The following is a list of some of the largest buildings that are considered palaces in terms by area. The title of the "world's largest palace" is both difficult to award and controversial, as different countries use different standards to claim that their palace is the largest in the world.
The title of world's largest palace by area enclosed within the palace's fortified walls is held by China's Forbidden City complex in Beijing, which covers an area of 728000m2. The 980 buildings of the Forbidden City have a combined floor space of 1614600square feet and contain 9,999 rooms (the ancient Chinese believed the god Yù Huáng had 10,000 rooms in his palace; so they constructed an earthly palace to have 9,999 and a half rooms, slightly fewer than in the divine palace, out of respect).
The world's largest functioning royal palace by floor space is the Royal Palace of Madrid in Spain, with of floor space and containing 3,418 rooms. The royal family doesn’t live in the royal palace, but it is used for special occasions and ceremonies.[1]
The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, with 1000 rooms on 13 levels, and over of floor space,[2] is one of the largest palaces in the world by floor area. It was the winter residence of the Dalai Lama until 1959. (Many sources[3] give the area as .)
In the castle category, Prague and Malbork castles claim to be world's largest. However, despite its singular name, Prague Castle is not a single building. Like the Forbidden City, it comprises a number of palaces, temples, and halls (constructed over several centuries) that share a common defensive wall. Altogether, the complex covers, leading to the self-appointed title of largest coherent castle complex in the world.[4]
While many buildings carry the title of palace, they either are no longer, or were never intended to be, used as a royal residence, a sovereign's residence or an episcopal residence.
Romania's Palace of the Parliament contains 3552120square feet of floorspace,[5] it was never a royal residence, as Romania's last monarch was forced to abdicate in 1947, but it was the palace intended to be used by president Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania's supreme ruler and dictator.
Britain's Palace of Westminster was built in the Middle Ages as a royal residence. It served as the principal residence of the monarch until 1522, when Henry VIII moved his court to the newly acquired Palace of Whitehall.[6] Since that time, the palace at Westminster has been used by the House of Lords, the House of Commons and various courts. The majority of the medieval palace was destroyed by fire in 1834, with construction of the current building starting in 1840. The palace which now stands on the site was designed specifically for parliamentary use, however it is the property of the monarch in right of the Crown and retains its status as a royal residence. Very little of the medieval palace survived, but the most significant is Westminster Hall, built in 1097 during the reign of William II.
Several palaces are former royal residences that reached their current grand sizes after they ceased being used as royal residences, and were converted to some other purpose.
The best example of such subsequent expansion is the Louvre Palace. As a royal residence, it was much smaller than the current Louvre Museum. The Louvre Palace was abandoned as a royal residence in 1682, when Louis XIV moved his court to the Palace of Versailles. The Louvre Palace was relegated to the role of displaying royal collections and hosting administrative services, and over the centuries, it went through several renovations, expansions and additions, including a significant one as an imperial project during the Second French Empire in the 19th century. It reached its current size of 2260421square feet only in 1988, as the modern Louvre Museum.
Russia's Winter Palace and its annexes were not expanded after the Russian Revolution, but the State Hermitage Museum also occupies other buildings, which add to the size of the museum but not to the palace. The Winter Palace contained 2511705square feet [7] of floorspace as a royal residence. However, the modern Hermitage Museum complex, centered on the Winter Palace, contains 1978622square feet of floorspace.[8] That includes the Small and the Old Hermitage buildings that were annexes to the main palace, which were used by the Imperial Court and are part of the palace complex. The same is true of the New Hermitage, which has been used as a museum for the Imperial collections ever since it was built. All three Hermitages and the Hermitage Theatre can thus be considered both independent buildings and wings of the Winter Palace.
Despite a size that overshadows most other great palaces in Europe, the Winter Palace does not contain as much floorspace since most of the state apartments in the northern and the eastern wings are two floors high.
With 1453122square feet of floorspace,[9] the Royal Palace of Madrid is often considered the largest functioning palace in Europe, as it is still used for state functions. Although Spanish monarchs once occupied it, the current King of Spain does not, instead living at the much smaller Palace of Zarzuela.
Although notably smaller than several other palaces throughout the world, with only 658858square feet of floorspace, the Royal Palace of Stockholm also claims to be "the largest palace in the world still used for its original purpose." Yet, like the Royal Palace of Madrid, it is not currently occupied, with Swedish monarchs instead occupying Drottningholm Palace.
While numerous claimants under the various measurements can be recognized, to be considered for the Guinness World Record the palace must have once been intended for use as a royal residence. This is controversial as the definition of a palace is the official residence of a sovereign, chief of state (as a monarch or a president), archbishop, bishop.[10] Furthermore, only the combined area of all floors in the palace (a measurement commonly known as floorspace) is considered.
According to the Guinness World Records, Forbidden City holds the "largest palace in the world".[11] The Istana Nurul Iman, with 2152782square feet of floorspace,[12] holds the title as the "world's largest residential palace" held in Brunei.[13]
In ancient times palace buildings could be as large or even larger than existing palace buildings. One example isthe palace of Knossos on the Greek island of Crete. The palace, which started construction in 2000 BC, reached its largest size in 1500 BC with a size of 20,000 m2 (215,278.208 ft²) and 1,300 rooms.[14]
The Malkata palace complex was built by the Pharaoh Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC. The size of the palace complex is unknown, but it contained a T-shaped artificial lake covering an area of at least 2 km2 (3.6 km2 according to some estimates).[15] The size of the main palace itself was 30,000 m2.
The Basileia (royal quarter) of Alexandria is estimated to have covered an area of around 200 hectares (2,000,000 m2), though its exact size is uncertain. According to Strabo it took up a fourth or maybe even a third of the entire city. The complex included multiple palaces and royal residences, parks and gardens, the famous library of Alexandria, royal tombs (including the tomb of Alexander the Great), temples, a theatre, a gymnasium, a zoo, a citadel, a prison, the royal treasury and guest apartments.[16] [17]
The Roman emperor Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli, Italy was a complex of over 30 buildings constructed between 118 and the 130s AD, covering an area of at least 250 acres (1000000m2) of which much is still unexcavated. The villa was the greatest Roman example of an Alexandrian garden, recreating a sacred landscape. The complex included palaces, several thermae, theatre, temples, libraries, state rooms, and quarters for courtiers, praetorians, and slaves.[18] [19] [20]
When Roman emperor Nero's "Golden House" (Domus Aurea) was built after the great fire of AD 64, the buildings covered up to 300 acres (1214056m2). The main villa of the complex had more than 300 rooms.[21] [22]
In 200 BC, the Weiyang Palace was built at the request of the Emperor Gaozu of Han, under the supervision of his prime minister, Xiao He. The palace survived until the Tang dynasty, when it was burnt down by marauding invaders en route to the Tang capital, Chang'an. It was the largest palace complex ever built on Earth,[23] covering, which is 6.7 times the size of the current Forbidden City, or 11 times the size of the Vatican City.
The Daming Palace was the imperial palace complex of the Tang dynasty in Chang'an. It served as the imperial residence of the Tang emperors for more than 220 years. In 634, the Emperor Taizong of Tang launched the construction of the Daming Palace at Longshou Plateau. He ordered the construction of the summer palace for his retired father, the Emperor Gaozu of Tang, as an act of filial piety. However, the Emperor Gaozu grew ill and never witnessed the palace's completion before his death in 635, and construction halted thereafter. Wu Zetian commissioned the court architect Yan Liben to design the palace in 660, and construction commenced once again in 662. In 663, the construction of the palace was completed under the reign of the Emperor Gaozong of Tang. The Emperor Gaozong had launched the extension of the palace with the construction of the Hanyuan Hall in 662, which was finished in 663. On 5 June 663, the Tang imperial family began to relocate from the Taiji Palace into the yet to be completed Daming Palace, which became the new seat of the imperial court and political center of the empire. The area of the palace complex was 3.11 km2.
In the Islamic world the largest palaces were those built in Abbasid Samarra. Al-Mu'tasim built the 125 ha (309 acres) Dar al-Khilafa in 836, as the main palace complex and residence of the Caliphs, serving this function until its abandonment in 892. Within the complex are two main palaces the Dar al-'Amma and the al-Jawsaq. The former was the public palace in which the Caliph sat in audience on Mondays and Thursdays, where al-Musta'in was given allegiance and al-Muhtadi held the Mazalim court. Its main (Bab al-'Amma) was the place of public punishments like the crucifixion of al-Afshin or public display Salih b. Wasif's head. As for the al-Jawsaq then this was the private residence of the Caliphs and their families, from al-Mutasim through to al-Mutamid, with many of them being buried here also. It served as a prison for distinguished prisoners such as al-Afshin or al-Musta'in's brothers. But by 903 when al-Muktafi decided to re-establish the capital at Samarra, al-Jawsaq was a ruin.[24]
Caliph al-Mutawakkil sought to outdo his predecessors and was a prolific builder, spending some 13,525,000 dinars (276,045,250 dirhams) in total and doubling the size of the city. After returning from Damascus in October 858 he set about founding a new city, al-Mutawakkiliyya, stating: “Now I know that I am a king, for I have built myself a city in which to live”. Part of this was the al-Ja'fari Palace covering a staggering 211 ha (521 acres), making it the largest palace ever built outside of China. He moved in on the Day of Ashura 246 (6 April 860) and numerous poets praised its exquisite beauty. But only a year and a half later, on 11 December 861 it served as the place of his assassination at the hands of his Turkish guard and start of the Anarchy at Samarra. His son al-Muntasir abandoned the palace and moved back to Dar al-Khilafa, causing it to fall into ruin [25] [26]
| Name | Country | Place | Floor area | Notes | Source | Image | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louvre Palace | Paris | 243000m2 | Royal residence of the kings of France for 300 years. Later converted into an art museum. | [27] | |||
| 2 | Hofburg Palace | Vienna | 240000m2 | Former imperial palace in the centre of Vienna. Part of the palace forms the official residence and workplace of the President of Austria. Built in the 13th century and expanded in the centuries since, the palace has housed some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was the principal imperial winter residence. The palace has 2600 rooms. | [28] [29] | |||
| 3 | Winter Palace | Saint Petersburg | 233345m2 | Used as the official residence and imperial palace of the Emperor of Russia between 1732 and 1917. Briefly served as the seat of the Provisional Government. Currently part of Hermitage Museum. | [30] | |||
| 4 | Istana Nurul Iman | Bandar Seri Begawan | 200000m2 | Official residence of the Sultan of Brunei. The largest functioning royal palace in the world. | ||||
| 5 | Apostolic Palace | Vatican City | 162000m2 | Official residence of the Pope. Current Papal Palace and Vatican Museums in Rome. | [31] | |||
| 6 | Forbidden City | Beijing | 150000m2 | With an enclosed area of 720000m2, it is the world's largest palace complex. Originally the official residence of the Emperor of China. Currently operates the Palace Museum. | [32] | |||
| 7 | Malbork Castle | Malbork | 143000m2 | Located in Poland, Malbork Castle is the largest castle in the world. The castle was founded in 1274 by the Teutonic Knights who used it as their headquarters to help defeat Polish enemies and rule their own northern Baltic territories. The castle was expanded several time to host the growing number of Knights until their retreat to Königsberg in 1466. | [33] | |||
| 8 | Royal Palace of Caserta | Caserta | 138000m2 | Former royal residence in Caserta, southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as kings of Naples. The palace has a rectangular plan, measuring 247 × 184 m, and the four sides are connected by two orthogonal arms, forming four inner courts. The size of the building is 47000 square meters including four courtyards of 3800 square meters each. The floorspace of all five storeys amount on 138000 square meters, with other 45000 square meters more added by the two-storeys basement. Without the courtyards, the size of the building is 31,800 square meters. Even without the surface area of the internal courtyards Caserta is the largest royal palace resulting from a single original project in the world in terms of volume, with more than 2 million m³ (71 million cu ft). | [34] [35] | |||
| 9 | Royal Palace of Madrid | Madrid | 135000m2 | The largest functioning palace in Europe. Serves as the official residence of the Spanish royal family. | ||||
| 10 | Qasr Al Watan | Abu Dhabi | 134275m2 | The presidential palace of Abu Dhabi is used as primary governmental facility and receiving visiting dignitaries.The Palace is utilised to house the offices of the President, the Vice President, the Crown Prince, and the ministers. The western wing has halls which are used for meetings of the UAE Cabinet and Federal Supreme Council. The eastern wing has the "House of Knowledge" where a number of artefacts and other objects of importance are stored. | [36] [37] | |||
| 11 | Quirinal Palace | Rome | 110500m2 | Former papal and royal palace and current presidential palace of the President of the Italian Republic. Originally intended to be the official residence of Napoleon Bonaparte. The presidential residence also has a garden with an area of . | [38] [39] | |||
| 12 | Abdeen Palace | Cairo | 108000m2 | The construction of the palace begin in 1863 and it was officially opened in 1874. In 1921 Sultan Fuad I added the gardens. The total size of the palace complex is . Serves as the official workplace of the President of Egypt. | ||||
| 13 | Umaid Bhawan Palace | Jodhpur | 105,218 square metres(1,132,557 sq ft) | One of the world's largest private residences. The palace has 347 rooms and is the principal residence of the former Jodhpur royal family. A part of the palace is a museum. | ||||
| 14 | Falaknuma Palace | Hyderabad | 93971m2 | Built in the year 1889 in Hyderabad, India it was owned by the Nizams, the rulers of the princely state of Hyderabad, until 1950. Currently operated as a luxury hotel by Taj Hotels. | ||||
| 15 | Istana Negara | Kuala Lumpur | 900820NaN0 | Istana Negara is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the monarch of Malaysia. It is located along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim in Segambut, northwestern Kuala Lumpur. The palace opened in 2011 and replaced the old Istana Negara which was located at a different compound in central Kuala Lumpur. The palace complex has an area of 97.65 hectares, 22 domes, and is split into three main portions: the Formal Component, Royal Component and Administration Component. | [40] [41] | |||
| 16 | Binnenhof | The Hague | 900000NaN0 | Built primarily in the 13th century, the castle originally functioned as residence of the counts of Holland and became the political centre of the Dutch Republic in 1584. | ||||
| 17 | Buckingham Palace | London | 77000m2 | A royal residence since George III bought Buckingham House in 1761 for his wife Queen Charlotte and has been the official London residence of the British sovereign since Queen Victoria took up residence in July 1837. The palace contains 775 rooms and has a garden in size. | [42] [43] | |||
| 18 | Çırağan Palace | Istanbul | 76000m2 | The palace, built by Sultan Abdulaziz, was designed by the Armenian palace architect Nigoğayos Balyan and constructed by his sons Sarkis and Hagop Balyan between 1863 and 1867, during a period in which all Ottoman sultans built their own palaces rather than using those of their ancestors; Çırağan Palace is the last example of this tradition. | ||||
| 19 | Prague Castle | Prague | 70000m2 | Seat of power for kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman emperors, presidents of Czechoslovakia and currently presidents of the Czech Republic. Dating back to the ninth century and at about in length and an average of about wide, the Guinness Book of Records lists Prague Castle as the largest ancient castle in the world. | [44] | |||
| 20 | Topkapi Palace | Istanbul | 70000m2 | Primary residence of the Ottoman Dynasty for approximately 400 years between the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. The entire palace complex including grounds occupies . | [45] [46] | |||
| 21 | Mukden Palace | Shenyang | 63272m2 | This was the former imperial palace of the early Manchu-led Qing dynasty. It was built in 1625, and the first three Qing emperors lived there from 1625 to 1644. Since the collapse of imperial rule in China, the palace has been converted to a museum that now lies in the center of Shenyang, Liaoning. | [47] | |||
| 22 | Palace of Versailles | Versailles | 63154m2 | World's largest royal domain with 87728720square feet or 2,014 acres of palace grounds. Constructed by King Louis XIV and used as the official seat of the King of France. Was the site of the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, the Proclamation of the German Empire, and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Currently used by the Congress of the French Parliament. | [48] | |||
| 23 | Royal Palace of Stockholm | Stockholm | 61210m2 | Claims to be world's largest palace still used for its original purpose, despite its smaller floor area. Used as the official residence of the Swedish sovereign. | ||||
| 24 | Prince Gong's Mansion | Beijing | 61120m2 | it was constructed in 1777 during the Qing dynasty for Heshen, a prominent court official in the reign of the Qianlong Emperor infamous for being the most corrupt official in Chinese history. | [49] [50] | |||
| 25 | Mannheim Palace | Mannheim | 60000m2 | Mannheimer Residenz is the main palace of the Prince-electors of the Electorate of the Palatinate of the House of Wittelsbach. The 6ha castle is one of Europe's largest palaces and the second largest baroque palace (after Versailles). | ||||
| 26 | Burghausen Castle | Burghausen | NaNurl=https://czech-castles.blogspot.com/2009/03/worlds-largest-castle.html | Burghausen Castle is the longest and third largest castle complex in the world (1051 m), confirmed by the Guinness World Record company.[51] | ||||
| 27 | Windsor Castle | Windsor | 54835m2 | Castle which dates back to around 1070 and has 5455 acres of royal parkland. Many famous people associated with British Royalty are buried in St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle including Henry VIII. It is also the World's largest and oldest inhabited castle. | ||||
| 28 | Christiansborg Palace | Copenhagen | 51660m2 | The seat of the Danish Parliament, the Prime Minister's Office and the Supreme Court. Also, several parts of the palace are used by the monarchy, including the Royal Reception Rooms, the Palace Chapel and the Royal Stables. Christiansborg Palace has a more than 800 year-long history as the state's centre of power as royal palace and parliament.[52] [53] | [54] | |||
| 29 | Hampton Court Palace | Richmond upon Thames | 47330m2 | Palace dating back to 1515 containing 1000 rooms and grounds comprising 60 acres of formal gardens and 750 acres of royal parkland. | [55] [56] | |||
| 30 | Palace of Fontainebleau | Fontainebleau | 46500m2 | Castle dating back to 1137, continuously used by french monarchs up until 1870. It contains more than 1500 rooms, also houses the museum Napoleon I. | [57] | |||
| 31 | Berlin Palace | Berlin | 45000m2 | The former residence of the Hohenzollern dynasty, the rulers of the Kingdom of Prussia, and later the German Empire, was severely damaged in World War II. The significant remaining ruins were not stabilized, and it was completely demolished in 1950 and 1951 by East Germany. In its place, the German Democratic Republic built the Palace of the Republic. The Palace of the Republic was demolished between 2006 and 2008 and the former Berlin Palace was reconstructed as the Humboldt Forum, a large museum, between 2013 and 2021. | ||||
| 32 | Dolmabahçe Palace | Istanbul | 45000m2 | Located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the European coast of the Strait of Istanbul, served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. | ||||
| 33 | Buda Castle | Budapest | 44674m2 | First completed in 1265, although the massive Baroque palace today occupying most of the site was built between 1749 and 1769. The complex in the past was referred to as the Royal Palace (Hungarian: Királyi-palota), with Hungarian & Habsburg Kings Residing in the residence. The castle now houses the Hungarian National Gallery and The Budapest History Museum. | ||||
| 34 | Grand Serail | Beirut | 39970m2 | Headquarters of the Prime Minister of Lebanon. Previously served as an Ottoman Army garrison, the headquarters of the French Governor of Syria and Lebanon, and the President of Lebanon's residence. | ||||
| 35 | Mafra National Palace | Mafra | 39948m2 | The Mafra National Palace is a monumental Baroque and Italianized Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal. | ||||
| 36 | Het Loo Palace | Appeldoorn | 36042m2 | Is a Dutch Baroque Palace built between 1684 and 1686 for stadtholder-king William III and Mary II of England. | ||||
| 37 | Royal Palace of Brussels | Brussels | 33027m2 | Palace in Brussels dating back to 1783. The Royal Palace of Brussels is the official palace of the Sovereign of Belgium, However it is not used as a royal residence, as the king and his family live in the Royal Castle of Laeken on the outskirts of Brussels. | [58] | |||
| 38 | Palazzo Pitti | Florence | 32000m2 | Renaissance, palace, the core of the present palazzo dates from 1458. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In the late 18th century, the palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly united Italy. The complex also includes the Boboli Gardens . | [59] | |||
| 39 | Frederiksborg Palace | Hillerød | 31290m2 | It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV and is now a museum of national history. The current edifice replaced a previous castle erected by Frederick II and is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia. The entire palace complex including grounds occupies 95ha.[60] | [61] | |||
| 40 | Schoenbrunn Palace | Vienna | 31056m2 | Baroque Palace dating back to the 1740s. The grounds of Schönbrunn, a World Heritage Site, cover 160 hectares. Served as the summer palace of the Habsburg monarchs. | [62] [63] | |||
| 41 | Mufu Mansion | Lijiang | 30667m2 | Mufu Palace or Mufu Mansion is located on the foot of Lion Mountain, The top ruler of Naxi minority Mu Family had been living in this palace since Yuan Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, totally 470 years with 22 generation rulers. | [64] [65] | |||
| 42 | El Escorial | San Lorenzo de El Escorial | 30658m2 | Monastery of the Order of Saint Augustine, Royal Palace and Royal Pantheon. | [66] | |||
| 43 | Kronborg | Helsingør | 28724m2 | Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list (2000).[67] [68] | [69] | |||
| 44 | Amalienborg | Copenhagen | 26500m2 | Home of the Danish royal family, It consists of four identical classical palace façades with rococo interiors around an octagonal courtyard, in the centre of the square is a monumental equestrian statue of Amalienborg's founder, King Frederick V.[70] | [71] | |||
| 45 | Yıldız Palace | Istanbul | 25000m2 | Yıldız Palace, meaning "Star Palace", was built in 1880 and was used by the Ottoman Empire Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II. The area of the palace was originally made of natural woodlands and became an imperial estate during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I (1603–1617). Various sultans after Ahmed I enjoyed vacationing on these lands and Sultans Abdülmecid I and Abdülaziz built mansions here. The entire complex with various pavilions, kiosks, mosques and park consists 500,000 m2 | ||||
| 46 | Grand Kremlin Palace | Moscow | 24100m2 | It includes the earlier Terem Palace, nine churches from the 14th, 16th, and 17th centuries, the Holy Vestibule, and over 700 rooms. | [72] | |||
| 47 | Munich Residenz | Munich | 23000m2 | The Residenz, with its 130 rooms and ten courtyards, is the former royal palace of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria and the largest city palace in Germany. The three main parts are the Königsbau, the Alte Residenz and the Festsaalbau. A wing of the Festsaalbau also contains the Cuvilliés Theatre and the Herkulessaal (Hercules Hall). Also included in The Residenz is the Byzantine Court Church of All Saints (Allerheiligen-Hofkirche) and the Marstall, the building for the former Court Riding School and the royal stables. | [73] | |||
| 48 | Royal Palace of Amsterdam | Amsterdam | 22031m2 | 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. It is often considered as the Eighth Wonder of the World. | ||||
| 49 | Jelgava palace | Jelgava | 21000m2 | The Jelgava palace was being constructed from 1738 to 1772 in Mitau (modern day Jelgava), Latvia with it never being fully completed. It was built for the dukes of Courland but after the annexation of the country by the Russian empire, it became the residence of the governors of Courland. After being destroyed in World War II its interior was gutted and it became The University of Life Sciences and Technologies. Though attempts are being made in co-operation with Rundāle palace to restore a few rooms. | ||||
| 50 | Schloss Charlottenburg | Berlin | NaNurl=https://www.morgenpost.de/berlin/article209427263/Das-Schloss-Charlottenburg-strahlt-wieder.html | The former residence of the Hohenzollern dynasty was built at the end of the 17th century and was greatly expanded during the 18th century. Lavish internal decoration in Baroque and Rococo styles show its rich history. A large formal garden surrounds the palace. During the Second World War, the palace was badly damaged but has since been rebuilt. The palace with its gardens is a major tourist attraction in Berlin. | ||||
| 51 | Rashtrapati Bhavan | Delhi | 20000order=flipNaNorder=flip | The official presidential palace of the Republic of India. Originally constructed for the British Governor-General of India. | [74] | |||
| 52 | Ras El Tin Palace | Alexandria | 17000m2 | Construction began in 1834, taking eleven years to complete the original design in 1845. Complementary work and the construction of additional wings continued for two more years until 1847, when it was officially inaugurated by Muhammed Ali of Egypt. | ||||
| 53 | Paço de São Cristóvão | Rio de Janeiro | 13616m2 | It was an imperial palace located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It served as residence to the Portuguese royal family and later to the Brazilian imperial family. | ||||
| 54 | Soestdijk Palace | Baarn | 9000m2 | It was the home for over six decades of Queen Juliana and her husband, Prince Bernhard until their deaths in 2004. | ||||
| 55 | Huis ten Bosch | The Hague | 8785m2 | Huis ten Bosch was the former home of Queen Beatrix from 1981 to her abdication in 2014; King Willem-Alexander and his family moved in on 13 January 2019. A replica of the palace was built in Sasebo, Japan, in a theme park bearing the same name. | ||||
| 56 | Raj Bhavan, Kolkata | Kolkata | 7804m2 | Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the governor of West Bengal, located in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Built in 1803, it was known as Government House before Indian independence. |