Working list: Tallest buildings of global low-profile cities

So often we see lists here and there, including on this website, that identify the tallest buildings in the world, country, nation, or state. As result most lists will include places like Dubai, New York City, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Chicago, and other major metropolises. Rarely, if ever are lists published of the tallest building/structure in low-profile cities that are typically not known for skyscrapers.

Provided below is a working list of the tallest building/structure in low-rise cities around the globe. Many are World Heritage Cities designated by UNESCO. Others are centers of history, government, culture, art, or religion. Due to their “special” place in world/national history, limitations on the development of skyscrapers have been imposed to preserve and maintain the unique and special aesthetics that epitomize the city.

In preparing this list, only occupiable buildings and structures are included, so there are no smokestacks, broadcast antennas, wind turbines, or similar towers on the list. By far, the majority of the resulting buildings/structures are religious in nature – churches, mosques, temples, basilicas, abbeys, etc. Capitol buildings/city halls are fairly common and then there is an assortment of other structures.

Every precaution was taken to avoid including a city that has a busy skyline filled with skyscrapers. In an attempt to assure this, even cities where towering edifices are set aside to one segment of the city (such as Paris) were not included. If skyscrapers are confined to separate suburbs or jurisdictions (such as Arlington, Virginia across from Washington D.C.), then the core city and building are incorporated. Regardless, any additions, corrections, or suggestions are most welcome to assure this working list is as accurate as possible.

Peace!

_______

2. Washington, DC: Washington Monument = 555 feet/169.2 m

3. Ulm, Germany: Ulmer Münster = 530 feet/161.5 m

4. Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire: Basilique Notre-Dame de la Paix = 518 feet/158 m

5. Strasbourg, France: Cathedral of Our Lady = 466 feet/142 m

6. Vatican City: St. Peter’s Basilica = 448 feet/136.5

7. Landshut, Germany: St. Martin’s Church = 428 feet/130.4

8. Lübeck, Germany: St. Marien zu Lübeck = 409 feet/124.6

9. Lhasa, Tibet: Potala Palace= 399 feet/119 m

10. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala Domkyrka = 389 feet/118.5 m

11. Brugge, Belgium: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk = 379 feet/115.5

12. Firenze (Florence), Italia: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore/Duomo di Firenze = 376 feet/114.6 m

13. Constantine, Algeria: Emir Abdelkader Mosque = 351 feet/107 m

14. Medina, Saudi Arabia: Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) = 344 feet/104.8 m

15. Siracusa (Syracuse), Italia: Basilica Sanctuary Madonna delle Lacrime = 338 feet/103 m

16. Siena, Italia: Torre del Mangia= 335 feet/102.1 m

17. Bern, Switzerland: Berner Münster = 330 feet/100.6 m

18. Dresden, Germany: Rathausturm = 329 feet/100.3 m

19. Sana’a, Yemen: Al-Saleh Mosque = 328 feet/100 m

20. Venice, Italia: Campanile dei San Marco = 323 feet/98.4 m

21. Murcia, Spain: Santa Iglesia Catedral de Santa María = 305 feet/93 m

22. Edinburgh, Scotland: St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral= 295 feet/89.9 m

23. Olympia, WA: Washington State Capitol = 287 feet/87.4 m

24. Madison, WI: Wisconsin State Capitol = 284 feet/86.5 m

25. Dwarka, India: Dwarkadhish Temple = 256 feet/78 m

26. Charleston, SC: St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church = 255 feet/77.7 m

27-28. Marrakech, Morocco: Tower of the Koutoubia Mosque and Varanasi, India: Shri Vishwanath Mandir = 253 feet/77.1 m

29. Santiago de Compostela, Spain: Metropolitan Archcathedral Basilica = 246 feet/74.9 m

30. Valletta, Malta: Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel = 240 feet/73.1

31. York, England: York Minster = 235 feet/71.6 m

32. Savannah, GA: Independent Presbyterian Church = 227 feet/69.2 m

33. Cambridge, England: Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church = 213 feet/64.9 m

34-35. Annapolis, MD: U.S. Naval Academy Chapel and St. John’s, NL: Confederation Building = 210 feet each/64 m

36. Pasadena, CA: City Hall = 206 feet/62.8 m

37-38. Fredricton, NB, Canada: Christ Church Cathedral and Madaba, Jordan: Jesus Christ Son of Mary Mosque = 197 feet/60 m

39. Pocatello, Idaho: Mormon Temple = 195 feet/59.4 m

40. Toledo, Spain: Alcázar of Toledo = 194 feet/59.1 m

41.Kanchipuram, India: Ekambareswarar Temple Tower = 192 feet/58.5 m

42. Pisa, Italia: Torre Pendente di Pisa = 191 feet/58.2 m

43. Visby, Sweden: Sankta Maria Domkyrka = 190 feet/57.9 m

44. Port Said, Egypt: Port Said Lighthouse = 184 feet/56 m

45. Nazareth, Palestine: Basilica of the Annunciation = 180 feet/54.8 m

46-47. Bissau, Guinea-Bissau: Bissau Cathedral and Toruń, Poland: Parafia Katedralna w Toruniu = 171 feet/52.1 m

48-50. Burlington, VT: Ira Allen Chapel and Unitarian Church and Avignon, France: Trouillas Tower = 170 feet/51.8 m

51. Nara, Japan: Five-storied Pagoda = 167 feet/50.9 m

52. Lucca, Italia: Torre delle Ore = 164 feet/50 m

53. Ayodhya, India: Ram Mandir = 161 feet/49 m

54-55. Bath, England: Bath Abbey and Natchez, MS: St. Mary’s Basilica = 160 feet/48.8 m

56. Corfu, Greece: Church of Saint Spyridon = 151 feet/46 m

57. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: Parroquia De San Miguel Arcángel = 150 feet/45.7 m

58. Vigan, Philippines: Bantay Bell Tower = 148 feet/45 m

59. Oxford, England: Madgdalen College Bell Tower = 144 feet/43.9 m

60. Veliky Novgorod, Russia: Kokuy Tower = 134.5 feet/41 m

61-62. Versailles, France: Chapelle Royale and Oaxaca, Mexico: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción = 131 feet/40 m

63. Charlottesville, VA: Draftsman Hotel = 121 feet/36.9 m

64. Athens, GA: Bank of America Building = 120 feet/36.6 m

65-66. Moroni, Comoros: Badjanani Mosque and and Stratford-upon-Avon, England: Shakespeare Theatre Viewing Tower = 118 feet/35.9 m

67. Santa Barbara, CA: Granada Theatre Building = 116 feet/35.4 m

68-69. Santa Fe, NM: New Mexico Territorial Capitol; Cusco, Peru: Catedral de Cusco; and Carthage, Tunisia: El Abidine Mosque = 105 feet/32 m

70. Brest, France: Naval Monument = 100 feet/30.5 m

71. San Luis Obispo, CA: Anderson Hotel = 90 feet/27.4 m

72. Vaduz, Liechtenstein: Liechtensteinische Post = 89 feet/27.1 m

73. Timbuktu, Mali: Djinguereber Mosque = 59 feet/18 m

74. Djenne, Mali: Great Mosque of Djenne = 52 feet/16 m

More information needed:

Cartagena, Spain

Fez, Morocco

Madaba, Jordan

SOURCES:

• en.wikipedia.org for each city and building
• gemini.google.ai
• https://panethos.wordpress.com/2023/07/09/tallest-capitol-buildings-in-north-america/
• https://ilovecville.com/tallestbuildingsincharlottesville/
• https://panethos.wordpress.com/2025/06/21/tallest-former-state-territorial-capitol-buildings/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Atlantic_Canada
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_in_Africa
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tallest_buildings_by_country
• https://www.granadasb.org/the-tall-tale-behind-santa-barbaras-only-skyscraper/
• https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article285718716.html
• https://photogent.com/pocatello-idaho-temple/wiki/#:~:text=The%20195%2Dfoot%20tall%20Pocatello,where%20bridal%20parties%20may%20gather.
• https://www.opapisa.it/en/square-of-miracles/tower/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magdalen_Tower
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Minster#:~:text=Table_content:%20header:%20%7C%20York%20Minster%20%7C%20%7C,York%20Minster:%20Province%20%7C%20:%20York%20%7C
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady,_Bruges
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Shakespeare_Theatre#:~:text=The%20theatre%20has%20a%20new,theatre%2C%20towards%20Holy%20Trinity%20Church.
• https://www.machupicchuterra.com/cusco/cusco-city/cusco-cathedral/
• https://bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/san-miguel-de-allende#:~:text=A%20map%20isn’t%20necessary,most%20photographed%20church%20in%20Mexico.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Compostela_Cathedral
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Said_Lighthouse
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shri_Vishwanath_Mandir
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Mandir
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrindavan_Chandrodaya_Mandir
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarkadhish_Temple
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekambareswarar_Temple_(Kanchipuram)
• https://en.chateauversailles.fr/news/life-estate/restoration-royal-chapel/royal-chapel#:~:text=It%20was%20created%20by%20King’s,final%20location%20within%20the%20palace.
• https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-114/All/Jesus-Christ-Son-of-Mary-Mosque-in-Jordan-A-Testament-to-Religious-Coexistence-42000#:~:text=Spanning%20an%20area%20of%201%2C000,sparsely%20populated%20at%20the%20time.
• https://www.facebook.com/jsflrntnrjr/posts/bantay-bell-tower-is-a-historic-landmark-in-ilocos-sur-philippines-built-in-1591/9778486145547342/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_the_Annunciation
• https://visittorun.com/en/content/cathedral-tower
• https://programadestinosmexico.com/en/catedral-de-nuestra-senora-de-la-asuncion-tepic/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visby_Cathedral#:~:text=In%20turn%2C%20its%20architecture%20influenced%20both%20local,is%20a%20Gothic%20Revival%20piece%20from%201905.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uppsala_Cathedral#:~:text=The%20cathedral%20is%20the%20tallest,45%20m%20(148%20ft).
• https://wanderlog.com/place/details/1564545/kokuy-tower
• https://www.facebook.com/johncorfuworld/photos/the-saint-spyridons-bell-tower-with-its-46-metres-is-the-tallest-building-in-cor/792637246230056/
• https://architecturehelper.com/blog/features-of-the-great-mosque-of-djenne/

Primo lessons in city planning from Roma, etc.

Listed below are city planning lessons learned from our recent trip to beautiful Roma, Italia and three cities on the island of Sicily (busy Catania, splendidly stunning Siracusa, and jaw-droppingly gorgeous Taormina). Peace!

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• Piazzas (plazas) for the people! Provide public spaces without cars to gather, walk, rest, or shop.

• Fontane (fountains) for the people! These are terrific third places to gather or provide a wonderful respite from the hectic city where one can relax or just people watch.

• Archeologico e storico (archaeological and historical preservation) allow us to learn from the past and share that knowledge with future generations. Remove a city’s history and it ceases to have meaning.

• Cultura, cultura, cultura! (culture, culture culture) A city is a dead zone without culture to enliven it.

• An orizzonte (skyline) does not have to be tall to impress. Roma, Edinburgh, Santa Fe, Madison, and other low-rise cities around the globe all prove this.

• Uso misto (mixed uses) are paramount for urban vibrancy. Throughout the heart of cities in Italy you see commercial and office uses on the lowers floors with residential above.

• Somehow, chaotic traffico stradale (street traffic) works in Italy. I don’t know how, but the crazy quilt of cars, trucks, seated scooters, standing scooters, motorcycles, and e-bikes tends to flow continuously despite a lot of close calls and near misses. Perhaps, lower speed limits, smaller vehicles, hefty traffic fines, and congestion may be reasons for lower fatality rates: .0005 in Italy vs. .0012 the USA (per geminigoogle.ai).

• Vita di strada attiva (active street life) continues well into night – something American cities should be very envious of since it is so rare here.  This was observed in all of Italian cities we visited.

• Vicoli, salite di scale e altri passaggi pedonali (alleys, stair climbs, and other pedestrian passageways) are often beautifully and uniquely adorned by locals. Colorful string lights, umbrellas, flowers, and ceramic vases, were all observed.

• Parcheggio (parking) is helter-sketlter in Roma and many other Italian cities. Despite vehicles being parked in all sorts of places and manner, I’m not sure I ever saw a parking ticket…maybe they arrive in the mail?

• Pedoni (pedestrians) are clearly given the right-of-way by drivers when using crosswalks in Italian cities, whether there is signal or not. Oh, if it were only that way in the USA! p.s. While the vast majority  of Italian drivers will cede the right-of-way to pedestrians in a crosswalk, never assume all of them will.

• Turismo di massa (mass tourism) is a problem in a number places in Roma and across Italy. The Trevi Fontana (fountain) was the most noticeable and troubling. The experience was definitely lessened by the swarms of people. It was also clearly evident at the Vatican, the Colosseum, and the Forum. If these sights were this packed and busy in January (when we toured them), it is hard to imagine the crush of people during the peak seasons.

Comet of 1811 (1879), from Flowers of the Sky.

Source: Library of Congress / Internet Archive

https://pdimagearchive.org/images/e997e821-d73f-4cab-859a-0fbd41ab7804

#urban #trouvelot #space #astronomy #night #skylines #cityscape #stars #comets #art #publicdomain

#Google Street View Contrast: #London City Island, E14

2008 vs. 2025

From #industrial isolation to one of East London’s most recognisable #skylines. The "Mini Manhattan" effect is real. The Leamouth Peninsula has turned from derelict land into a vibrant hub.🏙️

#ThenAndNow #Urbanism #GlowUp #UrbanDesign

A pantone of classic Chicago: Printers Row & S. Dearborn

“The excellence of every art must consist in the complete accomplishment of its purpose.” Source: Quote on the Second Franklin Building on Printer’s Row.

Easily this blog author’s favorite part of Chicago’s Loop, the classic skyscrapers of Printers Row and South Dearborn Street evoke the city’s robust architectural and manufacturing heritage within a few square blocks. From the exterior iron and steel fire escapes, to the brick and masonry facades, to the literal heartbeat of city’s printing and publishing industry, this illustrative historic district in the South Loop showcases a fascinating aspect of Chicago’s muscle and might.

“Arguably the most famous publisher located on Printers Row was Rand McNally, which was founded in 1856 in Chicago and opened its fourth headquarters in 1912 at 536 S. Clark. But perhaps the most-read publications came from Lakeside Press, a division of R.R. Donnelley & Sons. The company printed both the Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs, as well as the Encyclopedia Britannica, Time and Life magazines, at 731 S. Plymouth.” Source: playeatlas.com

Most of these magnificent buildings, once used for offices and/or production of print materials, have been lovingly restored and adapted into mixed uses or residential structures. Many of the ground floors now contain a delightful mix of small shops, pubs, and dining establishments.

Frankly, today’s modern glass edifices can hardly compete for attention given the distinctive architectural embellishments and adornments set upon these classic Chicago high-rises. They are simply a visual feast for the eyes. One can also easily imagine the continuously rumbling sounds of gigantic printing presses, as the machinery churned out multitudes of documents, magazines, and publications.

If you are in Chicago, skip the typical tourist venues around downtown and take a stroll along South Dearborn Street (and paralleling streets) through Printer’s Row. If you are lucky enough, perhaps the Printers Row LitFest will be taking place while you are visiting.

Peace and enjoy the images in the post!

#adaptiveReuse #architecture #art #Chicago #cities #design #highRises #highrises #history #Illinois #planning #preservation #PrinterSRow #printing #publishing #skylines #tourism #travel