Potala Palace , Tibet Autonomous Region , China
Royal Palace of Madrid , Spain
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Potala Palace
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Potala Palace , Tibet Autonomous Region , China
The current palace on Red Hill of central Lhasa sits on the site of an earlier construction built by Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo which was destroyed with the collapse of the family dynasty . The current architecture dates from the 17th century , when the palace became the residence of the Dalai Lama and the seat of government . It measures 400m by 350m and was the world ’ s tallest building between 1653 and 1889 .
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Royal Palace of Madrid , Spain
The palace , which is used today for formal state occasions by the country ’ s royal family , was built for King Philip V between 1738 and ’ 55 after the old one burnt down . It is built on the site of the Alcazar of Madrid , the castle built in the 9th century during the reign of Mohammed I , Emir of Cordoba . Today ’ s palace covers an area of 125,000 sqm and has 3,418 rooms . Architect Giambattista Sacchetti used projecting wings to preserve views of the city .
40 November 2014