Not Just Notre-Dame, Inferno Destroyed 5 Heritage Sites Across Globe

Paris: The historic 50-year-old UNESCO world heritage landmark Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, described as the 'soul of the nation' was damaged after a colossal fire tore through the building, sending the spire crashing to the ground and wiping out centuries of heritage. President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the Cathedral and expressed relief that the 'worst had been avoided'.

Not just this, various other heritage sites have been damaged partially or completely due to fire. Here are 5 sites that were razed:

-National Museum, Brazil:

An inferno had gutted Brazil's 200-year-old largest cultural and historical National Museum of Rio de Janeiro on September 3, 2018. The museum housed mummies, meteorites, insects, and fossils amongst other things. According to reports, at least 90 per cent of 20 million artefacts that were housed there were destroyed.

-La Fenice Opera house, Venice:

On October 1, 2018, a fire in Venice's rebuilt La Fenice Opera House was brought under control, 22 years after a blaze has destroyed the famous theatre. The 204-year-old opera house was completely destroyed after it was gutted in January, 1996.

The opera house's 1,500-seat interior was adorned with painted panels, gold leaf and sculpted stucco ornaments; it had undergone several renovations in the 19th and 20th centuries. It reopened in 2004.

-Barcelona Opera House:

The 150-year-old Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona’s world-famous opera h use was destroyed by fire in 1994.  One of Spain's cultural jewels, in the fire, only the foyer and the horseshoe arch over the auditorium were left standing.  It was later reconstructed.

-Windsor Castle, London:

The Queen's weekend residence, Windsor Castle, west of London suffered major damage when a major fire destroyed it on November 20, 1992.

The fire started in the former Chapel royal when a lighting projector which was too close to a curtain started the blaze during maintenance work.

The Castle reopened for the public in 1997 after five years of restoration.

-Geneva's Grand Theatre:

The Grand Theatre of Geneva in Switzerland, which was built in the 19th century was gutted in fire in 1951. It reopened after a decade in 1962.

Also Read: Notre Dame Fire: Worst Avoided, Says Emmanuel Macron