MOST BEAUTIFUL SQUARES IN THE WORLD

Whether you call them town squares, city squares, urban squares, plazas, piazzas, market squares, or public squares, these open spaces in the heart of a community are usually where everyone gathers for cultural events, political rallies, or simply to have a cup of coffee. They're most often rectangular in shape, with a monument, statue or fountain at the center. Many (especially in Europe) exist for thousands of years, but became quite common in 18th-century urban planning. They were the location of government buildings, palaces and town halls, and came to have the city's most monumental architecture. These are the ten grandest and most beautiful of them all:

10 | GROTE MARKT, ANTWERP

9 | PLACE VENDÔME, PARIS

8 | PALACE SQUARE, ST. PETERSBURG

7 | PLAZA MAYOR, SALAMANCA

6 | PIAZZA NAVONA, ROME

5 | STANISLAS SQUARE, NANCY

4 | RED SQUARE, MOSCOW

3 | OLD TOWN SQUARE, PRAGUE

2 | ST. MARK'S SQUARE, VENICE

1 | GRAND PLACE, BRUSSELS

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