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25 Before-And-After Photos Of Famous Cities That Are So Mind-Blowing They Feel Like Real-Life Time Travel
It’s amazing, and slightly unbelievable, that the cities we’ve become so used to living in didn’t actually look this way decades ago. There’s nothing quite like holding up an old photograph in the same place it was captured years earlier, hoping to spot something similar, but seeing an entirely new world. Interestingly enough, some cities simply built around their historic buildings, while others completely revamped, introducing shiny new skyscrapers and high-rise blocks. Either way, these transformations have been truly extraordinary. To celebrate them, we’ve compiled this list of 25 before-and-after photos of some of the world’s most famous cities, proving just how much they’ve changed over time.
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#1
Chicago 1937 vs. 2015
The Majestic Opossum 1 week ago
I love that some of these beautiful old buildings and gorgeous architecture still stands though.
UnclePanda 1 week ago
The Chicago River Archeological tours are fantastic.
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#2
Ho Chi Minh 1930s vs. 2016
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
And at least it hasn’t been turned into a soulless metropolis; it’s really pretty!
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#3
Singapore 1969 vs. 2015
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
Are those boats on top of the buildings on the left?! And that’s some kinda stadium on the water? Don’t they kick or throw balls into the water now and then?
Allison Ricketts 1 week ago
Yes the building on the left is a hotel built to look like a boat on top. The grassy looking area has nets to catch balls, the tall while poles hold the netting.
Load More Replies... #4
Athens 1862 vs. 2015
Voidified 1 week ago
Looks the same just the lights on the mountain and the photo is coloured.
Janissary35680 1 week ago
That's Mount Lycabettus in the distance. NOT the Acropolis in case anyone's trying to find the Parthenon.🏛️😄
#5
London 1920 vs. 2014
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 week ago
Uh... that river... looks a lot nastier in the 2014 photo. Not exactly a "glow-up", as the article's title calls this list XD
Puppy Dancing! 6 days ago
Before proper building standards and public housing the roads were hard to find.
#6
Kuala Lumpur 1884 vs. 2019
Agfox 1 week ago (edited)
I think the Petronas Towers in the centre of the pic look amazingly eye-catching. From Wikipedia: the 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia's Muslim religion
#7
Kyiv 1920 vs. 2021
Roberta Surprenant 1 week ago
There is icon to post photo, but then comment is hidden AND no photo shows. Tried showing image of Kyiv bombed out today.
DaisyGirl 1 week ago
Central Kyiv isnt bombed out, in fact little damage - lived there 2024 to Feb 2025
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#8
Berlin 1983 vs. 2021
The Majestic Opossum 1 week ago (edited)
To be more specific: EAST Berlin, before the wall fell, during the height of communist rule. Not really a fair contrast without context.
Nicole Weymann 1 week ago
It would be somewhat fairer if the viewpoint was the same, not to mention the weather conditions. A photo of a drúg and rat infested NY neighbourhood in the 1980s - or any time really - couldn't hold a candle to a view from the Empire State Building or a Central Park scene on a clear day (or so I imagine).
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Istanbul 1912 vs. 2013
#10
Shanghai 1934 vs. 2015
#11
Las Vegas 1920 vs. 2010
#12
Tokyo 1945 vs. 2014
HistoryNerd 1 week ago
After the United States fire bombed the civilian area of Tokyo (Operation Marketplace) which was almost entirely made of wooden structures, in clear violation of the Geneva Convention.
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Measuring at over 2700 feet, you can probably guess that the Burj Khalifa in Dubai tops the list of the world’s tallest buildings. At this point, you might be thinking how a structure so massive is still standing. Well, to keep the skyscraper stable and upright, engineers relied on a type of structural system known as a buttressed core.
#14
New York 1920 vs. 2021
David 1 week ago
also different parts of NYC, the top is from where the old Warf's were near Wall St, the bottom is of Midtown as seen from NJ. A lot of those old buildings still exist, like the old 14 Wall Street Building, Woolworth Building, etc. though sadly in the 60s, a lot of the old ones were torn down, but you still can see some of them
John Dilligaf 1 week ago
matter of opinion. I think the art deco and classical architecture style buildings look far better than the steel and glass towers that they have now.
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Buenos Aires 1986 vs. 2018
#16
San Francisco 1906 vs. 2021
Joanne Mendonza-Earle 1 week ago
The top photo was taken just after the 1906 quake/fire to show the damage. The camera was on balloons and operated remotely,
ॐBoyGanesh 1 week ago
I definitely don’t miss the Embarcadero freeway, but I do miss being able to walk around middle & upper Market w/o having to worry about stepping in human excrement or on used hypodermics.
Roberta Surprenant 1 week ago
I miss cable cars simply being part of transit system instead of over priced tourist rides.
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Seoul 1905 vs. 2016
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
Yikes! I don’t see any character, nor anything cultural. That could be a photo of anywhere.
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Rio De Janeiro 1889 vs. 2011
nicholas nolan 1 week ago
Yes, 1889, when malaria was completely out of control...
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Cairo 1904 vs 2015
Binky Melnik 1 week ago
Cairo only have three tall buildings? I spose we should appreciate it while we can, before it looks like Seoul.
#20
Melbourne 1870 vs. 2010
Patrick van den Houten 1 week ago
before is much nicer... the highrise is cold and unpersonal. no warmth
#21
Los Angeles 1910 vs. 2019
Vivian McBride 1 week ago
These pictures are from totally different angles. Yes, there are 10,000 feet mountainpeaks, north of Los Angeles, but this doesn't look quite right.
Joanne Mendonza-Earle 1 week ago
I don't like the bottom photo b/c it makes Mt Whitney look like it's just outside LA and it's not at all.
#22
Dubai 1966 vs. 2021
CKB 1 week ago
It is definitely Dubai and it IS amazing what money can do. You can still watch the city being built in real time as it is a constant construction site. And the building in the photo-still there (although you have to look hard to find it)-the Burj Khalifa is the best place to see it. How do I know? I live in Dubai!
Load More Replies... #23
Abu Dhabi 1980 vs. 2019
Nicole Weymann 1 week ago
That was my thought, too! Not that I particularly like the yellowish desert theme all that much, but lawns - especially in dry climates - are an incredibly toxic waste of resources.
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#24
Shenzhen 1964 vs. 2015
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CJandMuse 1 week ago
Would have been nice if these pictures were of the same angle. Many of these had the before close-up of a street/buildings and the after a random shot of the enitre town or a completely different angle/view of the place. Hard to tell a "glow up" if you're not looking at the same thing
General Anaesthesia 1 week ago
That and black-and-white before vs. colour after photos, especially the aerial views. Highrise buildings do not always a glow-up make. Sometimes quite the opposite.
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Pernille 1 week ago
I don't like skyscrapers so to me most of these were a glow down, but I'm well aware that all cities can't grow out and have to grow up, I just can't stand all that glass and concrete.
Lousha 1 week ago
Agreed. Changed? Sure. Accommodates more people? Yeah. Has modern infrastructure? I guess. Glow up? Basically none of these pics show a glow up.
Load More Replies... CJandMuse 1 week ago
Would have been nice if these pictures were of the same angle. Many of these had the before close-up of a street/buildings and the after a random shot of the enitre town or a completely different angle/view of the place. Hard to tell a "glow up" if you're not looking at the same thing
General Anaesthesia 1 week ago
That and black-and-white before vs. colour after photos, especially the aerial views. Highrise buildings do not always a glow-up make. Sometimes quite the opposite.
Load More Replies... Pernille 1 week ago
I don't like skyscrapers so to me most of these were a glow down, but I'm well aware that all cities can't grow out and have to grow up, I just can't stand all that glass and concrete.
Lousha 1 week ago
Agreed. Changed? Sure. Accommodates more people? Yeah. Has modern infrastructure? I guess. Glow up? Basically none of these pics show a glow up.
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