Great Wall of China - 2400 kilometers long fortress

Where is located Great Wall of China?

Address of Great Wall of China is China
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When was built Great Wall of China?

Built date of Great Wall of China is 214 BC - start construction

Facts, informations and history of Great Wall of China

The longest building in the world runs from Shanhaiguan on the Gulf of Leia (Yellow Sea), through Inner Mongolia, to the Jiayuguan in the Qilian Shan mountains.

In the period of splendor, the building was over 7,600 km long, about 2400 km has survived to the present day. This is a distance equal to the distance between London and Moscow. The whole, along with side branches, has at least 21,000 km and runs the ridges of mountain ranges at an altitude of approx. 1000 m above sea level.

The Great Wall of China is the largest building ever erected by man. It served as a defense ramp against alien tribes of nomads who wanted to invade China.

Separate sections of the wall were built by individual feudal states. The combination of the building into one team, used to defend against nomadic Mongolian tribes and guarding the nearby Silk Road, occurred during the reign of the first emperor of the Cin (Qin) Szy Huang-ti (221-210 p.n.e.).

Its width at the base is approx. 6.5 m, while the height is 9 m. At the top, the wall is 5.5 m wide - enough to allow march on foot soldiers for 10 soldiers in a row or cavalry for 5 horses in a row.

In later times, the wall was repeatedly extended and modernized, especially in the 14th century during the rule of the Ming dynasty. In later periods, such as during the great proletarian cultural revolution, he was dismantled in order to obtain materials for the construction of houses and farms.

The wall was built on stone foundations, from compacted soil, which was bricked with brick, the whole was glued with rice flour and water.

The equipment of the wall consists of numerous defensive towers, watchtowers and storage rooms for ammunition and food.

In the designers' plans there was to be a watchtower every 100 meters, together over 40,000. It was calculated that 300 million m² of materials were used for the construction of the wall, which would have been enough to build 120 Cheops pyramids, or to place a two-meter long wall along the equator.

It is estimated that about 300,000 workers were employed in inhumane conditions during the construction of the wall, thousands of them lost their lives and their bodies were simply buried in the middle part of the wall.

Rumors say that every third man of the then empire participated in the construction of the wall and that only three out of ten recruits returned home. Therefore, the building is called the largest cemetery of the earth.

Contrary to the beliefs of many people, this building can not be seen with the human eye from the surface of the moon. Satellite images using infrared (thermovision) photography, which have been subjected to strong processing, showed the Chinese Wall in its splendor and showed that this myth widespread in the decade of the first space flight is false.

The Great Wall of China was not only built as a defensive building against the barbarians. His goal was also to protect against demons rushing over the infertile steppe areas. Once it was believed that these demons can move in a straight line without being able to cross curved formations and bypass the horns, therefore the wall has never been built in a straight line.

For many years, the wall fulfilled its defensive function and it would seem that its almost continuous structure is impregnable, however in 1211 the Mongol Chief Genghis Khan has invaded China and mastered the country for almost 100 years.

The wall is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Construction/building type

Building Great Wall of China is of type Wall, Fortification

Architectural style

Architectural style of Great Wall of China is Ancient Chinese

Other dimensions, parameters and frequently asked questions

How many meters have Great Wall of China?

Great Wall of China have length The main wall is 2400 km long
Total length with legs 21 196 km

What material is the building made of?

Great Wall of China is made of the following materials: stone, brick

Is the building on the UNESCO World Heritage List?