The Eighth Wonder of the World - Amazing! Part 6

 

 Eighth Wonder of the World

There are a few considered for the title.

Three are listed here. They are constructions rather than natural wonders.

Pre-1900 creations

Part Six

Church of Saint George, Lalibela

The Church of Saint George is one of eleven rock-hewn monolithic churches in Lalibela, a town in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia.

Church of St. George, rock-hewn in the shape of a cross

Sailko - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89991617

The Church of Saint George was carved downwards from a type of volcanic tuff. This is the sole architectural material that was used in the structure. It has been dated to the late 12th or early 13th century AD. It is among the best known and last built of the eleven churches in the Lalibela area, and has been referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World".

Lalibela, King of Ethiopia, sought to recreate Jerusalem, and structured the churches' landscape and religious sites in such a way as to achieve such a feat.

From above. Bete Giyorgis (Church of St. George) from above, one of the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela

On first approach the site appears wholly inaccessible, with sheer drops on every side and no access bridge. It is accessed via a very narrow man-made canyon, spiralling downwards, which changes to a tunnel close to the church, to further conceal its presence.

Royal Palace of Amsterdam

The Royal Palace of Amsterdam in Amsterdam (Dutch: Koninklijk Paleis van Amsterdam or Paleis op de Dam) is one of three palaces in the Netherlands which are at the disposal of the monarch by Act of Parliament.

The palace was built as a city hall during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. The building became the royal palace of King Louis Napoleon and later of the Dutch Royal House.

Superchilum - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72314780

The structure was built as the Town Hall of the City of Amsterdam "facing the landing wharfs along Damrak, which at that time would have been busy with ships". The town hall was opened on 29 July 1655 by Cornelis de Graeff, the mayor of Amsterdam.  

The main architect was Jacob van Campen, who took control of the construction project in 1648. It was built on 13,659 wooden piles.

The Central Hall

Polhem dry dock

Polhem dry dock, is situated in the World heritage Örlogsstaden Karlskrona, was built in 1717–1724 and was the first dry dock in Sweden. It is cut out in the cliff on Lindholmen island and catered for shipping including the largest warships of its day.

While dry docks in other countries where let dry by the tidal water going out, in this dock water pumps are used, as the Baltic Sea doesn't have any significant tide. The dry dock was built by 600 men and was an international sensation for its advanced design.

Boatbuilder - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11109009

The drydock has its name from Christopher Polhem, who constructed it. It is described as the Eighth Wonder of the World by the Karlskrona shipyard history association. The water pumps were created by the shipbuilding master Charles Sheldon, they were of a kind already used in Swedish mines. Before converting to steam power in the 19th century around 100 men were required to power the pumps

More in this Series HERE

A.J. Langford Books