Unfinished constructions
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Agrigento | Temple of Olympian Zeus, "The roof was probably never completed, though the pediments had a full complement of marble sculptures" | |
| Amphitheater of El Jem | the amphitheatre was never completed due to political rivalries and lack of funding. | |
| Ancient Kyoto | Ginkakuji silver pavilion is still not covered with silver as its original plan | |
| Angkor | Large portion of Angkor Wat and many small temples remain unfinished | |
| Assisi | Santa Maria degli Angeli: In 1685, one of the two planned campaniles was completed and the church took its final form since the other one will never be built. (Nomination file, p. 44) | |
| Australian Convict Sites | Old Great North Road - Finch's Line was abandoned prior to completion in 1829 due to it being too steep and the alternative route up Devines Hill was selected. | |
| Belfries | Belfry and Sint-Pieterskerk of Leuven, tower of the St. Rumbold's Cathedral (Mechelen) | |
| Blenheim Palace | Great Bridge | |
| Church of Atlántida | The belltower stands to the side of the church, as it was meant to be a focal point of a future square. This idea was never precisely formulated by Dieste, however. (Nomination text, p. 22) | |
| Early Christian Necropolis of Pécs | The Cella Septichora (no roof tiles have been found) | |
| Edinburgh | National Monument on Carlton Hill | |
| Elephanta Caves | one of the caves at the Stupa Hill | |
| Ferrara | Ferrara Cathedral: "The marble campanile attributed to Leon Battista Alberti was initiated in 1412 but is still incomplete, missing one projected additional storey and a dome, as it can be observed from numerous historical prints and paintings on the subject." | |
| Florence | Saint Lawrence's Basilica unfinished facade | |
| Gwynedd Castles | Beaumaris Castle: Work started in 1295 and continued for 35 years, with over 3,500 workmen employed at the peak of construction. Finances and material ran out when King Edward turned his attentions towards Scotland, and the castle was not completed (wiki) | |
| Hegra | "The full stories behind many of these tombs remain unknown. Hegra’s largest tomb,.... It was left unfinished, with rough, unsmoothed chisel marks skirting its lower third. A few tombs were abandoned mid-construction for unclear reasons. The deserted work at Tomb 46 shows most clearly how the Nabataeans built from top to bottom, with only the stepped “crown” visible above an uncut cliffside." (see link) | |
| Itchan Kala | Kalta-minor: "short minaret": In 1855 the Khiva ruler Muhammad Amin Khan was killed and the construction of the magnificent minaret was stopped, leaving it at a height of 29m (where 70 or 100m was aimed) | |
| Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi | "The building remained unfinished at the death of Timur in 1405, and was never completed. Therefore, the main entrance still lacks the surface finish and the two minarets that were planned." (AB ev) | |
| Monastery of Batalha | Capelas Imperfeitas is half finished | |
| Padua’s fourteenth-century fresco cycles | The façade of the Cathedral of Padua is unfinished. | |
| Palau de la Musica Catalana & Hospital de Sant Pau | The original plans to paint the walls was never realized as by the end of construction a style shift occurred and the lavish decoration of the Palau was no longer in mode. | |
| Pampulha | "For various reasons, the overall scheme was never completed. The Golf course was not developed and today the space is occupied by Belo Horizonte Zoo. The ensemble was also intended to have a hotel on a lake promontory and a restaurant on Love Island but neither of these were built." (AB ev) | |
| Qhapaq Ñan | Ollantaytambo: The unfinished structures at the Temple Hill and the numerous stone blocks that litter the site indicate that it was still undergoing construction at the time of its abandonment (wiki) | |
| Qutb Minar | Second minerat is unfinished | |
| Rabat | Hassan Tower: "The tower was intended to be the largest minaret in the world, and the mosque, if completed, would have been the largest in the western Muslim world. When al-Mansur died in 1199, construction on the mosque stopped." (wiki) | |
| Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli | "The construction works were in an advanced state of implementation, with most of the concrete structures completed and some buildings already finished with furniture and equipment, when they were suddenly interrupted in 1975 due to the outbreak of the war." (AB ev) | |
| Royal Palace at Caserta | San Leucio Royal Colony: The king had planned to expand it into a true new city, called Ferdinandopoli, but the project was halted by the French invasion. | |
| Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans | The Saltworks was constructed but the "ideal city" which would have described an entire circle rather than the current semi-circle was never completed | |
| Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca | The square twin towers at the front of the New Cathedral are said to be unfinished (supposed to have a blue dome each as well) | |
| Santo Domingo | Cathedral: "It’s anyone’s guess what the planned bell tower would have looked like: a shortage of funds curtailed construction, and the steeple, which undoubtedly would have offered a commanding view of the city, was never built." (LP) | |
| Schönbrunn | Due to the War of Spanish Succession the side wings were not completed as planned. | |
| Siena | Duomo: After the completion of the transept and the building of the east wall, the money ran out and the rest of the planned cathedral was abandoned. | |
| Strasbourg | Cathedral (second tower never erected) | |
| Tchogha Zanbil | The whole city remained unfinished after it was invaded by Ashurbanipal in 640 BC, as shown by the thousands of unused bricks left at the site. It was unlikely that many people ever lived there. | |
| The Porticoes of Bologna | The facade of Basilica di San Petronio has remained unfinished. | |
| Thracian tomb of Sveshtari | The body of the diseased ruler was laid in the chamber. The unfinished decoration on the walls and the ceiling shows that he had died before his eternal home was completed. - official website | |
| Val d'Orcia | The costs of rebuilding the church and the convent of Sant'Antimo Abbey exceeded the economic possibilities of the Benedictine monks; and the façade and part of the service premises of the convent were not completed. (Nomination file, p. 86, 89) | |
| Val di Noto | Church of San Nicolò l'Arena | |
| Vienna | Northern tower of St. Stephan's Cathedral | |
| Wadden Sea | unfinished dam to Ameland (1872) | |
| Works of Antoni Gaudí | Sagrada Familia |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Unfinished constructions?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source