We often travel to gaze at the marvels of architecture, but here are ten structures which might catch your eye for the wrong reasons.
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[top photo: Ryugyong Hotel; Pyongyang, North Korea]
SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - From the merely unpleasant to the borderline criminal, ugly buildings somehow manage to pop up even in the prettiest cities.
VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) has released its second annual list of the "World's Top 10 Ugly Buildings," as decided by its members and editors.
"Many of these buildings don't have the warmth of an ice cube while others don't even seem completed. Either way, they make for very interesting conversation," said VirtualTourist.com general manager Giampiero Ambrosi.
This list is not endorsed by Reuters:
1. Morris A. Mechanic Theater; Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Looking at the grim, impersonal facade of this once-thriving theater, it's hard to believe its stage once hosted the likes of Katherine Hepburn and George C. Scott. Although it would be ugly without them, the windows boarded up with wood certainly don't help matters. Its doors now closed, many locals feel the final curtain should have come down on this building long ago.
2. Zizkov Television Tower; Prague, Czech Republic
While its ugliness could easily stand on its own, the installation of small, climbing babies by the artist David Cerny transformed this tower from an eyesore to a head-shaker.
3. "The Beehive"; Wellington, New Zealand
A slide projector that fell on a wedding cake that fell on a waterwheel is one description of the Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings, also known as "The Beehive." Its proximity to the neighboring Edwardian neo-classical Parliament House only accentuates its unattractiveness.
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"The Beehive" (extreme left) in Wellington, New Zealand |
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