15 Of The BIGGEST Palaces On Earth

palaces are places where people of royalty are able to live they're some of the most lavish and luxurious homes in the world but there are some that are bigger and better than others with hundreds upon hundreds of rooms and many acres of space join me for today's video as we take a look at 15 of the biggest palaces on earth number 15 buckingham palace kicking off our list is a familiar favorite buckingham palace although it's a palace it's both important and wild to remember that buckingham palace is still someone's home the queen of england's extravagant home has an incredible 775 rooms with 52 royal and guest bedrooms 78 bathrooms and 92 offices and it's so big that for all she knows people have been living there for decades without anyone even noticing how hard would it be and while the crown owns plenty of castles and estates throughout the uk they've owned buckingham palace for almost 200 years just think of all the history and stories embedded into those walls and while buckingham palace isn't going to be put up for sale probably ever you can most definitely put a price tag on it in all the estimated value of this palatial royal residence is about 3 billion number 14 the winter palace russia has some pretty stunning architecture to go along with its rich history of royalty monarchs and aristocrats and the winter palace is the perfect blend of both the winter palace takes extravagance to a whole new level and is the former home of the russian monarchs this russian palace is built in the fantastic baroque style and is easily one of the most popular tourist attractions that the european country has to offer but just how big is a place like this well the winter palace has 1500 rooms to explore get lost in and most likely even forget about it is the type of place where you never get to meet all of the roommates and see a fresh face every day no matter how long they've been living there and the winter palace is also home to some of the most stunning original artworks and many of these pieces can't be found anywhere else as guests wander through the halls of this massive russian abode it's tough not to notice all of the masterpieces hanging on the walls from the likes of pablo picasso vincent van gogh rembrandt monet kandinsky renoir and even leonardo da vinci it's absolutely amazing and with all of the art history and historic architecture the winter palace is quite literally priceless number 13. chateau de chambord you can't talk about kings queens and palaces without talking about france which is home to one of the largest palaces in the world the chateau de chambord this place is absolutely wild france's loire valley is known around the world for being home to multiple castles and palaces but chateau de chambord is the crown jewel of the place the chateau's history reaches far back to the 16th century and acted as the retreat and summer home for many many french kings over the years and the thing about summer homes is they're always better than your year-round place and if there's one thing that the french kings of old liked was space and a lot of it so the chateau de chamber is made of 440 different rooms for guests servants and the fellow nobles and with plenty of space across multiple stories the chateau has 13 great staircases unlike anything you've ever seen before but the main attraction being the extravagant double helix spiral staircase and while the jury is still out on it there are those who believe that this human dna-shaped spiral staircase is designed by none other than leonardo da vinci himself it would seem that he was onto some pretty cool royal ideas but perhaps the coolest part of the chateau is the stable these are just ordinary staples instead there's enough space here to accommodate up to 1200 horses at a time wow number 12 royal palace of madrid keeping up with the theme of europe is the royal palace of madrid this one's extra special and looks so amazing that it's hard to believe that something like this could ever be real it looks more like a movie set than it does someone's home but the royal palace of madrid is really old and construction on the golden palace began all the way back in the 9th century and while it's still standing today it didn't quite make it all the way through history something like that isn't meant to go against the sands of time and so the royal palace that we see today was actually built in the 18th century on the ruins of an old castle this modern real-life fairy tale holds 3 400 rooms across 40 000 square feet of space all of which are dripping with luxury those stats also make the royal palace in madrid the largest palace in europe by floor area which isn't an easy title to win the furnishings in this place along with all of the fantastic artwork painted right onto the walls are literally fit for royalty and make the place feel like a living entity in its own right but the work here is all done by some pretty famous names like dagoya and caravaggio [Music] number 11 the grand palace in bangkok we already know that europe is home to some pretty stellar palaces and castles but what about asia the grand palace in bangkok thailand isn't just one of the largest palaces in the world but it's one of the coolest structures in the world too and with a title like the grand palace you'd better believe that it lives up to the name this thai palace sits right on the beautiful banks of the chao praia river and it's been the official residence of the kings of siam since 1782 making it just 10 years older than the white house in the united states nowadays though the royal family generally doesn't live out their days there but it's their go-to place for all of the big ceremonies throughout the year but the grand palace in bangkok is open for public tours that takes folks all around the stunning grounds and gardens and just taking all of that traditional thai architecture that's very rarely duplicated but the standout features of the grand palace in bangkok are without a doubt all of the colorful spires and roof tiles all throughout it's also home to the temple of the grand buddha where you can behold the most sacred buddhist sculpture in the country number 10 doma bache palace while the far-reaching reign of the once great ottoman empire is long gone you can still find both evidence and influence of their existence in many parts of the world well the dombache palace in turkey is one of those places this palace sits right along the bosphorus river and once served as the administrative center of the ottoman empire with one of the last ottoman sultans to ever live calling the place home needless to say the doma bache palace's history is almost as rich as its former residents but when you come here you'll see that this royal abode is the epitome of decadence and it's adorned with plenty of golden chandeliers silk carpets and glittering jewels all throughout it's absolutely insane to think that a place like this can even exist but the dolma bache palace is also the largest palace in all of turkey taking up 1.1 acres of space and contains 285 rooms 46 halls 68 toilets and six hammams or turkish baths there's also the dolma mache clock tower as well as the three spectacular main gates all of which still stand in near perfect condition today the gates of the sultan the gate of the treasury and the gate to the bus for us number nine the palace of versailles it wouldn't be a proper list of palaces without mentioning the palace of versailles located in the country of france the palace of versailles is one of the most visited places in the world and is without a doubt one of the most extravagant structures in the world like so many others of its kind the palace of versailles was the home to many great kings and queens dating all the way back to the 17th century the palace has originally started out as the official hunting lodge for the royals but it was none other than king louis xiv who began to transform it into the absurdly large and fancy place that we see today aside from the extravagant living quarters all clad with art on the walls and golden statues the palace of versailles is also home to the famous hall of mirrors where the old french aristocracy would hold their grand balls and spend nights in the state apartments but for those of the rich and famous who would rather spend some time out on the sun there were of course plenty of more natural settings for them to choose from on the palace grounds one of the greatest features of the palace of versailles to this day is the intricate garden mazes that anyone could easily get lost in for hours number eight hawa mahal we can't forget about all of the eastern empires all of which had their own architectural style that was crafted in part by culture religion and levels of spirituality and philosophies so instead of quite literally going for the gold the hawa mahal in india opts for a fantastic pink exterior and an incredibly fancy yet delicate honeycomb lattice work that almost makes this palace look like a dollhouse come to life also known as the palace of the wind the hawa mahal is built at the turn of the 18th century in 1799 meaning that much of this lattice work was done by careful human hands the hawama hall is built so that the women of the indian royal court could enjoy the fresh air as they observe the city below them from one of the palace's 953 windows without being noticed by all of the onlookers and in true eastern fashion the palace of the wind is built almost entirely from pink sandstone making it one of the most unique places in the world and while marlboro interior is truly something to behold the real fun begins at night when the hawa mahal is totally illuminated in golden light number seven royal palace of casserta the palace of versailles and the palace of madrid are so amazing and so influential that they inspired the royal palace of caserta this italian palace was built back in the 18th century in an attempt to match the beauty of those aforementioned abodes and in turn they were able to create one of the most stunning royal homes in the world but it also happens to be the largest palace in the world by volume spanning well over 35 million square feet with all sorts of parks and gardens to be enjoyed obviously this place is huge and attempting to see every nook and cranny in one day is a fool's errand and it's very likely that the royal folks who once called this place home never even got to see everything that the royal palace of caserta has to offer the palace has five floors with 1200 rooms and another two dozen state apartments on the grounds during its heyday there were so many moving parts gardeners servants chefs hunters errand boys ground keepers you name it at the royal palace of caserta felt like a city unto itself number six the forbidden city moving over to asia again we have the world famous forbidden city this city is in china and it's absolutely massive spanning over 180 acres and composes nearly a thousand different buildings and a total of 1 000 rooms which makes the forbidden city the largest complex in the world it also just happens to be one of the biggest tourist hot spots in the country as well so other than the sheer scale what exactly is the forbidden city's claim to fame well it was once the seat of both the ming and qing dynasties which date all the way back to the year 1406 this is one old palace but as you'd expect at this point the forbidden city had undergone plenty of renovations and upgrades to turn it into what it is today the palace is also both a unesco world heritage site and a cultural and historical museum that houses well over ten thousand chinese works of art and artifacts and aside from the former throne the forbidden city is home to some pretty spectacular sights like the imperial gardens the hall of clocks and watches the meridian gate and the hall of supreme harmony which is used for ceremonies and celebrations plus the old empress's chambers are open to the public where all can behold the throne in the palace of heavenly purity number five shonburun palace the history of the schonbrunn palace in vienna austria runs all the way back to the 17th century and was the fabulous summer residence of the house of habsburg which was the ruling family at the time these dukes archdukes and emperors reigned for about 700 years so it's safe to say that it was one hell of a palace during its heyday but this palace is a classic example of the gorgeous baroque style of architecture of the day what really stands out here is the absolute perfect symmetry of the entire structure everything from the gardens to the grand ceiling murals mirrors each other perfectly and when you're done checking out the sculptures and elaborate hedge mazes on the outside make your way inside to gaze upon all of the literally priceless artworks hanging on the walls not to be outdone vienna's schonbrunn palace is made of 1441 rooms including their own hall of mirrors which mozart himself performed in all those years ago for the empress maria theresa and marie antoinette when he was just a six-year-old child prodigy if those walls could talk number four edinburgh castle scotland is incredibly old and so there are plenty of castles still standing that can provide us all with a glimpse into the country's past but there's one that really does take the cake edinburgh castle sits on the aptly named castle rock and overlooks the entire capital for which it's named and while the castle's positioning may serve as an incredible backdrop for the folks below it had a more strategic implementation when it was built everyone in the castle could see the enemy as they approached while still remaining incredibly difficult to reach simply put edinburgh castle has the high ground the castle has a bit of a tumultuous history and during both the first and second wars of scottish independence it changed hands back and forth between the scottish and the english plenty of times nowadays though the tensions have died down a bit and edinburgh castle is one of the top tourist attractions that scotland has to offer with plenty of tours and events happening throughout the day and even if you do want to avoid the castle crowds edinburgh castle is probably the most picturesque scene in the entire country and simply enjoying it from afar may be just as magical [Music] number three dropping home palace sweden is home to plenty of castles and palaces all of which give viewers a tiny glimpse into what the country was like in a more sophisticated time but none of them are able to truly capture the time period quite like dropping home palace this palace was built back in the 1600s and is the country's best preserved royal palace and a unesco world heritage site but unlike some of the other palaces we've seen on this list today threatening home palace's history doesn't end hundreds of years ago because it's still the permanent residence of the king and queen of sweden this place is absolutely massive and while there are guided tours going on almost all day every day here the king and queen are kept to the southern wing to maintain their privacy but it's so big that they would hardly even know that the publix is there and to add to the mystique of this palace the royal home is located on an island in lake millard and offers some sweeping views of the area that only money can buy and while the interiors here are certainly epic and fit for the setting of a period drama the grounds of thrusting home palace are even more breathtaking with its gorgeous baroque gardens and a chinese pavilion and while much of the palace here has been renovated and updated to keep it going throughout the years its theater is still using all of the original stage machinery from 1776. number two alhambra when we think of castles it's easy for the mine to go straight to medieval england when the lords and ladies ruled supreme but spain has plenty of castles too so if you ever get the chance to visit the country why not take a day to check out alhambra castle alhambra is a sweeping palace and fortress in andalusia spain it was built in the 13th century by nazrid emir muhammad bin al-ammar of the emirate of granada and apart from what makes alhambra so cool is that it was built right on top of the ruins of former roman fortifications it officially became the royal palace in the year 1333 and by the mid-1400s alhambra was the site of the royal court of ferdinand and isabella and legend has it that christopher columbus was even given the green light for his famed expedition here but on the outside alhambra is a solid example of the moorish architecture that dominated the ancient muslim dynasties in the region there's plenty to do and see here like the court of the myrtles hall of the ambassadors and the court of the lions and if you get here at the right time of year it's surrounded by lush green gardens number one is the final entry on our list does the impossible by putting all of the other palaces to shame located in brunei the astana rule iman palace is the official residence of the sultan of brunei and provides him with his much-needed 2.1 million square feet of space you think that's a little much maybe well the sultan and his family probably don't and you wouldn't either if you got to live there this palace has 1788 rooms and 257 bathrooms and a mosque that fits up to 1500 people then there's the 200 polo pony stables five swimming pools and a 110 car garage the palace's name translates to palace of faith light and was designed back in 1984 and cost almost one and a half billion dollars to build and the value probably has gone up since then when you look at the palace's exterior you'll notice the gold domes and vaulted roofs which combine the local malay and islamic architectures to create the most extravagant home in the world but don't worry because the sultan and his family aren't the only people here the palace may serve as their private home but it's also where foreign dignitaries stay when they come to visit the istanbul ruliman palace is also open to visitors three days a year at the end of ramadan where guests are served food to break their fast that's one guest list you better try your absolute best to get on watch our binge watching playlist if you'd like to watch all of our most popular top 15 videos grab a drink grab a snack and get ready to binge

Channel: Top Fives

Views: 850,587

Keywords: Palaces, Palace

Id: 12u_HTLb7yk

Length: 19min 13sec (1153 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 18 2022