Mercury making his rounds

Every year, millions of American tourists flock to Europe to see its famed cities. They leave their spacious, accommodating suburbs to spend their comfortable white-collar salaries on Europe’s coffee shops, restaurants, and bars, staffed by local employees who make far less than they do, to explore these cramped towns famous the world over for their beauty. Ask any American builder why such opulent structures are not more common in the New World, and you are likely to receive refrains such as these: it is very costly to build with old-world materials, to engage in such “pointless” artistry, to undertake such lengthy projects that interfere with profitable churn.

So who footed the bill for these European cities—and the artworks that emblazon them—and why?