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41/42 Cloth Fair, England -

London's oldest building, standing at 41/42 Cloth Fair, was built between 1597 and 1614. Still occupied, it is the only house in the City of London to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.

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Bummerlhaus, Austria -

The gothic Bummerlhaus in the town of Steyr stands as one of the finest medieval secular buildings in Austria. Referenced as far back as 1450, the building is now one of the country's finest-looking tourism offices.

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Spaniards Inn, England -

Established in 1585 and set on Spaniards Road between Hampstead and Highgate in London, this historic pub has been serving drinks ever since. It's said the infamous highwayman Richard Turpin (1705–1739) drank here between heists, and that poet John Keats (1795–1821) probably wrote his 'Ode to a Nightingale' in the pub's garden.

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Theatre of Marcellus, Italy -

Dating back to 13 BCE, Rome's Theatre of Marcellus was a center of drama and song until it fell out of use in the fourth century. In the 1500s, the residence of the Orsini Italian noble family was built over the ruins. The upper floors were later divided into multiple apartments and are still occupied today, giving tenants the unique feeling of being surrounded by centuries of history.

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Kirkjubøargarður, Faroe Islands -

Kirkjubøargarður, located on the Faroe Islands, is thought to be the oldest still-inhabited wooden house in the world, dating all the way back to the 11th century. Currently, it is occupied by the 17th-generation Patursson family.

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Limburg an der Lahn, Germany -

Limburg an der Lahn in Germany's Hesse state features one of Europe's finest examples of a medieval town center, a historic hub of timber-framed cottages and town houses. The oldest residence is known as Römer 2-4-6, built in 1289 and in fact one of the oldest timber-framed houses in the country.

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Reginald's Tower, Ireland -

Waterford in County Waterford, in southeast Ireland, is where you'll find the country's oldest civic building—the mid-13th century Norman-era Reginald's Tower, in use for over 800 years.

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51-21 Rue Montmorency, France -

The property at 51-21 Rue Montmorency in Paris is the oldest stone house in the city. Built in 1407 as the home of French scribe Nicolas Flamel (c. 1340–1418), the premises today house a ground floor restaurant, Auberg Nicolas Flamel.

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Casa dos Bicos, Portugal -

One of Lisbon's most unusual properties is Casa dos Bicos (House of Beaks, or Spikes), named for the diamond-shaped protrusions decorating the south facade. Today it is the headquarters of the José Saramago Foundation.

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Matera, Italy -

Matera, an Italian town built into the rocks in the remote southern region of Basilicata, is said to be the only place in the world where people are still living in the same houses of their ancestors of 9,000 years ago. Matera is a complex of cave dwellings carved into the ancient river canyon.

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Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn, England -

An inn of sorts has existed on this site since 1189, though the present building known as Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Inn dates back to 1799. Located in Nottingham, the public house is one of several pubs claiming to be the oldest in England.

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Anne Frank House, Netherlands -

World famous as the house dedicated to the Jewish wartime diarist, the Anne Frank House is one of Amsterdam's oldest buildings. Historians are of the opinion that this canal-front premise was constructed around 1635.

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Palais de l'Isle, France -

In its time picturesque, Palais de l'Isle, the centerpiece of historic Annecy, served as a prison, a courthouse, and an administrative center. It's now a delightful local history museum.

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Stoelstraat, Belgium -

Situated on the Stoelstraat in the heart of Antwerp's historical quarter is the only original wooden house in the city (pictured, center). Dating back to the 1500s, the house today can be rented as a short holiday stay for groups of up to 12 people.

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No. 9 Getreidegasse, Austria -

Originally built in the 12th century, this handsome Salzburg townhouse is where Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born, on January 27, 1756. The Mozart family resided in an apartment on the third floor. The entire building became a museum dedicated to the famous composer in 1880.

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Traquair Castle, Scotland -

Traquair is Scotland's oldest inhabited house. It has been lived in for over 900 years and was originally a hunting lodge for the kings and queens of Scotland. Traquair can be visited by the public, and there are even luxuriously antique furnished rooms available to rent for overnight stays.

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Ye Olde Mitre, England -

One of London's most historic public houses, Ye Olde Mitre located at 1 Ely Court in Holborn was built in 1546, originally for the servants of the Bishop of Ely. The building became an inn around 1773, was expanded in 1782, and was remodeled in the early 1930s.

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Pantheon, Italy -

One of the best preserved of all ancient Roman buildings, in large part because it has been in continuous use throughout its history, the Pantheon in Rome was completed in 129 CE. It's still being used 2,000 years later.

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Bibury, England -

The ancient village of Bibury in Gloucestershire has changed little since the 14th century. The stone cottages on Arlington Row remain untouched and stand as they did in 1380. While the 17th-century Arlington Mill is now a private residence, the cottages, which once housed weavers and their families, are currently owned and managed by heritage conservation charity The National Trust.

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Lujanes House and Tower, Spain -

Madrid's 15th-century Lujanes House and Tower is one of the oldest preserved buildings in the city. It's been continuously occupied ever since, and in 1866 became the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. The building is not open to the public.

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Benizelou Mansion, Greece -

The oldest house in Athens, the Benizelou Mansion features architectural elements of a typical konaki, or urban noble house, of the 17th century. Known also as the House of St. Philothea, the building is now a museum.

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Ribe Town Hall, Denmark -

Ribe, a town in Denmark's south-west Jutland region, is where one of the country's oldest buildings in located⁠—the town hall, sited on Von Støckens Plads. The building was erected in 1496, and was purchased by the local authority for use as a town hall in 1709.

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The Grill House, Sweden -

The Grill House at Stortorget 3 in Gamla stan, Stockholm's old quarter, dates back to the Middle Ages. It underwent remodeling in 1649, and was owned by the family of goldsmith Antoni Grill for more than 200 years. Today it houses the Stockholms Stadsmission (the Stockholm City Mission).

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Palazzo Falson, Malta -

Located in Mdina, this medieval townhouse was purposely built as a plush family residence by the Maltese nobility in 1495. Today it's a popular museum.

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Seegi Maja, Estonia -

The oldest building in Pärnu, the Seegi Maja was built in 1658 on the foundations of the old almshouse of the Holy Spirit's Church. Careful restoration has transformed the building into a hotel and restaurant.

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Stone Bell House, Czech Republic -

Prague's Stone Bell House is named after the unusual stone bell embedded in the outside corner of the facade (bottom right). The first documented reference of the house dates back to 1363. It now houses the Prague City Gallery.

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Bosche House, Slovenia -

Bosch House on Ljubljana's Fish Square is the oldest dated house in the city, built in 1528. In 1562, the Protestant reformer Primož Trubar (1508–1586) lived here. The ground floor is now a bar-restaurant.

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Lady Row, England -

The collection of medieval houses on York's Goodramgate are seven centuries old, built in about 1316. They comprise residential properties set over commercial businesses.

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Qwensel House, Finland -

Turku, a city in Finland, is the location of Qwensel House, which dates back to 1700 and was originally built for use by the nobility. Today it operates as the Turku Pharmacy Museum and café. 

Sources: (Historic UK) (CNN) (Smithsonian Magazine)

See also: Famous construction and design mistakes

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