11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling

Whether natural or constructed, landscapes can change drastically over just a couple of decades, just as it quickly happened to Abu Dhabi, or slowly as in the case of New York. However, when we look back over the years, decades, or even centuries, it can be shocking to compare 2 pictures of the same place and see just how much everything is radically different — just like the cases presented below.

1. Dubai then and Dubai now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Yves GELLIE / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images, © Jose Fuste RAGA / Gamma-Rapho / Getty Images, © KARIM SAHIB / AFP / Getty Images

2. Mer de Glace in the 1890s and in the 2000s

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Detroit Publishing Company / Wikimedia Commons, © Anthere / Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0

3. New York in 1905 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Library of Congress/Wikimedia Commons, © Terabass/Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0

4. Shanghai in the late 1920s and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Unknown Author / Wikimedia Commons

5. London in 1892 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Unknown Author / Wikimedia Commons, © Fuzzypiggy/Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0

6. Cairo in 1904 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Eduard Spelterini / Wikimedia Commons

7. Seoul in 1894 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Frank G. Carpenter/Wikimedia Commons

8. Paris in 1887 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Unknown Author / Wikimedia Commons

9. Berlin in 1764 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © Das Brandenburger Tor / Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki / Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin / Wikimedia Commons, © Drrcs15/Wikimedia Commons, © CC BY-SA 3.0

10. London in 1751 and now

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling © A General View of the City of London and the River Thames, plate 2 from 'Views of London' / Thomas Bowles III / Tyntesfield, North Somerset / Wikimedia Commons

11. The Sydney Opera House in 1967 and after construction

11 Places Whose Dramatic Changes Left Us Trembling ASSOCIATED PRESS/East News, Jean-Paul Ferrero / ardea.com /EAST NEWS

Which city is your favorite? Which one would you like to visit and why?

Please note: This article was updated in December 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.