Europe’s imperial dynasties in France, Russia, and Austrian left royal palaces, cathedrals and other great public buildings that memorialize the final chapter of Imperial Europe. In late 18^th century Paris, the grand Louvre Palace became a public art museum after the French Revolution. Napoleon’s growing empire ended with defeat by Russia’s Tsar Alexander, a victory celebrated by the building of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.

Europe’s ancient capital cities were being radically redesigned - Paris replaced narrow streets with grand boulevards and in Vienna a grand circular boulevard and Opera House replaced the medieval walls. Hungarians celebrated their independence by building a magnificent Parliament Building in Budapest. In 1917 the Russian Revolution removed the last of the Russian Tsars from his luxurious Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. When the Hapsburg Austro-Hungarian Empire disintegrated in 1918, the age of the empire ended.