The decision on the new seven wonders of the world will be made in half a year

Zurich/Prague - There are still about 180 days left for people who want to participate in the voting that will result in a modern version of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The poll, which its creator, Swiss filmmaker Bernard Weber, calls the largest global vote in history, has already involved over 23 million people. Their votes are currently favoring the Roman Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, and the statues on Easter Island in the competition for the title of modern wonders of the world.
The Swiss foundation New7Wonders Foundation began selecting the new seven wonders of the world back in 2005. From that poll, a broader nomination of 77 structures emerged. The only rule that voters had to adhere to was that the respective "wonder" had to be a "decently" preserved work of humanity built before the year 2000.
From the nominated structures, including the Panama Canal, the Doge's Palace in Venice, the buildings of parliament in Budapest, as well as two Czech representatives - Prague Castle and Charles Bridge - an expert committee selected 21 finalists last year.
The foundation will announce the structures that will become the modern wonders of the world at a ceremonial event in Lisbon on July 7 this year, and it will stick as closely as possible to the magical number seven until the end.
Among the 21 monuments that people can vote for via the internet, by phone, and through SMS, are the Jordanian rock city of Petra, the British megalithic circle Stonehenge, the Athenian Acropolis, the Cambodian temple Angkor Wat, the Moscow Cathedral of St. Basil, the Indian tomb Taj Mahal, and the German Neuschwanstein Castle. The list also includes several modern monuments such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
The only nominee that has already appeared in the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the pyramids in Egypt's Giza. These tombs of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, however, are also among the favorites in the current competition.
According to information that the Swiss foundation published in mid-December, the most likely candidates to join the "wonders of the world" besides the pyramids are the Colosseum, the Great Wall in China, the Incan citadel Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes, the statues on Easter Island, the British Stonehenge, and the Indian monument Taj Mahal. However, much can still change during the six months remaining until the voting closes.
The Seven Wonders of the World is a well-known list of unique ancient structures in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. The list was compiled in the 2nd century BC by the Hellenistic philosopher Philo of Byzantium. Of the monuments that Philo labeled as wonders of the world, only the oldest of them - the Egyptian pyramids - has survived to this day. The existence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is not completely proven, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus and the statue of Phidias's Zeus in Olympia were destroyed by fire, and the remaining three structures - the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in Asia Minor - succumbed to earthquakes.