The White House (above) could be one of the most well-known presidential residences in the world, if only for the countless times it has been the subject of Hollywood action blockbusters.
But the US president isn’t the only world leader to live in such luxury.
Many world leaders live in homes that are just as comfortable, equipped with everything from extravagant dining halls, priceless pieces of artwork and even helipads.
From the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, where Japan’s Emperor Akihito lives, to the isolated Vaduz Castle in Liechtenstein, here are lavish residences of a few of the world’s most powerful leaders, from Business Insider:
The Presidential Palace of Hanoi in Vietnam was built for the Governor General of Indochina in 1906. Today it’s used for official receptions only. A carp pond surrounds the palace, which, like a lot of French Colonial buildings in Indochina, was designed by a French architect and looks distinctly European.
The Imperial Palace sits in the middle of Tokyo, but inside of a vast park surrounded by a moat and thick stone walls. It’s home to Japan’s Emperor Akihito and his family.
Palácio da Alvorada in Brasília, Brazil, has housed every Brazilian president since 1956. The modernist digs feature a reflecting pool and sculptures by Brazilian artist Alfredo Ceschiatti. The minimalist home has private suites, a giant living room, and a basement that houses an auditorium, game room, warehouse, and kitchen.
Perched on a hill in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, is Vaduz Castle, where Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein lives. Although it’s closed to the public, on August 15 — Liechtenstein’s National Day — large ceremonies are held on the lawns of the castle and participants are invited to the castle’s gardens for a reception.
Bellevue Palace, a neoclassical palace in the middle of Berlin, has been the official residence of the president of Germany since 1994. German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier lives in it today, but it was built in 1785 for the youngest brother of Frederick the Great, became a school under Kaiser Wilhelm II, and was a museum under Nazi rule.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the current president of Turkey, resides in Ak Saray (also known as the White Palace) in Ankara, Turkey. The palace cost $615 million to build and has more than 1,100 rooms, making it larger than both the White House and the Palace of Versailles.
The Moscow Kremlin, meaning “fortress inside a city,” was built between the 14th and 17th centuries. It houses the official residence of Russia’s presidents. The Senate Building, above,
inside the Kremlin complex, is President Vladimir Putin’s official residence.
Things of beauty, aren’t they? Business Insider lists a few more, as well as a sneak peek into what their interiors look like, HERE.
[source:businessinsider]
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