Where's the Square? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brussels, Belgium

Few urban spaces make the impact you'll feel when entering the Brussels Grand Place (Grote Markt) for the first time, which is why it has long been the town's premier tourist attraction. What is seen today is a reconstruction by local guilds of the original buildings destroyed by Louis XIV of France in the 17th century. The square was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

Answer: Prague, the Czech Republic

The Old Town Square (Staromestske namesti) has been the heart of Prague since 965 AD. Jan Hus, the Czech's martyred theologian, surveys the square in bronze, sharing his space with locals, visitors and horse-drawn carriages. Eight magnificent towers rise above the cobblestone square.

The Czech Republic is known for its garnets, and shops selling them surround Prague's Old Town Square and adjacent radiating streets.

Answer: Venice, Italy

The attribution to Napoleon Bonaparte that St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) is the "drawing room of Europe" is most likely apocryphal, however people from all over the world can be seen in the many cafes surrounding the square watching tourists and the swooping pigeons of St. Mark's.

The original horses on the basilica's façade date from classical antiquity. They were installed in the 12th century after the sack of Constantinople by the Venetians. Looted by Napoleon in 1797 as war booty, the horses were returned in 1815. Air pollution caused curators to move the horses inside the basilica and replace them on the façade with replicas.

Answer: Madrid, Spain

Madrid's Central Plaza (Plaza Major) is a "must see" on any tourist visit to the Spanish capital. Thrice destroyed by fire and rebuilt, the 1790 reconstruction has survived to the present day. A bronze statue of King Phillip III, erected in 1616, takes center stage in the cobblestone square.

Answer: London, England

Trafalgar Square, in the Westminster section of London, was designated in 1835 to commemorate the victory of Lord Horatio Nelson over Napoleon Bonaparte's navy at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Eight years later a granite tribute column with a statue of Nelson on top was added to the site.

The square is a tourist favorite, more perhaps for the presence there of both the National Gallery, one of the world's major European museums with works from the 13th to the 20th century, and the adjacent historic church of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, which holds frequent chamber music concerts.

Answer: Vatican City, Italy

Located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the square is an oval surrounded by colonnades designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The site was filled with tens of thousands of pilgrims on March 13, 2013 when Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was introduced as the new pontiff, Pope Francis.

Answer: Moscow, Russia

Located in the heart of Moscow, Red Square is often the first destination for tourists to the city. Here is found the colorful onion-domed St. Basil's Cathedral (secularized as a museum in 1929), Lenin's mausoleum, The State Museum, and one of the long red brick walls of the Kremlin. Tickets can be purchased to view the interiors of these buildings. Red Square and the Kremlin are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Answer: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Plaza de Mayo is the hub of social and political life in Argentina and is an indispensable stop on any visit to the capital city. The plaza's name commemorates the May 1810 revolution which was the catalyst for Argentina's independence from Spain in 1816.

Answer: Krakow, Poland

Krakow's Main Market Square (Rynek Glowny) is dominated by the Renaissance style Cloth Hall constructed in the 14th century. The building now houses restaurants, cafes and craft stalls on the ground floor and an art gallery on the upper floor. Rising above the square are the Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica. Every hour on the hour a trumpet is played from the taller of the basilica's two towers.

The short five note dirge dates back to medieval time when it was sounded as an alarm to city residents of fire or enemy attack.

Answer: New York City, NY

In the heart of New York City's theater district, Times Square technically lies between 42nd and 47th Streets along Broadway and Seventh Avenue, however its vibe extends west to Ninth Avenue and north to 54th Street. On New Year's Eve, Time Square is party central with thousands of people braving the crowds and the cold to see the famous Times Square ball drop - a tradition dating back to 1907 with only a two year interruption because of wartime blackouts.
The square is often called the "crossroad of the world" because of the many international visitors.