Catherine Palace in st Petersburg Russia

Catherine Palace

palacio de las artes reina sofía in valencia spain

Queen Sofía Palace of the Arts is the final structure built of a grand City of Arts and Sciences concept designed by the Valencia-born and internationally known architect Santiago Calatrava, which began in 1995, and it was opened on 8 October 2005.
The building rises 14 stories above ground and includes three stories below ground, and height is 75 metres (246 ft), being the tallest opera house in the world. Under the expansive curved-roof structure, 230 m (755 ft) in length, the 40,000 m² (431,000 sq ft) building contains four auditoriums:

• The Sala Principal (Main Hall) seats 1,700 people and functions primarily for opera, but it may be converted for dance and other performing arts. The hall has four tiers of seating, a stage equipped with all major facilities, and the third largest orchestra pit in the world, being capable of housing 120 musicians.

The building suffered a number of incidents after its opening, which hampered initial productions. The first of these was the collapse of the main stage platform while it was bearing the complete set of Jonathan Miller's production of Don Giovanni in December 2006. That forced the Palau to cancel the last performance of La Bohème and all of La Belle et la Bête, and meant that the management had to reschedule the remainder of the inaugural opera season. In November 2007, the entire cultural complex suffered a series of floods. The recently re-built stage platform was paralysed once again because almost 2 m (7 ft) of water entered the lower floors of the building and wrecked the electronics and the motors of the complex stage equipment, forcing the management to re-schedule the season again, delaying the premiere of Carmen and canceling the opera 1984.
The Auditorium is located above the Main Hall. It seats 1,500 people and its facilities include sound and video systems capable of projecting displays of events taking place in venues below it. Officially given to the managing trust during the 2007–2008 season, it is a spectacular venue with multiple uses, from classical music concerts to political rallies. 
Aula Magistral is capable of seating 400 people and is used for chamber music performances and conferences. 
Martí i Soler Theatre was constructed below the base of the Palau's plume ^[ and seats 400 people. It shall be used for theatre productions and as a training centre for the main auditoria. This hall suffered vast damage during the 2007 flooding and its opening was delayed. No equipment had been installed before the flooding, however, so the estimated cost for reconstruction was much lower than it would have been shortly thereafter.

Royal Palace

                                                  Royal Palace of Madrid.spain
                                                          

Dolmabahce Palace

                                           Dolmabahce Palace Istanbul, Turkey
                                                    History

Dolmabahace` actually means `the filled garden`. The Palace is built on land reclaimed from the Bosphorus, hence it got its name of Dolmabahace. The famous painter Melling visited Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Mahmut II and the wooden palace, which originally stood there, is represented in many of his prints. After Mahmut II, Sultan Abdulmecit came to stay there and he ordered the palace to be rebuilt in a western fashion, giving its present form. He employed the services of the Armenian architect Nikogos Balyan to complete this enormous task, which was completed between 1843 and 1856.

The affluence of the western world brought by Industrial revolution had influenced Abdulmecit to adopt a lavish lifestyle. From that perspective, the Dolmabahce Palace was a true reflection of the times in its splendor and glamour.
Sultan Abdulmecit shifted to the Dolmabahce Palace permanently with his family from the original residence of Turkish monarchy in Topkapi Palace. However, unfortunately, this was also an example of the wasteful expenditure that brought about the gradual decline of the Turkish Empire. Sultan Abdulmecit died at a rather young age of tuberculosis and his successor Abdulaziz was dethroned in 1876 because of his extravagance and despotism. He ultimately was retired to a simple palace at Ortakoy. Later Kemal Ataturk, founder of the Turkish Republic, used a small portion of the palace for his residence, but used it mainly as a center for various congresses. 

Pagarruyung palace

Pagarruyung palace.Batusangkar, Indonesia. 

History

Adityawarman is believed to have founded the kingdom and presided over the central Sumatra region between 1347 and 1375, most likely to control the local gold trade. The few artifacts recovered from Adityawarman’s reign include a number of stones containing inscriptions, and statues. Some of these items were found at Bukit Gombak, a hill near modern Pagarruyung, and it is believed a royal palace was located here.
There is a major gap in the historical picture in the Minangkabau highlands between the last date of Adityawarman’s inscription in 1375 and Tomé Pires Suma Oriental, written sometime between 1513 and 1515.
By the 16th century, the time of the next report after the reign of Adityawarman, royal power had been split into three recognized reigning kings. They were the King of the World (Raja Alam), the King of Adat (Raja Adat), and the King of Religion (Raja Ibadat). Collectively they were called the Kings of the Three Seats (Rajo Tigo Selo).
The first European to enter the region was Thomas Dias, a Portuguese employed by the Dutch governor of Malacca. He traveled from the east coast to reach the region in 1684 and reported, probably from hearsay, that there was a palace at Pagaruyung and that visitors had to go through three gates to enter it. The primary local occupations at the time were gold panning and agriculture, he reported.

Arakkal Palace

Arakkal Palace Ayikkara, Kannur, Kerala

                                                                     
                                                           History
Arakkal Palace belonged to the Arakkal Royal family, the only Muslim royal family in Kerala. In 1663, Arakkal ruler also purchased St. Angelo Fort from the Dutch. The Arakkal rulers had control over the northern coastal region of Kerala and Lakshadweep. The Arakkal family used to accept the eldest member of the family, irrespective of gender, as the ruler of the province. ?Ali Rajah? was the name given to the male rulers of the Arakkal family, while their female counterparts were called ?Arakkal Beevis?. By 1870, the British seized the fort and built their military base on the Malabar Coast. They also carried the construction of a tunnel connecting the Fort, with Thalassery Fort, located at a distance of 21 km from Kannur Fort. This tunnel used to come in handy at the time when the enemies used to attack. The major residents were transported to another location through this tunnel. 

Hill Palace

Hill Palace Thripunithura, Ernakulam District, Kochi

History 

Hill Palace  is located in Thripunithura/Tripunithura, in Ernakulam district of the state of Kerala. Constructed in 1865, the museum (previously a palace) used to be the official residence of the Kochi Royal family. The palace has now been converted into the present day museum. The museum holds the collection of the paintings of the erstwhile Maharaja of Kochi. The palace complex is a large enclosed area which comprises of 49 buildings, which were built in traditional Kerala style architecture. The palace compound is spread over 52 acres of area. This compound includes beautiful fountains which are a piece of art. Apart of these fountains the compound also guards elaborately lush lawns and a number of ponds. There are a number of rare medicinal plants too, which have been cultivated here. The Ethno-archaeological museum displays a number of ancient murals, oil-paintings, Stone artifacts and coins, along with manuscripts and sculptures, which belongs to the Kochi Royal Family. The first building constructed inside the complex is a single storied Ettukettu, which is supposed to be constructed in the year 1850. There is a traditional pond and a temple alongside this building. This building is constructed in traditional Kerala architecture style, according to which a residential building should be added with a pond and a temple. The latest addition to the palace compound is the three-storey museum office, which was constructed in the year 1950 in western style.  The palace was announced as a historical site and was taken over by the Department Of Archaeology in the year 1980. Six years later in 1986, the palace was opened to public. However, the museum was closed to public during the time, because rigorous renovation works were taking place. The palace was almost rebuilt and major changes were done to the exteriors of the compound. The palace was fitted with intricate carvings, which add to the ambiance of the palace. The palace is elaborately designed, while the museum is divided into 14 different categories of exhibits, including inscriptions, paintings, murals, manuscripts, sculpture in stone and plaster of Paris, carvings etc. This palace is one of the major examples of Nalukettu form of architecture, which was appreciated in Kerala at the medieval times and is still valued. 

Winter Palace