Architectural icons that shaped the world: from the Eiffel Tower to Burj Khalifa

Turns out, buildings can break records too!

Architecture shapes every culture – from iron towers to vintage ovens. Some pieces of architecture are so extraordinary, they’ve claimed records and global fame. Here are the standouts!

Tallest iron structure

Let’s start with a crowd favourite. The infamous Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, holds the record for the tallest iron structure. It is 300 metres (984 ft 3 in) high, and at the time of its inauguration in 1889, the tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world, and held that title until 1931. 

Surprisingly, the Eiffel Tower wasn’t loved by Parisians at first! It was designed and built as a potential exhibition site, which also highlighted the centennial of the French Revolution. Many residents saw the tower as radical and unnecessary, and only wanted to keep it in place for a few years. After seeing how well it fit the city, Parisians finally got on board.

Tallest building

Today, the Burj Khalifa (Khalifa Tower) holds the title of the tallest building! Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, it measures 828 metres (2,716 ft 6 in) tall and took almost six years to construct. 

The idea of a building this tall emerged in the early 2000s, when Dubai’s city council was planning to diversify the city and attract global tourism. Burj Khalifa was officially opened on 4 January 2010, in honour of UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed AI Nahyan, and truly became a symbol of Dubai’s ambition!

Largest airport (area)

Of course, not every record is about reaching the sky! King Fahd International airport, near Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is the largest airport (area), and is bigger than the nearby country of Bahrain! Overall, the airport covers 780 km² of land, making it a major hub in eastern Saudi Arabia. It has around 50 available airlines, flies to 56 destinations around the world, carries more than 12 million passengers in 2024, and handles roughly 100,000 flights each year.

Oldest museum

Then there’s architecture that survived decades, and sometimes even centuries! The Royal Armouries Museum in the Tower of London, UK, is one of London’s most historic spots, proudly holding a Guinness World Records title as the world’s oldest museum. In 1660, it officially opened its doors to the public, displaying Royal suits of armour belonging to Henry VIII, Charles I, and James II’s, along with exotic weapons, and even torture devices. The Tower of London itself gets about 2.9 million visitors per year!

Oldest restaurant

Across Europe, another legend survived three centuries – and it's the world’s oldest restaurant! Restaurante Botín in Calle de Cuchilleros, Madrid, Spain, first opened its doors in 1725, and is still successfully operating. It all started with French cook Jean Botín, who moved to Spain with his wife in search of work serving the Spanish nobility.

Today, the restaurant is owned and run by the González family, who acquired it in the late 1920s. Iconically, Restaurante Botín still uses its original 18th-century wood-fired oven to bake its specialty roast suckling pig (cochinillo), and roast lamb! 

Longest wall 

Some records carry a much heavier history. The longest socialist wall title belongs to the infamous Berlin Wall. Built overnight in August 1961, the wall measured 155 km (96 miles) in length, with 43 km actually stretching through the city. Its purpose was to divide Berlin into West and East, essentially limiting the citizens' mobility as part of the “anti-fascism” ideology. 

Together these structures capture moments in time, and of course, stay in Guinness World Records’ archives!

Header image (left): credited to Makalu from Pixabay; (right): credited to Pexels from Pixabay.