From the Sagrada Família to the Tower of Pisa; the saying "Good things take time" was taken quite literally in the construction of these works. On the other hand, after about 200 years of construction, you do have one of the world's most iconic structures. But it can always take longer; MASTERS lists some time-consuming construction projects.
Anyone visiting Barcelona cannot really avoid this impressive basilica. Since the laying of the first stone in 1882, Gaudí's masterpiece is still being built to this day. Due to its unique shapes and structures, the church is very different from other churches. Gaudí himself thought he would need about ten years, so this became a little more. When manufactured, eighteen towers will have been built. Twelve of these will represent the apostles, four towers will represent the evangelists, one tower will be designated for the Virgin Mary, and the last and also highest tower in the middle, will represent Jesus Christ. The imposing structure is expected to be finished in 2026. This means construction took 144 years.
The Tower of Pisa, or the Torre Pendente as many Italians call it, is one of Italy's most famous monuments. The master builders Gugilmo and Buonanno did not intend to build a leaning tower, but soon after the tower's first stones were stacked on top of each other in 1173, the tower began to lean over; construction was halted. After some precautions, construction was nevertheless resumed in 1272. After six years, however, they were forced to stop again. The tower was now 1.4 meters out of plumb. Another hundred years later in 1372, construction continued, this time until the tower was "finished. Because of the different stages, construction took about 200 years.
York Minster is a medieval Gothic cathedral in the English city of York. It is also the largest Gothic cathedral in the United Kingdom. The history of the church goes way back. For example, the site was reportedly used as a baptismal site for King Edwin as early as 627. Construction of the cathedral as we know it today began in 1220 and ended in 1472. This means construction took over 250 years.
Stonehenge in England is among the most mysterious sites in the world. It is also one of the most studied archaeological structures, about which there are still many questions. For example, it is not entirely clear what the function of the stone circle was and how people got the giant stones to their respective places without modern tools. According to researchers, Stonehenge was built between 2600 and 2480 BC. The structure was manufactured in several phases that together spanned at least 1,500 years.
The Great Wall of China is a long defensive wall in northeastern China measuring 21,196 kilometers long. The structure is considered the largest construction project in human history. The first piece of wall most likely dates back to the seventh century B.C. Several dynasties were involved in its construction. The final touches to the wall were made around the year 1500. This means the construction took an estimated 2,000 years.
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