FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Up – Red Square
February 20, 2015 by Susan Clarke
Red Square FUN-facts
- The square was considered the central square and main marketplace with all roads
originating here.
- It sits just outside of the Kremlin.
- It’s bordered by St. Basil’s cathedral, Lenin’s tomb, GUM department store & Moscow museum. The word red in Russian means beautiful and applied to St. Basil’s Cathedral.
- GUM is a three-arcade structure with three tiers of all worlds’ brand stores and cafés.
- Over the centuries has been the site of national celebrations, coronations, executions, hand-to-hand battles, and May Day Parades.
FUN-Fact – St. Basil’s Cathedral was built in 1561 at the behest of Ivan the Terrible who allegedly killed the architect.
More FF – It’s a New 7 Wonders of the World runner up and #18 on our list that we have visited.
- In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.
- Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree! We saw them in 2007.
- It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, “If you’ve been there but not together, it doesn’t count.”
New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:
#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005
#2 Great Wall of China – 2010
#3 Machu Picchu, Peru – February, 2012
#4 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro – February, 2012
#5 The Coliseum – Rome, Italy – August, 2012
#6 Petra, Jordan – March, 2013
TBA #7 – The Taj Mahal – Agra, India
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:
# 9 Statue of Liberty, New York – May, 2005
#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – January, 2006
#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – May, 2007
#12 Acropolis, Athens – May, 2007
#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – March, 2010
#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – October, 2010
#15 Stonehenge, England – October, 2011
#16 Alhambra, Spain – August, 2012
#17 Easter Island, Chile – February, 2013
#18 Neuschwanstein Castle – Füssen, Germany – September, 2013
#19 Red Square, Moscow – July 2014
TBA #20 – Kiyomizu Temple – Kyoto, Japan
TBA #21 – Timbuktu – Mali, Africa (may never happen due to current civil war)