The House Wins Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sandringham House

Although the Royal Family owns over a dozen properties around England, Sandringham is perhaps one of the most beautiful and expansive. It was originally owned by Queen Victoria and passed down through the generations of the monarchy. It may be best known as the birthplace of Princess Diana.

In the 1970s, Sandringham House, visited rarely by the Royal Family, designated part of its property as museum space for royal artefacts. To get there you'd have to drive a couple hours north out of London to the Norfolk Coast.

Answer: Hong Kong

Built in the town of Stanley on the island of Hong Kong, Murray House was constructed by the British to house high-ranking military officials colonizing the now-Chinese island in the Victorian Era. The structure has since made its home on the edge of Stanley overlooking the sea, far enough from the cacophony and wall-to-wall modern architecture of Causeway Bay and Kowloon to be enjoyed for its classical beauty and rich stylings.

It's been used for military, business and tourism purposes in its long history.

Answer: Vienna

Mozarthaus Vienna, which was Mozart's house for only a few years in the 1780s, is the only remaining one in the city and, because of its historical significance, is preserved by the city. Now a museum to the famous composer, the building sees many tourists daily.

At this location, Mozart composed "The Marriage of Figaro", perhaps one of his most famous operas. Vienna's Old Town, where Mozarthaus Vienna can be found, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also home to the Hofburg Imperial Palace.

Answer: Rose Hall

Found atop a hill overlooking the Caribbean Sea on Jamaica's northern coast, the estate of Rose Hall was once a sugar plantation in the eighteenth century. It fell into disrepair over the years, though at one point it was home to hundreds of slaves. Today it stands as one of Jamaica's most culturally-relevant houses; renovated once more in the 1960s, it became a landmark for more reasons than one. Locals have claimed that a voodoo-practicing woman by the name of Annie Palmer killed her husband on the property and haunted it after her death.

Answer: Fallingwater

Built in the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, Fallingwater was constructed upon a forest creek running down some cascading falls. Wright built the house well into his career in the 1930 and sought to blend the natural in with the man-made construction. Somewhat inspired by Japanese architecture and aesthetic, Fallingwater is now a museum to Wright, regarded by many in the field as one of the most important American architects of his day.

His other works, found all around the world, can be found in Canada, Egypt and Japan as well as most of the U.S. states.

Answer: De Stijl

The Rietveld Schröder House can be found in Utrecht and, while it wouldn't be the most obvious house landmark in the world, it does have a great deal of significance in the art world, particularly because it embodied De Stijl artwork and architecture, a style valuing abstract form, pure but dissonant colours in contrast, and wholeness without actually being whole.

The original owner wanted a house without walls and what resulted was this building, a collage of different elements which, while they do make walls, are also visually separate pieces. De Stijl dissipated less than two decades later, but the Rietveld Schröder House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

Answer: Sana'a

Found atop an outcropping in Yemen, Dar al Hajar is a stone house carved out of a large, natural stone feature. Created for the Imam of Yemen, Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, in the 1930s, it's five stories tall and towers above the Wadi Dhahr Valley (except for the mountains nearby).

The site is used for major events but can be visited at any time of year. Also known as 'The Rock Palace' and 'The Stone House', Dar al Hajar is perhaps the country's most famous landmark and it attracts numerous visitors every year.

Answer: Winchester

Ah yes, the Winchester Mystery House commenced construction in 1886 and kept growing until 1922 after owner Sarah Winchester passed away. A U.S. Historical Place, the house contains an almost too-eclectic mish-mash of rooms. Some have fallen in California earthquakes while others were simply built with no rhyme or reason; doors lead to nowhere, chains of rooms don't lead to anything. Owner Sarah Winchester was the heiress to the Winchester Rifle company and spent millions building the house. What resulted was a shrine to unluck, the number thirteen, and alleged hauntings of victims of gun violence.

Answer: France

Found in the town of Hauterives in Southeastern France, Le Palais Ideal was built by Ferdinand Cheval, a man who, upon receiving inspiration from a rock, decided to build a mansion out of them all by himself. What resulted was an obscure structure off the beaten path; Le Palais Ideal is literally a mishmash of influences in a league of its own.

It took over three decades for Cheval to build, but I guess that when you don't look for outside help you can expect a bit of a time-sink.

Answer: The Playboy Mansion

Owned by Hugh Hefner for many years, the original Playboy Mansion in Chicago was home to a number of wild, crazy parties in the early 1970s but, after Hefner's decision to remain at his other (now, more famous) mansion in Los Angeles, the Chicago house was put up for sale.

Although the structure, built at the turn of the century, contains lavish rooms and has weathered much of the city's interesting history for over a one hundred years it is not a historical site. The Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles is much more grandiose and persists as a rowdy playhouse for some of the most famous celebrities living on the west coast.

It contains its own zoo.