The day the Sydney Opera House opened – level 3

20-10-1973

The Sydney Opera House is a very special building. Before the construction started, a total of 233 proposals came to the competition for its future appearance. The selection committee selected a work by a not very well-known 38-year-old Dane. He had never been to Australia, yet his design, similar to a sailboat, fit perfectly there.

The gigantic construction began in 1959 and it was completed in 1973. It was clear to everyone that something magnificent had grown up ahead of its time.

When the Sydney Opera House opened on October 20, 1973, it was a great glory, attended by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.

The building that goes 25 meters below sea level and 67 meters above sea level entered architecture textbooks and became a symbol of Australia, which is visited by over two million people a year.

The building is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Difficult words: proposal (a plan for a building), Dane (a person from Denmark), glory (an achievement that is greatly admired), inscribed (written), heritage (valuable things from the cultures of the past).

What insights or advice would you offer for the future construction of iconic landmarks?

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