[Narrator] In construction, all buildings must break ground... but only a select few can be groundbreaking... rising to dizzying heights to become global icons.

Since the dawn of history, man has sought to build structures that are more than mere shelters, but marvelous statements... of status, power, character, and grandeur.

More than architectural triumphs, these buildings have captured a point in time and stood the test of time.

They symbolize the spirit of a particular place and are universally admired.

They have divided opinion yet brought people together.

Ambitious, audacious, and enduring, these are the world's greatest iconic buildings.

♪ Great cities are defined by their grand structures, magnificent palaces, temples, churches, and monuments, status symbols designed to reflect a culture's heritage and standing within the global community.

But in the late 1800s, the invention of the skyscraper was to take the concept to dizzying new heights.

And leading the way was the city of New York.

Today, the city that never sleeps has no shortage of iconic landmarks.

But not so long ago, one building rose above all others to become not only an icon of the city but of the 20th century.

The Empire State Building would come to symbolize America's unwavering ambition during a time of great hardship.

This towering icon was born of a race into the sky, a hotly contested competition to erect the world's tallest building.

The race came down to two fierce New Yorkers, rival car manufacturers Walter Chrysler and John Jakob Raskob of General Motors.

Each possessed a huge ego backed by an equally large bank account.

Chrysler gained a competitive edge by getting away to an early start in September of 1928.

But it wasn't just a delayed schedule that threatened to derail Raskob's dream, it was fate.

In October 1929, just months before the construction of the Empire State Building was finally due to get underway, disaster struck.

Black Tuesday marked the beginning of the decade-long Great Depression.

But even when faced with the worst economic downturn in history, John Jakob Raskob refused to give in, and by January 1930, he had secured the funding he needed to commence construction.

Down but not out, Raskob knew that if he was to best his rival, his building would need to soar.

Not even the Great Depression could halt the race into the sky.

In fact, it was the ambitious, indomitable spirit embodied within this icon in the making that made it a symbol of hope and pride, at a time when both were in short supply.

During a period of mass unemployment, the building's construction created thousands of jobs, jobs that were not for the faint-hearted.

Immortalized in a series of famous photographs, the fearless steelworkers and riveters labored, often untethered, high above the city streets below.

The four colossal columns that create the main frame of the building would end up supporting more than 4.5 million kilograms by the time the building was completed.

Miraculously, it's reported that only five of the nearly 3,500 workers that undertook this dangerous work lost their lives during construction.

Although the Empire State Building was originally only intended to be a 50-story office building, Raskob's architectural plans were frequently revised to not only catch up with the competition, but to overtake it.

Nearing completion, it seemed that the Empire State Building would overshadow the Chrysler building by just a few meters.

But with so little in it and desperate to deny his rival a last-minute victory, Raskob added a final feature.

Dubbed "The Hat," a towering spire and mooring mast was placed atop the building to act as a docking station for airships.

But while it never actually served that purpose, it did serve another.

Now measuring 443 meters tall, The Empire State Building became officially recognized as the world's tallest building... eventually overshadowing the Chrysler building by more than 100 meters and 25 stories.

Although an engineering triumph, the hard-fought victory did not come without cost.

A year after opening, barely a quarter of the building's office space had been rented out.

Dubbed the "Empty State Building," the project took decades to recoup its enormous cost.

But today, its legacy lives on.

A statement of defiance and self-belief during a time of incredible hardship, the Empire State Building proudly announced the arrival of the United States onto the world stage as a new global superpower, heralding the beginning of what historians now call The American Century.

The Empire State Building is recognized as one of the greatest architectural achievements of the 20th century.

It remained the world's tallest building for nearly four decades, until it was eventually overshadowed by the north tower of Manhattan's World Trade Center.

But by the 1970s, the coveted title and the prestige it afforded its host city had nations around the world scrambling to surpass it, and the race to the sky was reignited.

♪ By definition, an icon is an important and enduring symbol, one that's often associated with status, wealth, and power.

Between the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the coveted mantle of world's tallest building has fallen to a succession of newer and taller structures that have risen around the globe.

But while these architectural achievements have afforded host cities prestige and fame, the title has proven notoriously hard to hang on to.

One by one, newer and grander skyscrapers have bested them, often by a mere matter of meters.

But in 2009, the construction of this building shocked the world and simply put the competition to shame.

Measuring 830 meters high, Dubai's Burj Khalifa is over 300 meters taller than the Tokyo Skytree, its next closest rival.

To put its scale into perspective, this marvel of modern-day engineering stands at nearly twice the height of the Empire State Building, and three times that of the Eiffel Tower.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, the firm responsible for both the Sears Tower in Chicago and the One World Trade Center in New York, The Burj Khalifa towers above the city of Dubai, the largest and most populous metropolis in the United Arab Emirates.

♪ Unlike the Empire State Building, which arose amidst the incredible hardships of the Great Depression in the early 20th century, the Burj Khalifa was born of the newfound wealth and prosperity of the early 21st.

Built on the back of rich oil reserves, Dubai arose from isolated sand dunes to become a thriving metropolis with unprecedented speed.

It's hard to believe that as little as 50 years ago, there was no city here at all.

A testament to human endeavor, this newly-created desert oasis boasts the world's largest man-made harbor, the biggest and most extravagant shopping mall on the planet, the world's first seven-star hotel, and, towering above it all, the Burj Khalifa stands as Dubai's most striking symbol of wealth and power.

But this rapid rise to glory was not without its challenges.

When the global economic crisis of 2007 hit, Dubai felt it keenly.

Developers and the city itself found themselves heavily in debt.

While some large-scale projects were abandoned, construction on the Burj Khalifa came to an abrupt halt and was in danger of following suit.

But Dubai's towering monolith found a savior in the nation's president.

Sheikh Khalifa and his government lent tens of billions of dollars to Dubai to pay its debts, allowing the project to get back on track.

♪ Before its inauguration, the building was known as Burj Dubai, or Dubai Tower.

But upon its opening on the 4th of January 2010, it was renamed Burj Khalifa in honor of the sheikh that came to its rescue.

It's not just the tallest building in the world but the tallest freestanding structure.

Its soaring design, derived from Islamic architecture, can be seen from almost 100 kilometers away.

The spire alone contains over 4,000 tons of steel, and measuring 244 meters high, could be considered a skyscraper in its own right.

The building's unique stepped profile was designed with more than aesthetic appeal in mind.

It also helps to break the flow of the strong and potentially damaging desert winds that frequent the area.

The Burj Khalifa, rising above the desert sands like a glistening jewel, is more than an icon.

It's a statement.

A combined office, hotel, and apartment building, this is less a skyscraper and more a vertical city, an architectural achievement that's not only drawn attention to one of the fastest-growing cities in history, but has ensured the world looks up to it.

♪ Before skyscrapers elevated humanity's expectations, a building's status was not determined by its height, but rather its beauty and grandeur.

India is a nation blessed with an abundance of architectural marvels.

But there is one that literally stands out from the crowd... the Lake Palace of Udaipur.

Udaipur is a historic city in the Indian state of Rajasthan.

This desert oasis, known as the Venice of the East, is famous for its picturesque network of man-made waterways and its ancient Lake Palace, which appears to gracefully float atop the surface of Lake Pichola.

Today, this magnificent structure serves as a luxury hotel, but it was once the summer retreat of the most powerful royal dynasty in the region.

The city of Udaipur was established in the mid-16th century as the new capital of the Mewar kingdom, one of the many Hindu dynasties to hold territory in India's early modern period.

The site was chosen by Maharana Udai Singh II for its defensible position during a time of regional conflict, as it's separated from the Thar Desert by the imposing Aravalli Mountain Range, and blessed with an abundant water supply.

Today, remnants of Udaipur's Rajput era remain as defining features of the city.

But no icon better encapsulates the opulent history of the city than its unique Lake Palace.

By the 18th century, Udaipur was thriving and the Rajput royal family had become well-known for their wealth and extravagance.

In 1743, Maharana Jagat Singh II gifted his heir apparent with a tiny island upon Lake Pichola.

But this small gesture was soon transformed into a grand statement.

The Lake Palace was completed in 1746 and stands today, as it did then, as a striking architectural achievement.

What better way to display the grandeur of a princely state and the preeminence of its rulers than a heavenly building that appears to drift atop the water?

Built at no small expense from flawless white marble adorned with semi-precious stones, this royal status symbol utilized every inch of the four-acre island upon which it stands, creating the illusion that it miraculously floats on top of the lake's surface.

Influenced by the design of the Taj Mahal, the Lake Palace's inner sanctum, consisting of ornate courtyards, pillared terraces, and elaborate gardens was designed to exude a sense of sheer opulence.

Facing east to receive the protection of the Hindu sun god Surya, the Lake Palace served many generations of Mewar royalty as a retreat of unrivaled luxury and beauty.

But Surya's blessing was not everlasting.

During the 20th century, conflict and the dominance of the British raj in India led to the demise of the Mewars' prestige and influence.

[People shouting] And for the Lake Palace, time and the lake itself had taken a heavy toll.

This once glorious building was largely abandoned.

Moldering and mosquito-infested, it began to fall into ruin, but fate was yet to play its hand.

Deemed too precious to be lost to the annals of history, in the 1960s, work was undertaken to transform the dilapidated palace into Udaipur's first luxury hotel.

More than a conversion, this was a conservation.

By retaining the integrity of the original building, along with its peculiarities, such as secret passageways and discreet peepholes, what was once the pleasure palace of a royal elite is today open to all.

All who can afford it, that is.

Renowned as the most romantic hotel in the world, since its opening, the Lake Palace has maintained an exclusive clientele-- Queen Elizabeth II and Jackie Kennedy amongst its illustrious guest list.

Restored to its former glory, Udaipur's Lake Palace has not only survived the ravages of time but continued to thrive.

Basking in Surya's protective light, this iconic structure remains afloat as a symbol of wealth and prosperity, as it has done for centuries.

♪ On the very edge of a terrific precipice, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm with silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests, resides a castle of terrible fame.

Transylvania's iconic Bran Castle, immortalized in the words of 19th-century author Bram Stoker, is best known for its association with the fictitious character of Count Dracula.

[Animal howls, crows squawking] Transylvania is set in a densely-forested mountain region of central Romania, and has become synonymous with the myth and legend of its ghoulish past.

At the heart of these terrific tales, perched high atop a mountainside, Bran Castle lives on shrouded in mystery and intrigue.

But despite its terrifying reputation, the castle continues to attract endless hordes of curious tourists.

In fact, over 600,000 visitors come here each year to immerse themselves in the fantastical setting of one of the greatest horror stories ever told.

While Stoker never visited Romania, the Irish writer drew influence from the history of the region and its bloodthirsty vampire mythology... [Organ music] [Thunder] reputedly using descriptions of Bran Castle to craft his vision of Dracula's fictional home.

[Owl hooting] Count Dracula's character is thought to have been based upon the 15th-century Romanian despot Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler, a title inspired by his violent nature.

[Sound of crowd shouting, indistinct] Today, it's widely believed that other than fostering a healthy distain for its lords, Vlad Tepes had relatively little to do with Bran Castle.

This fortified structure was originally constructed in the 14th century to defend the region's prosperous trade routes.

The 60 timbered rooms within the stone castle's imposing structure are connected by narrow winding stairways and the occasional secret passageway, further adding to the castle's intrigue.

♪ The well within the castle's inner courtyard measures nearly 60 meters in depth to ensure a constant supply of water during times of siege.

Throughout its history, Bran Castle has served as a fortress, a customs post, a royal residence, and wartime hospital.

Today, the castle's remarkable gothic architecture is considered to be amongst the finest in Romania.

It's now a museum, and relics on display here include ceramics, hunting trophies, weaponry, and antique furnishings.

But, perhaps not surprisingly, curators are yet to locate any coffins containing vampires hidden in the basement.

[Man cackles] ♪ Combining history with fiction and heritage with horror, the medieval castle of Bran, ominously perched upon an imposing cliff face, has become a cultural icon unlike any other.

♪ The Land of the Red Dragon.

Throughout its history, China has constructed some of the most powerful and iconic architectural structures the world has ever seen... none more so than the Forbidden City.

[Gong sounds] Located in the nation's northeast, Beijing was declared China's new capital upon the completion of the Forbidden City in 1420.

It's listed as a World Heritage site and is the world's largest palace.

The Forbidden City was considered not just the center of the country but of the Earth itself.

This sprawling walled complex served as the nation's ceremonial and political epicenter for close to half a millennium.

♪ Chinese emperors were regarded as the heavenly sons of the Celestial Empire, deities that walk the Earth.

Every aspect of the Forbidden City was designed to reflect the might and majesty of divine imperial rule.

♪ The buildings within the complex follow a south-facing astronomical alignment in accordance with the principles of feng shui, their roofs tiled in yellow, a color once reserved exclusively for the emperor as a symbol of his ultimate power.

The complex's 10-meter-high walls enclose an area large enough to hold more than 100 football fields.

According to the religious beliefs of imperial times, the home of a Chinese god contains 10,000 rooms.

As the earthly home for the son of god, the Forbidden City boasts a modest 9,999.

A city unto itself, this epic construction took over 14 years to complete, and required the labor of more than a million workers.

From its completion in the 15th century to the end of imperial China in the early 20th, the Forbidden City played host to no less than 24 emperors, serving as the seat of power for both the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Once amongst the most secretive places in the world, the Forbidden City's name was derived from the palace's exclusive entry code.

During imperial times, the complex was off-limits to all but the emperor, his family, a few high-ranking officials, and a select entourage of concubines.

To ensure the sanctity of the emperor's harem, all male servants, known as eunuchs, were required to be castrated before being granted entry.

Any unauthorized intruders within the city's walls were instantly put to death.

Today, the price of entry is slightly less daunting.

For just a few dollars, nearly 15 million visitors a year are drawn to experience the wonders of this slice of heaven on earth.

But as only a fraction of the complex is open to the public, even in the 21st century, the iconic Forbidden City maintains an unmistakable air of mystery and power.

♪ ♪ Russia is the largest nation on Earth.

And within its historic capital, St.

Petersburg, resides one of the world's grandest and most prestigious cultural institutions, The Hermitage.

Throughout its checkered history, St.

Petersburg has experienced both triumphant highs and devastating lows.

Although no longer the nation's seat of political power, this magnificent city stands as Russia's cultural capital.

[Car horns honk] St.

Petersburg's charms are abundant, its character defined by a labyrinth of quaint canals lined with stunning examples of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles of architecture.

♪ The Hermitage is one of the oldest, grandest, and most iconic art museums in the world... surviving years of civil unrest, violent revolutions, and long and bloody sieges.

This lavish complex, spanning over 230 square kilometers along St.

Petersburg's palace embankment, boasts no less than six magnificent structures, housing more than three million works of art, including the largest collection of paintings on the planet.

To put it in perspective, that's almost 10 times the amount contained within the famous Louvre gallery in Paris.

While the complex is famed for its spectacular architecture, lavish adornments, and priceless artworks, it's also known for the intrigues and exploits of its notorious benefactor.

Founded in 1764, the Hermitage owes its splendor and status to one woman: Catherine the Great.

This formidable empress seized power from her husband, Russian Emperor Peter III, in a bloodless coup in 1762.

Crowned Catherine the Great, she ruled the nation for more than three decades, transforming Russia into one of the greatest powers in Europe.

♪ Catherine the Great is best known as a champion of the arts.

Not only did she spend vast sums acquiring the most significant art collections of her day, but in 1764, she commissioned the construction of the Hermitage Museum to house them in.

While this relentless acquisition may have elevated Russia's cultural standing within the international community, it came at a heavy cost.

By hoarding priceless works by master artists such as Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens, Catherine's insatiable appetite damaged diplomatic relationships with other nations, who may have otherwise laid claim to the pieces.

♪ By the time Catherine assumed the throne, The Winter Palace, the centerpiece of the complex and the official residence of Russia's monarchs, was already an iconic building of unparalleled opulence.

Designed by the renowned Italian architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the building remains today as a sumptuous and sprawling masterpiece of Baroque architecture.

Catherine continued to indulge her passions here by frequently revamping the palace's interior in order to impress and entertain Europe's elite.

Beyond her obsession with art, Catherine was, reputedly, also an insatiable lover.

But, as with all facets of her life, her keen eye was only drawn to the finest specimens.

Once notoriously hard to get into, Catherine's lavishly adorned private chambers are today on public display.

Accustomed to having the finer things in life close at hand, in 1764, Catherine ordered a new wing to be constructed alongside the Winter Palace to house her private collection of art.

Known today as the Small Hermitage, in her time, Catherine simply referred to it as "my Hermitage."

Lavish but comparatively modest in present company, this neoclassical structure denoted the beginnings of what was to become one of the grandest museum complexes the world has ever seen.

Exalted as a national cultural icon, the Hermitage continued to expand and evolve long after Catherine the Great's death in 1796.

The envy of the art world, the Hermitage was opened to the public in 1852 and stands today as an iconic institution-- the artistic legacy of one of the most powerful women in history.

♪ For young cities, constructing an icon is a near impossible task.

An emblematic building must feel new but hold lasting appeal.

It must be eye-catching but not an eyesore, daring but not divisive.

The Sydney Opera House is all that and more.

Situated on Bennelong Point, the Sydney Opera House takes pride of place on the city's harbor foreshore.

♪ Just over 200 years ago, Sydney was founded as a small British colonial outpost.

But the city found international recognition in the early 20th century, thanks to the construction of its now world-famous Harbour Bridge.

And as Sydney's fortunes grew, so did its ambitions.

Sydney Harbour is not only one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the world, it's also the largest.

In 1955, the local state government, blessed with an abundance of spectacular foreshore, set its sights upon creating a new world-class architectural icon to crown its famed waterway.

The new building would need to be magnificent in both form and function, a worthy neighbor to the already famous Harbour Bridge.

The government launched an international design competition, calling for "the best opera house that can be built."

♪ In 1957, Danish architect Jorn Utzon was selected from hundreds of entries, as his design was considered well ahead of its time.

Utzon envisioned a sculptural building that tied in with its surrounding environment, a spectacular homage to the harbor itself.

The yachts that frequent the surrounding waters inspired the opera house's brilliant arched sails.

But it wasn't all smooth sailing for Utzon.

Construction began in 1959, before Utzon and his engineers had worked out exactly how they would accomplish the complex geometry of the opera house's roof, challenges that threatened to bring the project to a sudden halt.

But the pioneering Utzon was determined to bring his dream to fruition, so once again, he looked towards the cutting edge for inspiration.

He was one of the first architects to employ computers in structural analysis.

But it didn't come without a price.

Utzon was forced to amend his design for the building's interior to accommodate the completion of the building's iconic sails, compromises that still haunt the acoustics of the main concert hall to this day.

By 1966, seven years after starting construction, the opera house was overbudget, behind schedule, and in deep trouble.

Bob Askin, the newly-elected conservative state premiere, and his minister for public works, Davis Hughes, who were openly hostile towards the controversial building, placed such huge restrictions upon the project that Jorn Utzon was forced to resign in protest.

[Reporter] The designer, Mr.

Utzon of Denmark, has resigned over what's officially described as a dispute about his fees.

Sydney's students have rallied to his support.

[Narrator] Although eminent artists, designers, and intellectuals from around the world stood in support of Utzon, the disillusioned architect left Australia never to set foot in the masterpiece that defined his career.

A panel of government-appointed architects were employed to oversee the completion of the project, which, without Utzon, took another seven years.

["L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" from Bizet's Carmen playing] The Sydney Opera House was officially opened in 1973.

[Woman singing in foreign language] [Narrator] While it was initially predicted to take four years and $7 million to construct, ultimately, Utzon's dream took 14 years to build, and cost more than 14 times the original estimate.

Today, the Sydney Opera House, despite its tumultuous rise, is internationally recognized for its bold and iconic design.

The building's main concert hall is considered one of the world's preeminent performance spaces, as steps continue to be undertaken to address its acoustic flaws.

For all its controversy, the opera house gave Sydney, a city not yet two centuries old, an icon that changed not just its image but the image of the entire nation.

♪ Its unveiling announced the arrival of Australia to the world stage not as a colonial backwater but as a maturing nation home to its own unique and vibrant cultures.

The Sydney Opera House, once intensely divisive, is today adored as a national treasure, and among the most celebrated architectural achievements of the 20th century.

♪ Styles come and go.

Tastes evolve.

Icons remain.

In turns beautiful, brawny, and bizarre, these iconic buildings tell us of the status, the power, and the character of their cities and people.

But beyond their acclaim, the world's greatest iconic buildings share little in common.

Vastly different in terms of shape, size, and function, these diverse buildings prove there is no recipe for greatness, just the fundamental ingredients of vision, bravery, and imagination.

♪