Rephotography is the art of reshooting old photos in the modern day (two different moments in time) from the same viewpoint. It can become very tricky because places and buildings change with the passage of time. Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped people from fusing two different moments. So, we have a collection of 20 then and now photos which prove how times changes everything. Let's check them out.
Ancient Greek Stadium Before And After Excavation
Can you hear the roars of the crowd? This is what happens when nature reclaims what belongs to it. Located in Turkey, this 189 meters long Stadium of Magnesia ad Maeandrum, an ancient inland city of Ionia, could accommodate about 30,000 spectators in its glory days.
Archaeologists discovered shields, armors, and helmets of the enemies at the base of the stadium's stairs, which symbolize victories and triumphs. Moreover, the inscriptions found in the stadium suggest that gladiatorial fights were organized there.
Archaeologists discovered shields, armors, and helmets of the enemies at the base of the stadium's stairs, which symbolize victories and triumphs. Moreover, the inscriptions found in the stadium suggest that gladiatorial fights were organized there.
The Big Oak
The Big Oak is a historical landmark in Thomasville, Georgia, US. With a trunk circumference of over 26 feet and a limb span of over 165 feet, this beautiful giant is over 337 years old. We can bet this tree must have so many stories to tell.
One can hope that this tree remains protected from being damaged by environmental factors and humans. After all, a truck driver wrenched two of the large limbs of the tree in 2005. For that, he was charged with “Disobeying a traffic control device.” Hmm…okay.
When Sears Took DIY To The Next Level
Ah, there was a time when people could do anything with their hands. Today, we find it super challenging to assemble a bedside table or change a bulb. From 1908 to 1940, Sears sold about 70,000 homes from its catalog. At that time, the company designed 447 different house styles.
The Sears homes were built from some of the finest quality materials used at that time. That explains why you can still find Sears homes even today. Interestingly, Sears Archives still has all of the plans available online.
Over 125 Years Old Family Farmhouse
Someone shared a photo of their family farmhouse with their childhood bedroom window in the top center. That was also their father’s and grandfather’s bedroom.
The farmhouse stayed in the family for over 125 years, but they finally had to sell it when the parents moved into a retirement community.
Unfinished Manhattan Bridge In 1908 And Now
The construction of the Manhattan Bridge concluded in 1909. When it was opened, 100 "leading citizens of Brooklyn" walked over it. Originally, it was going to be called "Bridge No.3" because it would’ve been the third bridge built across the East River. However, The New York Times called it a "meaningless" name.
Even if you haven't visited the bridge, you may have seen it in Hollywood movies like "Once Upon A Time In America", "I Am Legend," and "The Lonely Guy."
Excitement of Finding Your Great-Great Grandfather’s House
This person shared a photo of their great-great grandfather's Nashville house in 1896. It was taken two years before the birth of their grandfather. The picture always stayed in the family, but the house didn't.
So, this person used the help of Google Maps to look up the address with no real expectations. To their surprise, they found the house. It is good to see that the new owners took care of the house and didn't let it fall into disrepair. They should send the old family photo to the new owners.
The Golden Cross Inn, Coventry - 1819 Vs. Now
The mesmerizing building of The Golden Cross looks straight out of a fairytale. It is one of the oldest and longest-established alcohol-serving venues in the UK. The history of this Tudor-style building dates back to 1583.
We loved the idea of creating a building where each floor gets wider as you go up. Maybe it has something to do with the property tax at that time, which was based on the square footage of the ground floor.
Machu Picchu, Peru. 1915 And 2021
These before and after photos show that either they excavated the place or used giant lawnmowers. Well, Machu Picchu is an Incan citadel located in Peru on a 2,430-meter mountain ridge. Considered one of the world's most outstanding archaeological sites, Machu Picchu is now one of the 7 New Wonders of The World.
Interestingly, the stones used to build the city weighed over 50 tons. So how did they chiseled those big granite stones and then transported them up the mountain?
Milan, Italy 1950s And 2021
There are many reasons why everyone should visit Milan at least once in their lifetime. You can explore this city's rich history, culture, and art through grand landmarks. For instance, take a look at this stunning cathedral.
Is it just us or does the first picture look more futuristic? These old European photos make you realize how much cleaner the air is in Europe now.
Pablo Escobar's Plane
Pablo Escobar, a Colombian drug lord and narcoterrorist, used Curtiss C-46 Commando planes for drug smuggling. This one has been submerged in the Bahamas' saltwater for over 35 years. Maybe the pilot was a drug addict (pun intended).
At the time of Pablo's death, he had an estimated net worth of about US$30 billion (about $64 billion today). While some called him a "Robin Hood" for helping the poor, others labeled him as "Evil Kingpin." We recommend you should watch Narcos (season 1) on Netflix to know more about his life story.
Hick's Court, St Ives, England - 1888 And Today
We Love this picture of old and new! This is why we prefer when people don’t mess with architecture too much. Just keep the original foundations but improve them and look after them because it is far better than knocking them down and building something again.
At the bottom of the first photo, you can read “Street View.” We want to clarify that Google Street View wasn’t around in 1888.
Abandoned Restaurant In Petrópolis, Brazil - 1960's And 2013
There were a lot of restaurants and observation points built in that "UFO" style after 1962, thanks to the Space Needle in Seattle popularizing the design. This one looks more like Googie Architecture.
We’d love to see this one brought back to life. Or may someone could turn it into a home, museum, nightclub or anything else instead of letting it ruin there.
Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace At Night’ From 1888 And Present
Vincent Van Gogh's work is characterized by dramatic, bold colors and expressive brushwork. Almost everything he painted is true to life, with some exceptions.
Imagine sitting there and thinking that 133 years ago, Van Gogh sat there and painted a beautiful painting of the exact spot where you're sitting.
The Main Entrance To The City, York, England 1865 - 2015
Micklegate Bar, the main entrance to the city through which monarchs would enter. It was also a popular practice to hang the heads of traitors from the gatehouse. Ah, all the history this place has seen.
You can walk the walls surrounding the city center and every so often there is a visitors book. There’s hundreds of years of vibrant history in every corner.
You can walk the walls surrounding the city center and every so often there is a visitors book. There’s hundreds of years of vibrant history in every corner.
You can walk the walls surrounding the city center and every so often there is a visitors book. There’s hundreds of years of vibrant history in every corner.
The Royal Crescent, Bath, UK. 1829 And 2020
Built in 1774, the Royal Crescent is considered one of the greatest examples of Georgian architecture found in the UK. The 500-foot-long crescent looks like it's one huge building, but in fact, it is 30 terraced houses laid out in a sweeping crescent.
To make The Royal Crescent extra special, there’s a doggo in the picture. If you ask us, we really appreciate how they replaced the 1829 family on the left with a 2020 dog. It just seems right.
Baker Street Station, London
Baker Street Station is the oldest underground station in the world. Aside from some electrification and platform height changes, it hasn't changed a lot in 157 years. It is considered one of the most beautiful underground stations, and we can see why.
It is great to see that they didn't change the design of the lights. If only all the advertising boards and posters were removed now.
Court Of The Lions, Granada, Spain - 1840 And Today
The Court of Lions was constructed between 1362 and 1391 AD when Nasrid Sultan Muhammad V of the Emirate of Granada commissioned it. Now, it has become a part of the UNESCO World Heritage List.
This is amazing. One can imagine that it must have been so thrilling to travel and visit places like this before mass tourism came around.
Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, India. 1798 and 2016
Thomas Daniell lithographed the image in 1798. It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. Considered one of the largest South Indian temples, the temple was built in 1003-1010 CE out of granite.
Imagine building something so big that will still be standing after a thousand years. There are quite a few Hindu temples like that in India. For example, the Kailash Temple at Ellora has been around for almost 2,400 years, and it's built out of a single stone from top to bottom.
Woodstock Festival Site- 1969 / 2020
Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held in 1969, which attracted an audience of over 400,000. Many consider the event to be a game-changer in popular music history. Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the 50 moments that changed rock and roll history.
Many local farmers donated food when they heard the contracted vendors either couldn’t make it through the traffic or ran out of food. They were almost all older conservatives, but they did what they thought was right and helped hungry people. Honestly, after seeing so many people now, we're glad there wasn't a virus outbreak like COVID-19 back then.
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, often referred to as the "Shrine of Democracy," attracts over two million visitors annually.
Did you know that the Lakota people called the mountain “Six Grandfathers”? Here's a fun fact for you. There's a hidden chamber behind President Lincoln's head.
Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing The Delaware (1851) - 1910 And 2019
Emanuel Leutze, a German American history painter, made a name for himself with his 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.
He started drawing at a young age while attending his father's sickbed because he wanted to do something to occupy himself during the long hours of waiting. After the demise of his father, he used paintings to support himself. He was selling painting portraits for $4 apiece at the age of 14.
Hiroshima - 1945 and 2020
What unbelievable devastation it was in 1945. These comparison photos are giving us anxiety and chills. War is never a solution.
But hey, Instead of turning back the pages of time, let's appreciate how far this amazing nation has come.
The Fall of The Berlin Wall
During the Cold War, the German Democratic Republic built the Berlin Wall to prevent people – physically and ideologically – from escaping Soviet-controlled East Berlin to West Berlin. The construction of this 155 km (96.3 mi) concrete barrier started in 1961, and the destruction began in 1989.
To this day, the position of the wall is marked on the ground all the way from one end to the other. By the more noteworthy places, there are information boards.
A Restored Home - 1993 and Now
This fantastic-looking restored house in Detroit is The Ransom Gillis House that was built in 1876 at the cost of about $12,000. Rehab Addict Nicole Curtis and Detroit-based mortgage lender Quicken Loans restored it in 2015.
Seeing old buildings saved and restored makes us happy. After all, modern buildings have no character or flair. Instead, they are kind of plain and boring.
Childhood Memory Vs. Today
That is literally the nearest this person will ever get to a time machine. We love how well the tree has grown. Fantastic symbolism!
The trees grew, the kid grew, so what’s the house’s problem? Jokes aside, we love this picture.
Road To Jabba's Palace
These people were excited to find the road to Jabba's palace in Death Valley, Ca. Well, the unkempt road conditions strongly suggest mismanagement.
At least under Jabba, the roads were paved and the transports ran on time. It’s a pity those beautiful round buildings got knocked down.
Town Square In Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany - 1945 And 2021
This photo was taken during the Battle of the Rhine. Whoever took this photo in the middle of the firefight deserves an award.
It is such a haunting image atop the modern world. People walk by the monument every day and probably never saw this image. Fortunately, Uelzen still does have some nice half-timbered houses as not all were destroyed.
Church St. Martin In Cologne, Germany 1946 And 2021
This is the power of restoration. We continue to be amazed at how Germans rebuilt their country after the war. Great St. Martin Church was badly damaged during World War II by aerial bombing.
It's actually something both fascinating and sad about much of mainland Europe: Lots of ancient buildings are actually post-war reconstructions.
Theodore Roosevelt And His Legacy
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th president of the United States. He unexpectedly became the president after the assassination of President William McKinley. At that time, he was not quite 43, making him the youngest President in the Nation's history.
After becoming president in 1901, Teddy Roosevelt used his authority to establish 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks and 18 national monuments on more than 230 million acres of public land.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
In 2021, they went back to their roots. This is what happens when humanity comes to its senses and starts to preserve the beauty of the architecture. They removed the advertising, and it looks so beautiful now. One can hope that everyone should do it worldwide.
Is it just us or something about the photos from the 80s that feel so nice and authentic.
Kraków, Poland - 1939 And 2010s
We love how the photographer took a photo of the modern car and electric trolley in a very similar position to the old car and electric trolley in the before photo. We don't think we've seen a better matchup of a new and old shot.
Krakow is an incredible city and if you desire to see what a central European city looked like before World War II, then look no further. The old city and its 19th-century suburbs beyond the wall are virtually unchanged.
Arch Of Constantine In Rome
This person's grandfather took a photo of the Arch of Constantine in 1943. We can see that the decision to plant trees near it really paid off. This triumphal arch was constructed between 312 and 315 AD to commemorate the emperor Constantine the Great.
Interestingly, that circle in the foreground is where the Meta Sudans fountain stood until Mussolini destroyed its remains. Unique among the many fountains of Rome, it didn’t jet water streams: it was a huge cone sheathed in flowing water.
St Francis Of Assisi Church in Ouro Preto, Brazil
The Church of São Francisco de Assis is classified on the UNESCO World Heritage List and one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin in the World. The artist of the facade of the church is Antônio Francisco Lisboa, known as Aleijadinho.
The colorized image of 1880 shows how little it has changed. Do visit Ouro Preto when you get a chance. It is a protected historical city and everything is still in place.
Stonehenge: 1877 And 2019
This prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England, is believed to have been constructed from 3000 BC to 2000 BC. It is also thought that it could be a burial ground as archaeologists have found human bone that dated from about 3000 BC.
Interestingly, the culture that produced Stonehenge has no written records. As a result, the questions such as how it was built and its purpose remain unanswered to this day. Were aliens behind all this?
Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula - 1964 And 2016
Although it is an amazing amount of construction in just 50 years, why is it making us feel sad? Maybe seeing nature being replaced by a concrete jungle isn't so fascinating.
It is worth noticing that not only has the greenery disappeared, but the blue sky is also nowhere to be found.
Public Bath Turned Into A Beer Hall, Germany. 1993 And 2019
This former public bath in Wuppertal, Germany, was turned into a brewery and beer hall. The good thing is that they didn't mix both (swimming pool and beer hall) because combining alcohol and swimming is a big NO!
This beer hall is giving The Grand Budapest Hotel vibes (a reference to a 2014 comedy-drama film).
Martin Luther Statue, Dresden, Germany
The most astonishing fact about the church is that it lay in ruins after WW2 for about 50 years. There are probably some crazy before and after photos of Dresden related to the war.
This one gave us goosebumps – the determination to rebuild after such destruction. The rebuilding of Europe after the war is crazy interesting. We have massive respect for the women and men who worked to the bone to rebuild their cities.
Quai Des Nations, Paris, France. 1900 And 2017
The before had beautiful buildings, but the fact that there are trees there now makes us feel it's changed for the good. And no, the buildings didn't fall in the river, or trees grew out of them. Actually, they were temporary national pavilions built for the 'Exposition Universelle,' the world's fair in Paris in 1889.
Interestingly, The Eiffel Tower was also supposed to be a temporary installation, but it was saved from destruction in 1909 when city officials predicted it might be useful as a radiotelegraph station. Just imagine if they had destroyed it at that time.
Rysstad, Norway
We end our list of before and after with beautiful Norway. These two images show that trees improve everything. It feels strange without the trees in 1888. Now, it has changed for the better.
It looked like Mordor from Lords of The Rings in the first photo and like the Shire in the second photo. Well, the best thing is that the church is still there.