The 11 wonders of the world in Minecraft
We all feel it: this is not the best time to jump on a plane and travel the world which doesn't help me tick-off my list of visiting some of the wonders of the world. Thankfully there are games like Minecraft, that let you build practically anything you want. So we decided to take you on a tour of the world's wonders in Minecraft.
We start our trip around the digital world off in Australia. At the Sydney Harbour there is a building so famous, nearly everybody knows it. Drawing it is a bit more difficult, but there are a lot of opera house references in movies and cartoons to learn from (thanks Finding Nemo!). The Danish architect Jorn Utzon is the one that designed this beautiful building, which opened its doors on 20 October 1973. It is actually quite tall: 65 meters, making it a pretty big building in Minecraft too (thanks @Revan176):
Next stop: India! The ivory white beauty that is Taj Mahal can be found in the city of Agra. It’s a mausoleum commissioned by the emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is the architect of this visually mind boggling building. Its height is 73 meters and it was finished in 1653 after more than twenty years. Thankfully it did not take that long to build in Minecraft, though we bet it took quite some time to finish this beautiful virtual building (thanks @jayhindigaming):
The amazing facade of Petra, Jordan, is one of the most photographed places in the area. Petra is situated around Jabal Al-Madbah and is surrounded by mountains. However, with its height of 810 meters it is quite hard to miss. Experts think this eyecatcher has been built as early as the 5th century by the Nabataeans. Petra has been rebuilt multiple times in Minecraft, with the video of @foxmaster being a very old school one we really enjoy:
Though it is only 30 meters high, the Christ the Redeemer statue (Cristo Redentor) is extremely well known. Thankfully the statue is placed on the 700 metre high Corcovado mountain, overlooking the city of Rio. The soapstone statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro was designed by sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Heitor da Silva Costa. This world wonder was built between 1922 and 1931 and it is quite the heavyweight at 635 metric tons. This is another great one to see in Minecraft, as this iconic statue has been made many times. @hspgamesprasil made a very nice one.
The Chichen Itza is one of the oldest world wonders. It is one of the largest Maya cities and it was a very important point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from c. AD 600-900 and later. It is an amazing building when you look at it from above: everything is symmetrical. On YouTube you can find multiple people showing you how to build your own Chichen Itza. The one built by @TheBuildingDuck definitely stands out though:
The Roman Colosseum is one of the prettiest amphitheatres on the planet. It was built in 80 AD and meant to host 80.000 spectators. People would come to watch gladiators fight animals and each other. It is not fully intact anymore, because of excavation and earthquakes, but still it is a beautiful sight to see right in the middle of the Italian city of Rome. And it is also a great sight in Minecraft, as shown by @steve2443
The Great Wall of China is something truly amazing. It is not just a beautiful structure, surrounded by luscious forest, it is 21 kilometres long! It is not surprising the Chinese actually call it the Long Wall. Some of the parts of the wall were built as early as the 7th century BC, but the most well known parts of it were built during the Ming dynasty period (1368-1644). There have been many walls built in Minecraft, but none as memorable as this, thanks @hejsan!
The Inca’s built Machu Picchu in the 15th century. It was placed on a mountain ridge 2,430 metres high. Often Machu Picchu is referred to as the Lost City of the Inca’s, but that is not entirely true. The Inca’s abandoned it after a century and it was definitely not lost. It’s dry-stone walls can still be seen in Peru...and in Minecraft, as @elbocha shows off:
When we say Egypt, you say: Pyramids, right? The Great Pyramids of Giza have always been and will always be a wonder of the world. How on earth were people back then able to build these great structures? They must have been constructed around 2580 to 2560 BC. In Minecraft they have been constructed in the past ten years though: it took @perrosenstandthomsen 6,000,000 pieces and a lot of time to assemble his Great Pyramids of Giza:
On the top of a hill next to Athens, there is Acropolis. This ancient citadel shows pieces of great architectural significance. Experts think the building was built in C 429-BC. The Acropolis has had to deal with lots of things: when gunpowder was stored in the Parthenon part, a cannonball hit it and it exploded. And of course there are earthquakes and other disasters that make it hard for the Acropolis to stay as it was. In Minecraft we can make it exactly as it should be. @gtofan74 shows off his version of it in a very well constructed video.
In March 1889 the Eiffel Tower was finished. The wrought-iron lattice tower was placed on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It has been named after Gustave Eiffel, the engineer who designed and built it as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair. The Eiffel Tower is 300 meters tall and you can find it in the middle of Paris...and in the middle of Minecraft. @glatornetninaalf shows you how you can build this romantic landmark yourself.