The balconies were designed from ancient times to captivate and inspire the masses, and the balconies formed an essential element in architecture for thousands of years and their roles evolved to adapt to local cultures and customs over the centuries. From the balcony of a palace in Verona, Italy, Juliet overlooked Romeo in the story of writer William Shakespeare, and on a balcony in Cape Town Nelson Mandela looked at the fans and promised a new chapter in South African history.
The balconies gained new importance amid the Covid-19 pandemic, since the announcement of the ban and closures around the world to slow the spread of the virus, people have rediscovered the balconies as a link with the outside world and a source of hope and contact in the time of forced isolation.
Millions around the world, from Madrid to Mumbai, from Chicago to Zhejiang, and Hamburg to Alexandria to their balcony, singed the national anthem in unison, fireworks, and applause for medical workers in an effort to boost the country's collective morale.
The history of the balconies dates back to 3000 BC in Iran, where the ancients built barriers hanging to shade the street from the hot sun, and by 1400 BC many historians believed that the Mycenaeans had begun to build the balconies in what is now Greece for the opposite purpose of increasing natural light and ventilation.
In ancient Egypt, palace balconies were designed to be a theater for leaders to appear in ancient Rome.One of the oldest verandas was an open air platform which is the Maenianum for emperors and senators to watch wrestlers compete in the Colosseum, and just before the start of World War II Adolf Hitler announced the annexation of Austria from the balcony of the Imperial Palace in Vienna and seven years later Winston Churchill joined the British royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the end of the war
As the balconies evolved, their designs became more elaborate. Starting in the Middle Ages, closed Mashrabiya balconies were built with ornate mesh designs in most parts of the Arab world to allow residents to enjoy the leeway while adhering to Islamic privacy laws. In the Renaissance period, balconies were equipped with edges of balustrades in many Italian buildings after the architect Donato Bramante revealed the design of his besieged Caprini Palace in Rome.
Venice is particularly famous for its many terraces, as architects search for ways to provide access to fresh air in a cramped city.
In the nineteenth century, Europe witnessed a period of accelerated urbanization, and the balconies later became a symbol of modern urban lifestyle, inspiring many writers, poets, and artists.
The balconies were considered a space for launching political change. During the Algerian war of independence with France in the fifties and sixties, the balconies became a platform for independent mass protests after the government banned public gatherings.
Today, in light of the world’s quarantine, people have rediscovered balconies as an alternative outlet from the house, a social space to communicate, and a space to enhance a sense of belonging among members of society.