Throughout the history of architecture, there has been a continual quest for height. Thousands of workers toiled on the pyramids of ancient Egypt, the cathedrals of Europe and countless other towers, all striving to create something awe-inspiring. People build tall buildings primarily because they are convenient – you can create a lot of real estate out of a relatively small ground area.
But ego and grandeur do sometimes play a significant role in the scope of the construction, just as it did in earlier civilizations. Up until relatively recently, we could only go so high. After a certain point, it just wasn’t feasible to keep building up. In the late 1800s, new technology redefined these limits. Suddenly, it was possible to live and work in colossal towers, hundreds of feet above the ground.
Here are the top 20 tallest buildings in Europe.
| Rank | Name | Country | Height |
| 1. | Lakhta Center | Russia | 462 m (1,516 ft) |
| 2. | Federation: East Tower | Russia | 373.7 m (1,226 ft) |
| 3. | OKO: South Tower | Russia | 354.2 m (1,162 ft) |
| 4. | Neva Tower 2 | Russia | 345 m (1,132 ft) |
| 5. | Mercury City Tower | Russia | 338.8 m (1,112 ft) |
| 6. | Varso Tower | Poland | 310 m (1,017 ft) |
| 7. | The Shard | United Kingdom | 309.6 m (1,016 ft) |
| 8. | Eurasia | Russia | 308.9 m (1,013 ft) |
| 9. | Neva Tower 1 | Russia | 302 m (991 ft) |
| 10. | City of Capitals: Moscow Tower | Russia | 301.8 m (990 ft) |
| 11. | Capital Towers: City Tower | Russia | 295 m (968 ft) |
| 12. | Capital Towers: Park Tower | Russia | 295 m (968 ft) |
| 13. | Capital Towers: River Tower | Russia | 295 m (968 ft) |
| 14. | Skyland İstanbul: Tower 1 | Turkey | 284 m (932 ft) |
| 15. | Skyland İstanbul: Tower 2 | Turkey | 284 m (932 ft) |
| 16. | Grand Tower | Russia | 283.4 m (930 ft) |
| 17. | 22 Bishopsgate | United Kingdom | 278 m (912ft) |
| 18. | Naberezhnaya Tower C | Russia | 268.4 m (881 ft) |
| 19. | Triumph Palace | Russia | 264.1 m (866 ft) |
| 20. | Istanbul Sapphire | Turkey | 261 m (856 ft) |