22 photos from the “then and now” series that prove that little has changed in the world (23 photos)

Comparing pictures of the same place in different years, you can feel like a real time traveler. Here's a selection of stunning "then and now" photos of 11 famous landmarks from around the world.





1. Fremont Street, Las Vegas



Las Vegas, Nevada, July 1953

Fremont Street, located in downtown Las Vegas, is one of the city's most famous streets. Today it is home to the Fremont Street Experience, or Glitter Gulch, which is a huge canopy spanning over four casino blocks.





Fremont Street, Las Vegas, December 2021

2. St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, India



St Paul's School, Darjeeling, India, circa 1910

St Paul's School was founded in 1823 to meet the needs of the growing British and Anglo-Indian community in Calcutta. This boys' school was nicknamed the "Eton of the East". Even today, the school still has over 750 students.



St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, India, circa 2012

3. Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry Exhibition Center



The destroyed frame of the Museum of Science and Industry shortly after the explosion, 1945

The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, exploded at an altitude of approximately 600 meters, 160 meters southwest of what was once the Hiroshima Chamber of Commerce and Industry Exhibition Center. The bomb instantly killed everyone inside the building, but the structure itself was not destroyed thanks to the stone and steel structure. Today it is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and the building itself was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.



Hiroshima "Atomic Explosion Dome" at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, circa 2021

4. Machu Picchu, Peru



Machu Picchu, circa 1912.

Machu Picchu was “discovered” by American archaeologist Hiram Bingham in July 1911. Hundreds of years before, Machu Picchu was a secret known and kept by the peasants living in the region. This Incan city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.



Machu Picchu, 1990s.

5. Cologne Cathedral, Germany



Cologne Cathedral, March 1945.

Cologne Cathedral, built in 1298, miraculously survived all the Allied bombings during World War II. During the war, the cathedral's twin spiers were a landmark for the Allies to drop bombs on the city. In total, the cathedral was hit 14 times, and although it was badly damaged, the building remained intact. Cologne Cathedral became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.



Cologne Cathedral in 2011.

6. Stonehenge



Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England, circa 1877.

Stonehenge is one of the most famous prehistoric monuments in the world. No one knows exactly for what purpose it was built, but initially it could have been a burial ground. Stonehenge has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.



Stonehenge, 2002.

7. Mount Rushmore



Construction begins on the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, circa 1929.

Mount Rushmore features the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Construction of the monument took place from 1927 to 1941. In 2021, 2,074,986 people visited Mount Rushmore.



Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, South Dakota, circa July 2020

8. Courtyard of the Lions, Alhambra, Spain



Courtyard of the Lions in the Alhambra, Spain, 1855

The Lion's Courtyard is a courtyard in the middle of the Lion Palace as part of the Alhambra residence. Construction, commissioned by Nasrid Sultan Muhammad V, took place between 1362 and 1391. It is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.



Lion's courtyard in 2006.

9. Manhattan Bridge, New York



Construction of the Manhattan Bridge, 1909

The Manhattan Bridge is considered the forerunner of modern suspension bridges. Work began in 1901, and traffic on the bridge was opened in December 1909. The bridge connects southeastern Manhattan with western Brooklyn.



Manhattan Bridge, March 2021

10. Baker Street Station, London, England



Baker Street Station in 1863.

Baker Street Station opened in January 1863 and is one of the oldest underground stations in the world. Today it still works.



Baker Street Station, 17 March 2020.

11. Reichstag building, Berlin, Germany



Ruins of the Reichstag building, Berlin, Germany, circa 1945.

The Reichstag building opened in Berlin in 1894 and housed the German Imperial Diet until the end of the First World War. The Reichstag building was heavily damaged by fire in 1933, and suffered even more damage during World War II. Only in 1990 the building underwent a complete reconstruction. Today it is again the meeting place of the German government.



Reichstag building, October 2021