5 Fairytale Monuments Inspired By Love
Throughout history there have been many powerful men who at some point decided to erect fairytale monuments inspired by their love. Just as countless artists have dedicated monuments to great heroes and impressive battles, there are also numerous tributes to love, this beautiful and satisfying feeling that we all experience, enjoy and suffer at some point.
Many of these love-inspired monuments are known all over the world. They fascinate us with their exquisite beauty and the immense work that has gone into their construction. The fact that those men embarked on these great projects shows how much they were in love. All these monuments are thus a testimony to great love. It was about creating structures that would stand the test of time. And they did.
Here we introduce you to five monuments inspired by love.
1. Taj Mahal, a fairytale monument inspired by love
The Taj Mahal is in Agra, India. The Muslim emperor Shah Jahan was the one who ordered the construction of the mausoleum. It is one of the great monuments inspired by love.
According to legend, the prince met his great love Arjumand at a young age and fell in love with her. Although he had two other wives, he married them five years later and called her the “chosen one” of the palace. They loved each other very much and had 13 children. However, during the birth of their 14th child, Arjumand died. Heartbroken, the emperor ordered the construction of a fairytale mausoleum according to his own ideas. For this, the most valuable stones, marble and decorations were brought to the city from the other side of the world.
Today the Taj Mahal is the resting place for the king and queen.
2. Coral Castle
Coral Castle is not only one of the largest stone monuments inspired by love, but also a place shrouded in mystery. The monument was built by Edward Leedskalnin, an immigrant from Latvia who immigrated to the United States.
The building is made entirely of coral stone and weighs a total of 1,000 tons. Allegedly, Leedskalnin made each block of coral stone himself and used it to build the Coral Castle. He probably worked at night, in the light of lamps and loneliness.
Leedskalnin was a builder and a good reader. His life changed when he met Agnes Scuffs in his homeland. She was ten years younger than him, but she became the love of his life. They both wanted to get married, but Agnes left Edward shortly before the planned wedding. For this reason, the builder decided to emigrate. He built Coral Castle in honor of his great love and hoped that one day she would return to live with him.
Some people also believe that Coral Castle is related to the effects of electromagnetism.
3. Mirabell Palace
Mirabell Palace is located in Salzburg, Austria. It was designed by Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau in 1606 in honor of his lover Salome Alt. The castle was initially called Altenau. The two lovers have surely made unforgettable memories there. Salome gave birth to 15 children to the Archbishop, although unfortunately only five of them survived.
In 1612 the archbishop had to give up his office. He was sent to prison and died there. In retrospect, the later Archbishop Franz Anton von Harrach made many changes to the castle. Among other things, he changed the name to Mirabell Palace. The place became very famous and Mozart gave numerous concerts there.
4. The kiss
The kiss is a sculpture that was installed in Peru’s “Park of Love” in Miraflores. Its creator is the artist Víctor Delfín. The monument shows Delfín giving a kiss to the love of his life, Ana María. The place has been rebuilt so that traditionally lovers can meet there.
Next to the statue is a wall that is inscribed with romantic quotes from hundreds of lovers. Examples are “I undress you like you peel a fruit” by Jorge Díaz Herrera and “I burn with the desire to see the empty space of your body” by Washington Delgado.
5. The Temple of Hathor
Ramses II of Egypt ordered the construction of the Hathor temple in honor of his wife Nefertari. He wanted to give her a present that would take his wife’s breath away. She was his favorite woman and his love for her was profound. “Ramses, strong in truth, darling of Amun, created this heavenly abode for his beloved royal consort Nefertari” is the inscription on a column inside the temple.
We see, all of these monuments were inspired by love and serve as testimony to how powerful this emotion can be. The monuments presented here were all built as symbols of passion and their construction was arranged to show the intensity of those feelings.
