 340 | 103.6 | 1899 | Largest civic building in North America prior to 20th century |
Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (Plzeň) | Plzeň | Czech Republic | 335 | 103 | c. 1480 | Construction begun in 1342. |
St Martin's Cathedral | Ypres | Belgium | 335 | 102 | 1370 | |
Giralda | Seville | Spain | 330 | 101 | 1568 | 68 m when was constructed in 1171; built it higher in 1568 |
Shwesandaw Pagoda | Bagan | Myanmar | 328+ | 100+ | c. 1057 | 100 meters tall without counting its hti spire |
St Mark's Campanile | Venice | Italy | 323 | 98.6 | 1514 | |
Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren | Amersfoort | Netherlands | 322.6 | 98.33 | 1470 | |
St Vitus Church | Hilversum | Netherlands | 321.5 | 98 | 1892 | |
St. Rumbold's Cathedral | Mechelen | Belgium | 319 | 97.28 | c. 1520 | |
Torre Asinelli | Bologna | Italy | 318.9 | 97.2 | before 1185 | |
Grote Kerk (Breda) | Breda | Netherlands | 318.24 | 97 | 1547 | |
Martinitoren | Groningen | Netherlands | 318.24 | 96.8 | c. 1550 | |
Brussels Town Hall | Brussels | Belgium | 315 | 96 | 1454 | |
Norwich Cathedral | Norwich | United Kingdom | 315 | 96 | 1480 | Building of current spire commenced |
Latting Observatory | New York City | United States | 315 | 96 | 1853 | Shortened by 75 feet in 1855; destroyed by fire in 1856. |
Martinikerk (Doesburg) | Doesburg | Netherlands | 308.5 | 94 | c. 1430 | |
Church of St Walburge, Preston | Preston | United Kingdom | 308.5 | 94 | 1873 | |
Sint-Jacobus de Meerderekerk (The Hague) | The Hague | Netherlands | 308.5 | 94 | 1878 | |
St Eusebius' Church, Arnhem | Arnhem | Netherlands | 305 | 93 | 1550 | |
Saint Vincent's Church | Eeklo | Belgium | 305 | 93 | 1883 | |
Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto) | Toronto | Canada | 305 | 92.9 | 1874 | |
Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague) | The Hague | Netherlands | 303.5 | 92.5 | 1424 | |
Ruwanwelisaya | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 300 | 92 | c. 140 BC | |
Etemenanki | Babylon | Iraq | 298.56 | 91 | c. 601 BC | Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk. Alleged to have originally been built, to an unknown height, between the 14th-9th centuries BC, then destroyed in 689 BC by Sennacherib. Rebuilt c. 600 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II. Finally demolished by Alexander the Great in 323 BC . |
Belfry of Ghent | Ghent | Belgium | 298.5 | 91 | 1380 | |
Abdijtoren | Middelburg | Netherlands | 296.6 | 90.4 | 1350–1400 | |
Shwemawdaw Pagoda | Bago | Myanmar | 295+ | 90+ | 1796 | Was 90 meters tall without counting its hti spire; raised to 114 m (without counting the hti spire height) in 1954. |
Coventry Cathedral | Coventry | United Kingdom | 295 | 90 | 1500 | |
St Bavo's Cathedral | Ghent | Belgium | 292 | 89 | 1569 | |
Torre del Mangia | Siena | Italy | 289 | 88 | 1348 | |
St Walburga Church | Oudenaarde | Belgium | 289 | 88 | 1627 | |
Westerkerk | Amsterdam | Netherlands | 285 | 87 | 1631 | |
Belfry of Mons | Mons | Belgium | 285 | 87 | 1669 | |
The Roman-Catholic Parish Church | Spišská Nová Ves | Slovakia | 285 | 87 | 1894 | |
St Medardus Church | Wervik | Belgium | 282 | 86 | 1433 | |
Grote of Sint-Clemenskerk | Steenwijk | Netherlands | 282 | 86 | 15th c. | |
Liaodi Pagoda | Dingzhou | China | 276 | 84 | 1055 | |
Cathedral of Our Lady | Aarschot | Belgium | 276 | 84 | 1337 | |
St Tillo Church | Izegem | Belgium | 276 | 84 | 1868 | |
Brooklyn Bridge | New York City | United States | 276 | 84 | 1883 | |
St Willibrordus Church, Berchem | Antwerp | Belgium | 276 | 84 | 1891 | |
St Martin's Church | Kortrijk | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1466 | |
Belfry of Bruges | Bruges | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1487 | |
Sint-Petrus' Stoel van Antiochiëkerk | Sittard | Netherlands | 272 | 83 | c. 1505 | |
St Gummarus Church | Lier | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1540 | |
Minarets of Selimiye Mosque | Edirne | Turkey | 272 | 83 | 1574 | |
Tournai Cathedral | Tournai | Belgium | 272 | 83 | 1700 | |
St. Mary's Church | Gdansk | Poland | 269 | 82 | 1502 | |
Cunerakerk | Rhenen | Netherlands | 268.4 | 81.8 | 1531 | |
Hwangryongsa | Gyeongju | South Korea | 262 | 80 | 643 | |
St. Christopher's Cathedral, Roermond | Roermond | Netherlands | 261 | 79.7 | 1663 | |
St Salvator's Cathedral | Bruges | Belgium | 259 | 79 | 1350, 1871 | |
Sint-Janskerk | Maastricht | Netherlands | 259 | 79 | 1450–1500 | |
Kutubiyya Mosque | Marrakesh | Morocco | 77 | 1195 | ||
Beisi Pagoda | Suzhou | China | 249 | 76 | 1153 | |
St Nicholas Church | Ghent | Belgium | 249 | 76 | 1300–1330 | Construction completed early in the 14th century, with further extensions during the following centuries to accommodate the growing population. |
Clérigos Church | Porto | Portugal | 248 | 75.6 | 1750 | |
Oude Kerk (Delft) | Delft | Netherlands | 246 | 75 | 1350 | |
Abayagiriya | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 245 | 74.6 | c. 103 BC | |
Mahachaitya | Amaravathi | India | 242 | 73 | c. 300 BC | Destroyed in British era |
Taj Mahal | Agra, Uttar Pradesh | India | 240 | 73 | 1653 | |
Qutb Minar | Delhi | India | 237 | 72.5 | c. 1200 | |
Temple | El Mirador | Guatemala | 236 | 72 | 300 BC | |
Minarets of Süleymaniye Mosque | Istanbul | Turkey | 236 | 72 | 1558 | |
Gonbad-e Qabus | Gonbad-e Qabus | Iran | 236 | 72 | 1006 | |
Canterbury Cathedral | Canterbury | United Kingdom | 235 | 71.6 | 1498 | |
Pyramid of the Sun | Teotihuacan | Mexico | 233.6 | 71.2 | 100 | |
Dur-Kurigalzu | Iraq | 230 | 70 | c. 1400 BC | ||
Belfry of Tournai | Tournai | Belgium | 230 | 70 | 1294 | |
Qianxun Pagoda | Dali City | China | 228 | 69.6 | 823–840 | |
Pagoda of Fogong Temple | Ying County | China | 220 | 67.3 | 1056 | |
Galata Tower | Istanbul | Turkey | 219 | 66.9 | 1348 | |
Great Pyramid of Cholula | Cholula | Mexico | 217 | 66 | 200 BC | |
Arunachaleswara Temple | Tiruvannamalai | India | 217 | 66 | 9th Century | |
Brihadiswara Temple | Thanjavur | India | 217 | 66 | 1010 AD | |
Ely Cathedral | Ely | United Kingdom | 217 | 66 | 1375 | |
Thatbyinnyu Temple | Bagan | Myanmar | 217 | 66 | 1150 | |
Angkor Wat | Angkor | Cambodia | 213 | 65 | c. 1150 | |
Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent (Tikal Pyramid IV) | Tikal | Guatemala | 212 | 64.6 | c. 741 | |
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda | Xi'an | China | 210 | 64 | 704 | |
Minarets of Sultan Ahmed Mosque | Istanbul | Turkey | 210 | 64 | 1616 | |
Notre-Dame Basilica | Montreal | Canada | 200 | 60 | 1843 | |
Liuhe Pagoda | Hangzhou | China | 196 | 59.89 | 1165 | |
Mirisawetiya Vihara | Anuradhapura | Sri Lanka | 192 | 58.5 | c. 161 BC | |
Leaning Tower of Pisa | Pisa | Italy | 191.47 | 58.36 | 1372 | |
Pagoda of Tianning Temple | Beijing | China | 189 | 57.8 | 1100–1120 | |
Tikal Pyramid V | Tikal | Guatemala | 187 | 57 | c. 700 | |
Hagia Sophia Cathedral | Istanbul | Turkey | 184 | 56.1 | 537 | |
El Tigre | El Mirador | Guatemala | 183 | 55.8 | 100 | |
Calakmul | Mexico | 180.4 | 55 | 100 | ||
Temple of the Jaguar Priest (Tikal Pyramid III) | Tikal | Guatemala | 180.4 | 55 | c. 810 | |
Washington Monument | Baltimore | United States | 178 | 54.4 | 1829 | |
Salta | Argentina | 177 | 54 | 1877 | ||
Ananda Temple | Bagan | Myanmar | 167+ | 51+ | 1105 | 51 meters tall without counting its hti spire |
Huaca del Sol | Trujillo | Peru | 164 | 50 | 450 | |
Htupayon Pagoda | Sagaing | Myanmar | 161+ | 49+ | 1851/52 | 49 meters tall without counting its hti spire; originally built in 1444–1454; now raised to 61.5 m (since 2016) |
Kalyan Minaret | Bukhara | Uzbekistan | 157+ | 48 | 1127 | One of the few monuments that survived Mongol conquest of Central Asia |
Colosseum | Rome | Italy | 157 | 48 | 80 | |
Temple of the Great Jaguar (Tikal Pyramid I) | Tikal | Guatemala | 154 | 47 | 740–750 | |
Templo Mayor | Mexico City | Mexico | c. 150 | c. 45 | 1325 | Destroyed in 1521. |
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus | Bodrum | Turkey | 148 | 45 | c. 350 BC | |
Cathedral of Córdoba | Córdoba | Argentina | 148 | 45 | 1787 | |
Zvartnots Cathedral | Zvartnots | Armenia | 148 | 45 | 652 | |
Hassan Tower | Rabat | Morocco | 144 | 44 | 1199 | |
Pyramid of the Moon | Teotihuacan | Mexico | 141 | 43 | 100 | |
Temple of the Masks (Tikal Pyramid II) | Tikal | Guatemala | 138 | 42 | c. 700 | |
El Castillo | Xunantunich | Belize | 130 | 40 | 600 | |
St. Ignatius Church | Buenos Aires | Argentina | 130 | 40 | 1722 | |
Great Pyramid of La Venta | La Venta | Mexico | 110 | 34 | c. 900 BC | |
Colossus of Rhodes | Rhodes | Greece | 110 | 33.5 | c. 280 BC | |
High Temple | Lamanai | Belize | 108 | 33 | 400–100 BC |
See also[]
- History of the tallest buildings in the world
References[]
- ^ "北魏洛阳永宁寺塔基遗址新出土的彩绘泥塑造像". 手机360doc (in Chinese). 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
- ^ "关于北魏洛阳永宁寺塔复原的再研究". 道客巴巴 (in Chinese). October 24, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ McKenzie, Judith (2011). The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt: 300 BC – AD 700. Yale University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0300170948.
Categories:
- Lists of tallest structures
- Architectural history lists
- History of construction