Squares & Plazas Trivia

1. It's 1989 and a lone figure stands in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square. In which city would you find this square?

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: Beijing, China

An unidentified man stood in front of a column of tanks at Tiananmen Square on July 5, 1989, the morning after the Tiananmen Square Massacre of students protesting against the corruption of the Chinese government in Beijing, China. The number of civilian deaths at the June 4th massacre is estimated anywhere between hundreds and thousands. Beijing is the capital of China and the second largest city by population after Shanghai. Beijing is also the cultural center of China, and has juxtaposed ancient sites like The Forbidden City complex (Imperial Palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties) next to its modern architectural structures.

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: George Washington

The statue was a present to the people of Britain and Ireland from the state of Virginia in the 1920s. Soil had to be imported from Virginia since Washington is reputed to have said "I will never set foot in London again!"

From Quiz The Hustle and Bustle of Times Square

Answer: 1904

In 1904, the New York Times set up business above the Longacre Subway Station.

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: Times Square

New York has its share of squares (right, daddyo?) but it would seem that the most famous one, the one that all the tourists come to see, is Times Square, located on the west side of Midtown Manhattan; the colors, the lights, the theater district, the shopping and, of course "The Ball Drop" from the flagpole on the roof of One Times Square. Some years ago (before Mayor Giuliani) it was also known for its seedy hotels, drugs, hookers and pornography but, not to worry, all of that has been relocated and concentrated into the Pedestrian Plaza - to enhance pedestrian safety! Watch out for the giant muppets and nude (body-painted) women asking for donations!

From Quiz These Squares Are Not Quite Square

Answer: Gate of Heavenly Peace

Tienanmen Square is of course named after Tienanmen Gate, the first of three gateways from the Square to the Forbidden City. The phrase Tienanmen consists of the characters for peace, for heaven and for gate, so the most obvious translation is "Gate of Heavenly Peace". Reality is of course a bit more complex, as the Manchu transcription shows. The Manchu text is equivalent to "Gate of Heavenly Peacemaking", but the longer Chinese definition is "receiving the mandate from heaven and stabilizing the dynasty". In contrast with this peaceful name, I think most of us will remember the Tienanmen Square for the iconic picture of a lone demonstrator standing before a column of tanks, ready to move. The Tienanmen Square is situated between the Gate of China in the south and Tienanmen Gate in the north. The east side is occupied by the National Museum of China and the west side by the Great Hall of the People. When passing through Tienanmen to the north, one crosses the Upright Gate and then the Meridian Gate before entering the Forbidden City.

From Quiz Famous Squares in Famous Cities

Answer: Alexandria

A statue of Muhammad Ali, who founded the modern Egyptian kingdom, stands in the square.

From Quiz The Hustle and Bustle of Times Square

Answer: 40

There are 40 theatres in this area, which consists of 22 landmark Broadway theatres including the "Embassy".

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: North West

The three 'permanent' statues atop plinths are; 1) General Sir Charles James Napier (South West - a famous general associated with India as well as what is today modern day Pakistan. Also has a city in New Zealand named after him) 2) Major General Sir Henry Havelock (South East - a famous general most associated with India) 3) King George IV (North East - Monarch who acceded to the Throne after 9 years as Prince Regent due to the incapacitation of his father George III. As Prince Regent he had engaged the landscape architect John Nash to redevlop the area that later became Trafalgar Square.)

From Quiz Famous Squares in Famous Cities

Answer: Belfast

It lies in between the City Hall and The Linen Hall Library.

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: The Circle

Back in the U.S.A., in a place called Normal (really!), there is an environmentally friendly park called the Uptown Normal Circle. The Uptown Redevelopment Plan was organized in 2001, and is a circular intersection (hence the name). There is a park at its center which cleanses storm water and returns the clean water to the fountain located at the site, and also recycles water into an irrigation system. Can you imagine not only looking at the water at a park, but being able to play in it? The Circle has revitalized the city by saving money and increasing property values. Newington Green is in London, Temple Plaza in CT and Bryant Park in NYC.

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: 15 million

There are many different measures regarding how many visitors there are to a country, to a city within that country and whether they are tourists or not but it does seem clear that: - London is one of the top tourist destinations in the world (Euromonitor International estimated London international visitors at 15.6 million for 2006, which was far ahead of any city in terms of INTERNATIONAL visitors) - Trafalgar Square is one of the top attractions in London, of course bolstered by the fact that it includes the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, St Martin-in-the-Fields Church as well as Trafalgar Square itself.

From Quiz The Hustle and Bustle of Times Square

Answer: Budweiser

This supersign is located on One Times Square. Some other supersigns include the famous Dow Jones "Zipper" & the NBC "Astrovision" by Panasonic.

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: Saint Peter's Square

Saint Peter's Square is a large public space located in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City within Rome, Italy; it is called Piazza San Pietro by the residents. The square was designed and built by the sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini (credited with creating the Baroque style of sculpture) between 1656 and 1667, under the auspices of Pope Alexander VII. It was designed "so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing". While there is a Saint Peters community in Chester County, the square there is called Kennett Square, with Market Square in Pittsburgh, and Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia.

From Quiz These Squares Are Not Quite Square

Answer: Sergels Torg

Sergels Torg was named after the sculptor Johan Tobias Sergel, whose workshop during the 18th century was just north of this square in Stockholm. To the northeast we find a roundabout with Sergels Fountain in the midst. The pedestrian area in the west is paved with triangular pavements, alternating between white and gray. To the south we find the Kulturhuset (Culture House) and the Stockholm city theatre. Pilsudski Square, another trapezoid, is situated in Warsaw. It was named after the Polish head of state between 1918 and 1935. Mzilikazi Square, yet another trapezoid, is the main square in the eponymous suburb of Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). Both the suburb and the square were named after the king of Matabeleland until 1868. The Red Square in Moscow is situated before the Kremlin complex. One of the main buildings on the square itself is the mausoleum for Lenin.

From Quiz Famous Squares in Famous Cities

Answer: Bucharest

The Square of the Revolution is near the center of bitter fighting in the 1989 revolution that toppled the hated Communist dictator Ceausescu.

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: Massachusetts

Boston Common, located in downtown Boston in the state of Massachusetts. It is the starting point to what is known as the 'Freedom Trail'. It is the oldest public park in the United States. The term 'common' comes from the 'common lands' in the British Isles; many commons still exist in England, Scotland, Wales and the United States. There are still over 7,000 registered commons in England alone. A common is defined as "a tract of land or water owned or used jointly by the members of a community", while a "global common" is used to indicate shared natural resources like the oceans, the atmosphere and outer space. For those Americans taking the quiz, this one should be a freebie!

From Quiz These Squares Are Not Quite Square

Answer: Aotea Square

Aotea Square is the only one of these four squares situated in New Zealand, the rest are in Europe. Wellesley Street to the north is almost a straight line, and Mayoral Drive is a curve that together with Wellesley Street makes a ground plan resembling a human heart. Midway through this ground plan runs Queen Street. One half of the ground plan is formed by the Auckland University of Technology (main building between Rutland Street and Wakefield Street, library between Rutland Street, Lorne Street and Mayoral Drive), while the other half is the aforesaid Aotea Square. The Auckland Town Hall, the Auckland Civic Theatre and the Aotea Centre (also a theatre) are built on the Aotea Square. Orlov Most is a bridge and square in Sofia, Bulgaria, Ban Jelacic Square is in Zagreb, Croatia, and Kossuth Lajos Square is in Budapest, Hungary.

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: Norway

A spruce or fir tree is donated each year by Oslo (capital of Norway) to commemorate Britain's support for Norway during World War II. Norway's Prince Olav and its Government lived in exile in London during the war.

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: It's free

Most major museums and galleries in London have free entry, although they do have suggested amounts for a voluntary contribution. The idea of free entry is to make them as accessible as possible to the broadest cross section of society and avoid them being seen as elitist.

From Quiz Famous Squares in Famous Cities

Answer: Vatican City

The Pope holds a general audience every Wednesday that sometimes attracts up to 40,000 people in St. Peter's Square.

From Quiz These Squares Are Not Quite Square

Answer: Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

The Plaza de Mayo was named after the month in which the 1810 revolution started, which led to the independence of Argentina. The Plaza hosts an obelisk erected to commemorate this revolution. Around the Plaza de Mayo, we find the Casa Rosada (Pink House: the seat of the government) as well as the city hall, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Bank of the Argentine Nation. The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo were relatives (mainly mothers, but also others) who gathered on the Plaza each week, with pictures of their relatives disappeared (presumably by order of the government). During the reign of president Videla, a right wing politician, many people who uttered leftish messages suddenly "disappeared". In later years the truth came out: these young people with leftist sympathies, were abducted by the army or by paramilitary militias, then tortured and finally killed and dumped in desert areas. I've invented the other movements, but not the respective squares. Bubenbergplatz is in Bern (Switzerland), Place d'Youville is in Montreal and Quebec (both in Canada), and Rizal Park is in Manila (Philippines).

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: Queen Victoria

It was commissioned by Edward VII in memory of his mother (Victoria) but he didn't live to see its unveiling. Edward was known as the 'Uncle of Europe' and 'Edward the Peacemaker' due to being related to most European royalty and also to being fluent in French and German. He tragically died four years before the advent of World War I.

From Quiz Famous Squares in Famous Cities

Answer: Birmingham

The Town Hall stands in the Victoria Square.

From Quiz The Hustle and Bustle of Times Square

Answer: 42nd

Back then, there were grand theatres, with live burlesque shows. During the Great Depression in 1930, movie houses took over the area. They recently cleaned this area up a lot, but unfortunately, you can still see a neon XXX sign once in a while.

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: Grand Place

The Grand Place, also called Grote Markt, is the central square in Brussels, Belgium's capital. The public space dates back to the late 17th century, and its architecture reflects the cultural life of that time period. While the square actually dates as far back as the 12th century, it was destroyed in 1695 by the troops and French artillary of Louis XIV. The rebuilding was not only quickly done, but the area reflected how the Brussels bourgeois chose to "restore the city to its former glory". The Old Town Square is in Prague, Czech Republic. Plaza Santa Ana is in Mardrid, Spain. Federation Square is in Melbourne, Australia.

From Quiz Trafalgar Square

Answer: 170 feet

Sir Horatio Nelson was a very famous Naval Commander who won many spectacular battles. Trafalgar was Nelson's most famous victory, against a Franco-Spanish fleet, although he was killed during the battle by a French sniper. Visitors to the State Apartments at Windsor Castle can see the bullet that killed him. Nelson's body was taken back to England and he was afforded a State Funeral. He is one of the very few (less than 15) commoners i.e. non royalty who have been afforded that privilege.

From Quiz Famous Squares in Famous Cities

Answer: Dublin

The National Gallery is in Merrion Square. It has a wide collection of European and Irish painting. The Municipal Gallery, in Parnell Square, has the Hugh Lane collection of modern art.

From Quiz The Hustle and Bustle of Times Square

Answer: New Victory

The New Victory theatre was built in 1900 and restored in 1995. It is now being used as live entertainment center for children of all ages. Both the Lyceum and New Amsterdam opened in 1903, while the Embassy was built in 1925.

From Quiz Geographical Squares

Answer: Piazza del Campo

While all the piazzas listed (except Mike, for those of you who are familiar with American baseball) are in Italy, it is the Piazza del Campo which is located in Siena. Piazza del Campo or "il Campo" is the main public space in the historic center of Siena in Tuscany. It is regarded as "one of Europe's greatest medieval squares", having been built in the 13th century on a space which had been used for markets and fairs. Piazza Navona is situated in Rome. Piazza del Duomo can be found in Florence. Piazza San Marco (or St. Mark's Square) is located in Venice.

From Quiz These Squares Are Not Quite Square

Answer: Civic Square

To the north of Civic Square, we find Harris Street. To the east is Jervois Quay and the harbour. To the west is Victoria Street, which curves into Wakefield Street to the south. It's this curving that explains the peculiar shape of the square. The Civic Square was first planned in 1944, but work began only in 1977. By 1992 it was completed. ANZAC Square is in Brisbane, Australia. Lemon Quay is a small square in Truro, England. Times Square is the well known square in New York City.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:50 AM

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