It's something we've all wondered about at one time or another: What would it be like to live in a sweet mansion? But, while most of us are probably picturing a life of nonstop mega-parties, the truth is that plenty of the greatest buildings ever designed made absolutely awful homes.

10.Versailles Was Absolutely Freezing

Everything about Louis XIV (also known as the Sun King) was impressive. His palace at Versailles contained over 700 rooms and would have cost a minimum of $3.2 billion if it was built today. It would also be considered absolutely uninhabitable for the very good reason that it was absolutely freezing.We don't just mean cold in the "before central heating" sense of the word. We mean the temperature was so unbearably low even people living in a time now known as the Little Ice Age commented on it. Contemporary accounts include descriptions of wine and water freezing solid at the king's table during dinner. According to the journal of the king's health kept by the Sun King's doctors, Louis XIV's extravagant wigs were used less to hide his baldness and more to keep him warm in Versailles's chilly interiors. It wasn't just the temperature that caused problems at Versailles. We've told you before about the lack of toilets forcing people to poop in corridors. Pests attracted by the smell overran the palace bringing terrible diseases in their wake. And these diseases would've had no problem breaking through people's cold-compromised immune systems.

9.The Forbidden City Was One Vast Prison

Sprawling over a 178-acre site, China's Forbidden City is every kid's dream of what a palace should be. Along with a gigantic throne room, the seat of government featured a harem trained to attend to the emperor's every whim and courtiers who were always on hand to clean up any mess. For centuries, it's been idealized as the height of decadent living...if "living" in this case means "spending your life in misery without a single second of privacy." Most emperors could probably count the moments of "me time" they got over their entire lives on a single hand. From the moment they awoke to the moment they went to sleep, a group of eunuchs would keep careful watch over them at all times. Even things like using the toilet meant peeing into a chamber pot in the corner of the room with an attendant waiting nearby to snatch it away. Their personal freedom was also severely restricted. No emperor was allowed to leave the palace without an escort, and even then, they could only go to official engagements. Life was so lonely for the figurehead of imperial China that Reginald Johnston, tutor to the last emperor in history, remarked, "That ill-omened pile of buildings was an emperor's prison [260] years ago, and an emperor's prison it remains to this day."

8.The Farnsworth House Was One Giant Moth Lamp

Designed in 1945 by architect Mies van der Rohe (as a weekend retreat for Dr. Edith Farnsworth), the Farnsworth House is one of the most celebrated homes in American history. There are even Lego kits available of it. Costing the equivalent of $500,000, its simple interior, giant windows, and devotion to simplicity made it an Illinois icon. They also severely irritated Dr. Farnsworth, who claimed the building was virtually uninhabitable. Having asked Mies to build her a country getaway, Dr. Farnsworth was horrified to discover she was being asked to live inside a pristine work of art. Despite the large windows, Mies refused to install blinds or curtains, meaning the house's heating bills were astronomic. It also meant anyone outside could see in at all times, and thanks to Mies's celebrity there were always people outside. Farnsworth complained camera-wielding tourists would snap pictures of her in her underwear.

7.Attingham Hall Leaked Its Owner Into Bankruptcy

A gigantic country estate in Shropshire, Attingham Hall is one of the grandest structures in the whole of England (which is saying something). Despite its unimaginable size, the estate is today best known for its picture gallery designed by John Nash, the same architect responsible for Buckingham Palace. Using pioneering techniques, Nash created a skylight made of cast-iron that spanned the entire gallery and let light into every corner. It also let in rain—lots and lots of rain.

6.Atlantic Storms Made Tintagel Castle Uninhabitable

In a list of coolest places to live, a top spot would undoubtedly be held by Tintagel Castle which is a place of great historical importance. Situated on a rocky outcrop of land on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, Richard of Cornwall's new castle had all the advantages it needed: It had prestigious history and it was easy to defend. Unfortunately, there was one thing Richard couldn't defend his castle from: the Atlantic weather.

翻译:雨后起点 来源:前十网