The Incredible Opera House of Sydney, Australia
In 1973, one of the most recognizable structures in the world, created by Jorn Utzon, was opened in a ceremony that was presided over by Queen Elizabeth II. The Sydney Opera House has become one of the iconic structures of the world, much as is the Empire State Building in New York City, USA and the Eiffel Tower in France. During the almost forty years of the history of the building, it has become the symbol of the entire country of Australia, much as the Colosseum represents Rome, and as the Pyramids are representative of Egypt. Many travel to the city, and dine in one of the many restaurants Sydney offers, just to catch a glimpse of the building or take photographs. Not to mention those that visit in order to have the experience of one of the more than three thousands events that are scheduled there each and every year with close to two million people attending throughout the year. Tours are also available for those not taking in a show.
Utzon designed the building with the idea of evoking the look of a ship with all its sails up and blowing. This is a spectacular site, as the Opera House is located at the end of Bennelong Point, out in the center of the harbor, and does very much resemble a ship at sea. When viewed from a plane or from a ferry boat, in the middle of the blue water, the white, stark sails are breathtaking. Utzon won the design competition that was set up at the end of the 1950′s by the Government of New South Wales. However, at that time his design was something that engineers at that time, where just incapable of completing. It was not until 1961, when Utzon had spent time reworking the original design, that the challenge of building the sails was solved. Utzon was not involved in the project at the time of its completion as the Government began to withhold payments and he resigned. Other designers complete the project, more than thirty years after Jorn Utzon originally won the competition. Just one of the many reasons to visit the city, the Sydney Opera House continues to be one of the most incredible architectural achievements in the world.
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