The Homes of Leaders Around the World
The White House is easily the most recognizable home for a world leader. Its symbol is well known the world over, and has become a way to refer to the presidency itself.
But what about the other homes? What kind of building do other world leaders live in? Are they also known?
10 Downing Street is perhaps the second most well-known. It’s recognizable for its modest size of just a simple black door. The building itself actually has more than 100 rooms.
Canada’s prime minister lives at 24 Sussex St. Its building isn’t remarkable and likely wouldn’t be easily recognized. The appearance is that of an old stone mansion. And just like any other old building that’s been neglected, it’s fallen into a state of disrepair.
The Kremlin is perhaps the most famous building in Russia. But it’s not just one building. The Kremlin refers to the fortified complex surrounded by its famous red walls and contains Moscow’s most iconic and recognizable sites. The President of Russia lives here and like the White House, the Kremlin has become a way to refer to the Russian leadership itself.
France has a wide array of palaces that its president could have chosen from. The Palace of Versailles is perhaps the most famous and most luxurious.
Instead, the president of France lives in the Elysee Palace, which has been its official residence since 1848.
Italy also has its fair share of palaces and grand buildings. The Italian president lives in the Quirinal Palace.
China’s forbidden city is legendary. The monumental palace is not where the President of the People’s Republic of China lives though. Instead, he lives right next to it. Zhongnanhai is a complex that also houses the Central Committee for the Chinese Communist Party.
Turkey’s residence is very controversial. The country’s government is facing a slew of corruption allegations, and the newly built home for the President is not helping. The White Palace is reported to cost up to 350 million dollars.
You can’t have a more enduring symbol of government corruption and waste.
Wait, yes you can. Though we already discussed Russia, it appears Vladimir Putin has another residence. A grand palace he built himself.
The story behind Putin’s Palace is interesting. Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny is trying to expose the rampant corruption, bribery and intimidation that is going on amongst Russian elites. This palace is said to cost the ordinary taxpayer $1.4 billion. WOW!
Bostock, B. (2022, January 21). 479 leaked photos purporting to show Putin’s secret palace, with an ice rink and pole-dancing room, published by Navalny Foundation. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-palace-leak-479-photos-navalny-ice-rink-pole-dancing-2022-1
CBC/Radio Canada. (2015, October 30). Photos show how 24 sussex compares to homes of other world leaders, heads of State | CBC News. CBCnews. Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/24-sussex-photos-world-leader-homes-1.3294982
Givens, A. (2020, November 9). Where political leaders around the World Live, in photos. Stacker. Retrieved from https://stacker.com/stories/4925/where-political-leaders-around-world-live-photos
Anastasia Napalkova, T. S. (2021, February 12). ‘putin’s palace’: Builders’ story of luxury, mould and fake walls. BBC News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56007943
In the city of Genoa lies one of the most famous and beautiful bridges in Italy. It was an icon of the city. But in August 2018, a disaster happens. An 800-foot section of the bridge collapsed. 43 people are killed.
In the city of Genoa lied one of the most famous and beautiful bridges in Italy. It was an icon of the city. But in August 2018, disaster happens. An 800 foot section of the bridge collapsed. 43 people died.
How could this happen.
Maybe it was due to increased traffic and old age. It has happened before. The I35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed due to heavy traffic and construction. In addition, construction errors were made that made the bridge more vulnerable.
Another bridge collapse was due to corrosion. Happened before in Pleasant Point, West Virginia.
The problem though with the bridge in Genoa was ultimately that the cables were bunched together.
In most bridges, there are many cables supporting the road deck.
But in the bridge in Genoa, the cables are all bunched together.
On the day of the disaster, one of the cables snapped. This was because of corrosion in the cables. This caused the road to then buckle and collapse.
Public Broadcasting Service. (2019). Why Bridges Collapse. PBS. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/why-bridges-collapse/.
Iran’s great party
In the 1960s, Iran was ruled by this person, who we will call Shah henceforth. Shah had absolute power in the country. Political freedom and free speech was limited. Iran was also quite poor. Instead of focusing on the standards of living, the Shah had the idea of throwing a massive party for the world’s leaders.
The location chosen was odd: it was in the middle of a desert. The venue was the ruins of the ancient city of Persepolis. Trees and flowers were flown in to be planted in the middle of the desert. Songbirds and sparrows from Europe were also flown in and released, with most of the birds dying due to the desert climate. Tents, designed by French architects, were built to accomodate the guests.
The food was provided by the best restaurant in the world at the time, Maxim de Paris.
Security measures were intense. In fact, Iran’s borders were closed during the event, with no one entering or leaving other than the guests. Universities were closed and student leaders were jailed. Before loong, the world’s media picked up the story.
Soon the event was underway
The cost of this event was estimated at $630 million inflation adjusted dollars. The high cost of the party lost him significant public support. A revolution occured against the Shah. Iran became an Islamic Republic and the Shah was forced to exile.
How Iran Threw the World’s Greatest Party. (2020). YouTube. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aF0UqC0J48&t=416s.