List of tallest structures built before the 20th century

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List of pre-twentieth century structures by height

Name Municipality (current) Country (current) Height (feet) Height (metres) Completed Comments
Eiffel Tower Paris France 986 300 1889
New Brighton Tower New Brighton United Kingdom 567 173 1900 Tower dismantled from 1919.
Washington Monument Washington, D.C. United States 555 169 1884
Mole Antonelliana Turin Italy 549.54 167.5 1889
Philadelphia City Hall Philadelphia United States 548 167 1894 City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world from 1894 to 1908.
Ulm Minster Ulm Germany 529.92 161.53 1890
Lincoln Cathedral Lincoln United Kingdom 525 160 1311 Spire destroyed in 1548.
St. Olaf's Church Tallinn Estonia 522 159 1519 Spire destroyed in 1625. Reconstructed with 139 meters.
Blackpool Tower Blackpool United Kingdom 518 158 1894
Cologne Cathedral Cologne Germany 516 157 1880
Yongning Pagoda (永宁宝塔) Luoyang China 448 137~154.95 516 Burned to the ground in 534 after being struck by lightning.
Beauvais Cathedral Beauvais France 156 (choir) / 502 (tower) 47.5 (choir) / 153 (tower) 1272/1569 From 1569 to 1573, the tower was the tallest structure on earth.
Rouen Cathedral Rouen France 495 151 1876
St. Mary's Church Stralsund Germany 495 151 1625 Spire destroyed 1647. Reconstructed with about 104-meter.
Old St. Paul's Cathedral London United Kingdom 493 150.2 1240 Spire destroyed in 1561. Completely destroyed in 1666.
St. Nikolai Hamburg Germany 482 147 1874
Great Pyramid Giza Egypt 481 146.6 c. 2570 BC One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Pyramid of Khafre Giza Egypt 475 143 c. 2530 BC
Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg France 472 142 1439 Highest building between 1647 and 1874, between the St. Mary's Church spire collapse and the construction of the Church of St. Nicholas.
Halsbrücker Esse Halsbrücke Germany 459 140 1889
St. Peter's Basilica Vatican City 452 138 1626
St. Stephen's Cathedral Vienna Austria 448 c. 136.74 1433
St. Lambert's Cathedral Liège Belgium 443 135 1391 Dismantled from 1794.
St. Martin's Church Landshut Germany 428 130.6 1500 Tallest brickwork tower in the world.
Amiens Cathedral Amiens France 415 126.6 1533
St. Mary's Lübeck Germany 410 125 1350 Second tallest brickwork tower in the world.
Cathedral of Our Lady Antwerp Belgium 404 123 1521
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury United Kingdom 404 123 1320
Belltower of Peter and Paul Cathedral Saint Petersburg Russia 401 122.5 1733
Jetavanaramaya Anuradhapura Sri Lanka 400 122 273–301
Basilica of San Gaudenzio Novara Italy 397 121 1887
Phra Pathommachedi Nakhon Pathom Thailand 396 120.45 1870
Kanishka stupa Peshawar Pakistan 400 120 200 Destroyed by White Huns in 460 CE.
Pharos Lighthouse Alexandria Egypt 338~387 103~118[1] c. 280 BC One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Destroyed by earthquakes in 1303 and 1323.
Sint-Walburgiskerk Zutphen Netherlands 384 117 16th century Current height: 76 m. Until 1600, the church was 117 m tall and the highest structure in the Netherlands before the 20th century.
Potala Palace Lhasa Tibet 384 117 1694
Freiburg Minster Freiburg im Breisgau Germany 380.7 116 c. 1330
Church of Our Lady Bruges Belgium 379.3 115.6 c. 1465 Third tallest brickwork tower in the world.
St. Andrew's Church Hildesheim Germany 376 114.5 1883 Tallest church tower in Lower Saxony.
Florence Cathedral Florence Italy 375 114.5 1436
Torrazzo of Cremona Cremona Italy 369.75 112.7 1309
Shwedagon Pagoda Yangon Myanmar 367 112 1775 Successively rebuilt taller: 18m (1362); 40m (1462)
New St. Paul's Cathedral London United Kingdom 365 111.2 1677 Built after the destruction of Old St. Paul's.
Seven-Story Pagoda at Shōkoku-ji Kyoto Japan 358 109.1 1399 Destroyed by fire in 1403.
Dom Tower of Utrecht Utrecht Netherlands 358 109 1382 Restored in 1912 to reach current height of 112 metres.
Nieuwe Kerk (Delft) Delft Netherlands 356.79 108.75 1895
Milwaukee City Hall Milwaukee United States 353 108 1895
Chaturbhuj Temple Orchha India 344 104.8 c. 1558 Chaturbhuj Temple dedicated to Vishnu was the tallest structure in the Indian subcontinent from 1558 to 1970.
Red Pyramid Dahshur Egypt 345 105 c. 2600 BC
St. Catherine's Church Hoogstraten Belgium 343.5 104.7 1548
Palace of Justice Brussels Belgium 341 104 1883
Old City Hall (Toronto) Toronto Canada 340 103.6 1899 Largest civic building in North America prior to 20th century
Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (Plzeň) Plzeň Czech Republic 335 103 c. 1480 Construction begun in 1342.
St Martin's Cathedral Ypres Belgium 335 102 1370
Giralda Seville Spain 330 104.1 1568 88 m when was constructed in 1171; built it higher in 1568
Shwesandaw Pagoda Bagan Myanmar 328+ 100+ c. 1057 100 meters tall without counting its hti spire
St. Patrick's Cathedral (Midtown Manhattan) New York City United States 329.6 100.5 1888
East Seven-Story Pagoda at Tōdai-ji Nara Japan 328 100 c. 743 Burned down by war in 1181
West Seven-Story Pagoda at Tōdai-ji Nara Japan 328 100 c. 743 Burned down by lightning in 943
St Mark's Campanile Venice Italy 323 98.6 1514
Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren Amersfoort Netherlands 322.6 98.33 1470
St Vitus Church Hilversum Netherlands 321.5 98 1892
St. Rumbold's Cathedral Mechelen Belgium 319 97.28 c. 1520
Torre Asinelli Bologna Italy 318.9 97.2 before 1185
Grote Kerk (Breda) Breda Netherlands 318.24 97 1547
Martinitoren Groningen Netherlands 318.24 96.8 c. 1550
Great Lavra Bell Tower Kyiv Ukraine 316 96.5 1745
Brussels Town Hall Brussels Belgium 315 96 1454
Norwich Cathedral Norwich United Kingdom 315 96 1480 Building of current spire commenced
Latting Observatory New York City United States 315 96 1853 Shortened by 75 feet in 1855; destroyed by fire in 1856.
Martinikerk (Doesburg) Doesburg Netherlands 308.5 94 c. 1430
Church of St Walburge, Preston Preston United Kingdom 308.5 94 1873
Sint-Jacobus de Meerderekerk (The Hague) The Hague Netherlands 308.5 94 1878
St Eusebius' Church, Arnhem Arnhem Netherlands 305 93 1550
Saint Vincent's Church Eeklo Belgium 305 93 1883
Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto) Toronto Canada 305 92.9 1874
Grote or Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague) The Hague Netherlands 303.5 92.5 1424
Ruwanwelisaya Anuradhapura Sri Lanka 301 92 c. 140 BC
Lakshmi Vilas Palace Vadodara India 300 91.44 1890
Notre-Dame de Paris Paris France 300 91.44 1345 Spire destroyed on April 15, 2019 (Notre-Dame fire)
Etemenanki Babylon Iraq 298.56 91 c. 601 BC Ziggurat dedicated to Marduk. Alleged to have originally been built, to an unknown height, between the 14th and 9th centuries BC, then destroyed in 689 BC by Sennacherib. Rebuilt c. 600 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II. Finally demolished by Alexander the Great in 323 BC.
Belfry of Ghent Ghent Belgium 298.5 91 1380
Abdijtoren Middelburg Netherlands 296.6 90.4 1350–1400
Shwemawdaw Pagoda Bago Myanmar 295+ 90+ 1796 Was 90 meters tall without counting its hti spire; raised to 114 m (without counting the hti spire height) in 1954.
Coventry Cathedral Coventry United Kingdom 295 90 1500
Dormition Cathedral Kharkiv Ukraine 294 89.5 1841
St Bavo's Cathedral Ghent Belgium 292 89 1569
Torre del Mangia Siena Italy 289 88 1348
St Walburga Church Oudenaarde Belgium 289 88 1627
United States Capitol Building Washington, D.C. United States 288 87 1866
Westerkerk Amsterdam Netherlands 285 87 1631
Belfry of Mons Mons Belgium 285 87 1669
The Roman-Catholic Parish Church Spišská Nová Ves Slovakia 285 87 1894
St Medardus Church Wervik Belgium 282 86 1433
Grote of Sint-Clemenskerk Steenwijk Netherlands 282 86 15th century
Rajabai Clock Tower Bombay

(Now Mumbai)

India 280 85.3 1878
Liaodi Pagoda Dingzhou China 276 84 1055
Cathedral of Our Lady Aarschot Belgium 276 84 1337
St Tillo Church Izegem Belgium 276 84 1868
Brooklyn Bridge New York City United States 276 84 1883
St Willibrordus Church, Berchem Antwerp Belgium 276 84 1891
St Martin's Church Kortrijk Belgium 272 83 1466
Belfry of Bruges Bruges Belgium 272 83 1487
Sint-Petrus' Stoel van Antiochiëkerk Sittard Netherlands 272 83 c. 1505
St Gummarus Church Lier Belgium 272 83 1540
Minarets of Selimiye Mosque Edirne Turkey 272 83 1574
Tournai Cathedral Tournai Belgium 272 83 1700
St. Mary's Church Gdańsk Poland 269 82 1502
Cunerakerk Rhenen Netherlands 268.4 81.8 1531
Hwangryongsa Gyeongju South Korea 262 80 643
St. Christopher's Cathedral, Roermond Roermond Netherlands 261 79.7 1663
St Salvator's Cathedral Bruges Belgium 259 79 1350, 1871
Sint-Janskerk Maastricht Netherlands 259 79 1450–1500
Clifton Hill Shot Tower Melbourne Australia 256 78 1882 The Clifton Hill Shot Tower held the title of Australia's tallest structure from its construction until 1930. The landmark has been proclaimed as the world's tallest shot tower by Guinness World Records.[2]
Municipal Corporation Building Bombay

(Now Mumbai)

India 255 77.7 1893
Kutubiyya Mosque Marrakesh Morocco 253 77 1195
Parish Church Saints Nicholas and Stephen Eggenfelden Germany 253 77 1519
Victoria Terminus

(Renamed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus)

Bombay

(Now Mumbai)

India 250 76.2 1888 Data obtained from UNESCO document to ensure authenticity.
Beisi Pagoda Suzhou China 249 76 1153
St Nicholas Church Ghent Belgium 249 76 1300–1330 Construction completed early in the 14th century, with further extensions during the following centuries to accommodate the growing population.
Clérigos Church Porto Portugal 248 75.6 1750
Oude Kerk (Delft) Delft Netherlands 246 75 1350
Abayagiriya Anuradhapura Sri Lanka 245 74.6 c. 103 BC
Mahachaitya Amaravathi India 242 73 c. 300 BC
Taj Mahal Agra, Uttar Pradesh India 240 73 1653
Qutb Minar Delhi India 238 72.5 c. 1200 The tower is the tallest free-standing masonry structure in India, and was the tallest in the world until the completion of the Anaconda Smelter Stack in 1919.
La Danta Temple El Mirador Guatemala 236 72 300 BC
Minarets of Süleymaniye Mosque Istanbul Turkey 236 72 1558
Gonbad-e Qabus Gonbad-e Qabus Iran 236 72 1006
Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury United Kingdom 235 71.6 1498
Pyramid of the Sun Teotihuacan Mexico 233.6 71.2 100
The Ziggurat of Dur-Kurigalzu Dur-Kurigalzu Iraq 230 70 c. 1400 BC
Belfry of Tournai Tournai Belgium 230 70 1294
Qianxun Pagoda Dali City China 228 69.6 823–840
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester United Kingdom 225 69 1089–1499
Bunker Hill Monument Boston United States 221 67 1843
General Post Office Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 220+ 67+ 1868
Pagoda of Fogong Temple Ying County China 220 67.3 1056
Galata Tower Istanbul Turkey 219 66.9 1348
Husainabad Clock Tower Lucknow India 219 67 1881
Great Pyramid of Cholula Cholula Mexico 217 66 200 BC
Arunachaleswara Temple(Also called Annamalaiyar Temple) Tiruvannamalai India 217 66 9th century
Brihadiswara Temple Thanjavur India 217 66 1010 Tallest structure of India when built
Ely Cathedral Ely United Kingdom 217 66 1375
Malbork Castle Malbork Poland 217 66 13th century Castle Belfry
Thatbyinnyu Temple Bagan Myanmar 217 66 1150
Angkor Wat Angkor Cambodia 213 65 c. 1150
Jagannath Temple Puri India 213 65 1161
Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent (Tikal Pyramid IV) Tikal Guatemala 212 64.6 c. 741
Giant Wild Goose Pagoda Xi'an China 210 64 704
Minarets of Sultan Ahmed Mosque Istanbul Turkey 210 64 1616
Minaret of Jam Shahrak District Afghanistan 203 62 c. 1190 The minaret was built around 1190 entirely of baked bricks and is famous for its intricate brick, stucco and glazed tile decoration
Gol Gumbaz Bijapur

(Now Vijayapura)

India 203 61.9 1656
Notre-Dame Basilica Montreal Canada 200 60 1843
Liuhe Pagoda Hangzhou China 196 59.89 1165
Srivilliputhur Andal temple Srivilliputhur India 194 59 14th–17th century Precise date not available
Ulagalantha Perumal Temple Tirukoyilur, Tamil Nadu India 194 59 15–17th century
Taroona Shot Tower Hobart Australia 192.6 58.7 1870 The Taroona Shot Tower held the title of Australia's tallest building between 1870 and 1875. It is the tallest cylindrical sandstone tower in the Southern Hemisphere.
Mirisawetiya Vihara Anuradhapura Sri Lanka 192 58.5 c. 161 BC
Ekambareswarar Temple Kanchipuram India 192 58.5 1509–29
Leaning Tower of Pisa Pisa Italy 191.47 58.36 1372
Leh Palace Leh India 190.3 58 c. 1610
Pagoda of Tianning Temple Beijing China 189 57.8 1100–1120
Tikal Pyramid V Tikal Guatemala 187 57 c. 700
Hagia Sophia Cathedral Istanbul Turkey 184 56.1 537
Charminar Hyderabad India 184 56 1591
Kwidzyn Castle Kwidzyn Poland 183 56 1230 Castle Belfry
El Tigre El Mirador Guatemala 183 55.8 100
Mahabodhi Temple Bodh Gaya India 180.4+ 55+ 5th / 6th century Tallest structure of India until 1010 CE
Main Pyramid of Calakmul Calakmul Mexico 180.4 55 100
Temple of the Jaguar Priest (Tikal Pyramid III) Tikal Guatemala 180.4 55 c. 810
BrihadiswaraTemple Gangaikonda Cholapuram India 180.4 55 1035
Château de Coucy Picardy France 180 55 c. 1220 Height of Keep, destroyed in 1917.
Lingaraja Temple Bhubaneshwar India 180 54.9 c. 1090
Varadaraja Perumal Temple Kanchipuram India 180 54.9 13–16th century
Calcutta High Court Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 180 54.9 1872
Five-Story Pagoda of Tō-ji Kyoto Japan 180 54.8 1643 Tallest existing wooden tower in Japan.
Bombay High Court Bombay

(Now Mumbai)

India 178.5 54.5 1862
Washington Monument Baltimore United States 178 54.4 1829
Buland Darwaza Fatehpur Sikri India 177 54 1575
Basilica and Convent of St. Francis Salta Argentina 177 54 1877
Saint Paul's Cathedral Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 175 53.3 1847 Its original height was 61m; after damages caused by earthquake, its top was reconstructed to present height, including flagstaff
Madras High Court Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 175 53.3 1892
Saint Andrew's Church Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 174+ 53+ 1818 Height of this church was intended to be more than St John's Church Calcutta, which in turn was 174 ft
St John's Church Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 174 53 1787
Sarangapani Temple Kumbakonam India 173 52.7 13th–17th century
Akbar Tomb

(South Gateway)

Agra India 172 52.4 1613
Australian Building Melbourne Australia 170.6 53 1890 Demolished in 1980
Meenakshi Amman Temple Madurai India 170+ 52+ 16th century
Cathedral of Bogotá Bogotá Colombia 170 52 1823
Dwarkadhish Temple Dwarka India 170 51.8 16th century
Ananda Temple Bagan Myanmar 167+ 51+ 1105 51 meters tall without counting its hti spire
Saint Andrew's Church Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 166.6 50.8 1818
Huaca del Sol Trujillo Peru 164 50 450
Virupaksha Temple Hampi India 164 50 14th century
Htupayon Pagoda Sagaing Myanmar 161+ 49+ 1851/52 49 meters tall without counting its hti spire; originally built in 1444–1454; now raised to 61.5 m (since 2016)
Kalyan Minaret Bukhara Uzbekistan 157+ 48 1127 One of the few monuments that survived Mongol conquest of Central Asia
Colosseum Rome Italy 157 48 80
Ochterlony Monument

(Renamed to Shaheed Minar)

Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 157 48 1828
San Thome Basilica Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 155 47.2 1896
Temple of the Great Jaguar (Tikal Pyramid I) Tikal Guatemala 154 47 740–750
Rajagopalaswamy Temple Mannargudi, Tamil Nadu India 154 47 1532–1575
Humayun Tomb Delhi India 154 47 1572
Asafi Masjid Lucknow India 153 46.6 1784
Laksmi Narasimha Temple Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh India 153 46.6 1803
Church of Saint Augustine Goa India 150.9 46 1602 Only side part of the tower is still standing, most part is in ruined state
Mahakaleshwar Temple Ujjain India 150 45.7 c. 1740 Height is approximate
Narmadeshwar Mahadeo Manduk Temple Oel, Lakhimpur Kheri India 150 45.7 1870
Templo Mayor Mexico City Mexico c. 150 c. 45 1325 Destroyed in 1521.
Mausoleum of Halicarnassus Bodrum Turkey 148 45 c. 350 BC One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Cathedral of Córdoba Córdoba Argentina 148 45 1787
Zvartnots Cathedral Zvartnots Armenia 148 45 652
Sundaravarada Perumal Temple Uthiramerur, Kanchipuram India 145 44.2 12–16th century
Hassan Tower Rabat Morocco 144 44 1199
Ranganathaswamy Temple Vellai Gopuram Srirangam India 144 44 12–17th century Tallest part of the temple is Rajagopuram (73m), that started to be built around 1500 and completed in 1987.
Thanumalayan Temple

Also called Sthanumalayan Temple)

Suchindram, Kanyakumari India 144 44 17th century
Pyramid of the Moon Teotihuacan Mexico 141 43 100
Nataraja Temple Gopuram Chidambaram India 140 42.7 16th century
Iswari Minar Swarga Sal

(Also called Isarlat Sargasuli)

Jaipur India 140 42.7 1749
Dhamek Stupa Sarnath India 139.8 42.6 5th / 6th century
Saint George's Cathedral Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 139 42.4 1815
Temple of the Masks (Tikal Pyramid II) Tikal Guatemala 138 42 c. 700
Bahu Begum ka Maqbara Oudh

(Now Ayodhya)

India 137.8 42 1816
Bibi ka Maqbara Aurangabad

(Now Sambhaji Nagar)

India 137 41.8 1668
Madras Central Railway Station

(Renamed as MGR Central Railway Station)

Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 136 41.4 1873
Sankara Narayanaswamy Temple Sankarankovil, Tamil Nadu India 135 41 12th century
Jama Masjid Delhi India 135 41 1656
Prong's Lighthouse Bombay

(Now Mumbai)

India 135 41 1875
Mahmud Gawan Madrasa Bidar India 131 39.9 1472
El Castillo Xunantunich Belize 130 40 600
St. Ignatius Church Buenos Aires Argentina 130 40 1722
Christ Church Kanpur India 130 39.6 1840
Sun Temple Konark India 128 39 1250 Its original height was 70m, got damaged. Present height is that of surviving structure.
Senate House, Madras University Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 128 39 1879
Ramanathaswamy Temple Rameshwaram India 126 38.4 17th century Temple itself is much older, its tallest part, East Gopuram in its present form is from 17th century
Old Lighthouse Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 125 38.1 1843
Cooch Behar Palace Cooch Behar India 125 38.1 1887
Vijaya Stambha

(Victory Tower)

Chittorgarh India 122 37.2 1448
Sher Shah Suri Tomb Sasaram India 122 37.2 1545
Dead Letter Office Building Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 120 36.6 1876
Secunderabad Clock Tower Secunderabad India 120 36.6 1897
Qila Mubarak (Fort) Bathinda India 118 36 c. 1200 Fort existed in 100 AD, was probably upgraded in 12th century
Mehrangarh Fort Jodhpur India 118 36 1459
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple Khajuraho India 117 35.7 1030 Includes height for jagati also
Se Cathedral Goa India 115 35 1619
Bir Singh Deo Palace Datia India 115 35 1620
Sidi Bashir Mosque Ahmedabad India 111.5 34 1452
Great Pyramid of La Venta La Venta Mexico 110 34 c. 900 BC
Rochester Castle Rochester United Kingdom 113 34 1127 Height of Keep
Kilmacduagh monastery County Galway Ireland 113 34 10th century Height of Round Tower, Tallest surviving Irish round tower
Victoria Public Hall Madras

(Now Chennai)

India 111.5 34 1890
Colossus of Rhodes Rhodes Greece 110 33.5 c. 280 BC One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It fell after standing for 56 years and then collapsed in an earthquake.
Church of St Anne Goa India 110 33.5 1695
High Temple Lamanai Belize 108 33 400–100 BC
Red Fort Delhi India 108 33 1648
Kailash Temple Ellora India 107 32.6 756–773 World's largest sculpted monolithic building
Five-Story Pagoda of Horyuji-Temple Ikaruga Japan 107 32.55 670–711 Oldest wooden tower in the world.
Shuja-Ud-Daula Tomb, Gulab Bari Oudh

(Now Ayodhya)

India 106.6 32.5 1753–1775
Kesariya Stupa Kesariya India 104 32 ~8th / 9th century
Sivasagar Sivadol Sivasagar India 104 32 1734
Ranakpur Jain Temple Ranakpur India 102 31 1439
Dakshineswar Kali Temple Calcutta

(Now Kolkata)

India 100+ 30+ 1855
Chand Baori

(Stepwell)

Abhaneri India 100 30 900 The figure is for depth below ground level. From bottom, total height shall include superstructure above ground also
Kakanmath Temple Sihoniya, MP India 100 30 1015–1035
City Palace Udaipur India 100 30 16–17th century
Padmanabhaswamy Temple Thiruvananthapuram India 100 30 1729–1758

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ McKenzie, Judith (2011). The Architecture of Alexandria and Egypt: 300 BC – AD 700. Yale University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0300170948.
  2. ^ "Tallest shot tower". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
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