Inner city serenity: The ANZAC War Memorial

Squarely in the middle of the concrete jungle that is the City of Sydney stands the tall, white facade of one of Sydney's most eerily beautiful haunts, the Sydney War Memorial. It's white blocks and height make it quite the stand out feature among it's leafy home in Hyde Park. But perhaps that is as it should be.

Above: the War Memorial

The ANZAC War Memorial was first visualized during a competition hosted by the then Governor of NSW, Sir Phillip Game to find the appropriate design for one of the nations most important national storys, that story being of the ANZAC's. The monument was opened in 1934. Today, the Memorial is open for public wanderings. On ANZAC day it features heavily in remembrance festivals.

Walking inside the tall tower complete with a domed roof is almost ethereal. Marble lines the floor and everywhere the walls are full of rich carvings of our ANZAC men and woman. The most striking feature of the building is perhaps the man on the golden cross at the very center of the domed tower. It's quite the experience just walking around the Memorials cold marble, the sounds from the city, the beeping and constant chatter dies away until you're left with almost silence, save for sounds shoes buckling on the marble stairs.

Above: the stunning architecture of the Memorial on display

In the heart of one of the worlds most modern, and busiest cities lies a monument to the past which stands in direct contrast to the gleaming, horribly modern skyscrapers which so dominate Sydney's skyline. Yet it's distinctive design is what makes it so very special, it stands as a constant reminder that buildings carry meaning and that even in the urban landscape that is the City, a building can force a nation to remeber and reflect upon deeds performed so many years ago.

Post by Will