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Gigantic monuments and memorials exhibit awe-inspiring sculpture and artwork while paying a tribute to extraordinary lives or special events.
Though you shall find a number of monuments throughout the world, here are 25 odd and unusual monuments for you to explore.
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1. ‘Le Pouce,’ The Giant Thumb Sculpture
Leave it to Paris to install a mammoth avant-garde sculpture in the middle of a straightlaced corporate park. Visitors passing through La Défense, Paris’ largest business sector, may not be expecting to find oddball displays of art, but that’s exactly what this park delivers. Standing over 40 feet tall and weighing more than 18 tons, “Le Pouce,” or “The Thumb” was built in 1965 by sculptor César Baldaccini. César was well known for his emphasis on resizing and reshaping objects synonymous with modernity. César’s relationship with technology was mutually beneficial, even as it might have seemed antagonistic. Crushing automobiles and other scrap metal or recreating objects of nature with industrial materials were common themes. Perhaps his most famous work came in the form of “expansions” of his own hands – his thumb and fingerprints, particularly. Using modern construction methodology, César took a mold of his thumb and created several absurdly enlarged versions of it, which can now be seen in parks and museums around the world. Undoubtedly the most famous of these is this gargantuan expansion in La Défense. Standing in stark contrast to its polished, corporate surroundings, César’s thumb is discolored and ruddy, containing all of the imperfections that natural forms do. Perhaps it was not his intention to provide a counterbalance to the glossy veil of corporate ambition projected by a purpose-built business park, but that’s the beauty of art – it does whatever it wants. Image Credit: stevewlee (Flickr)
2. Monument to first photographers, St. Petersburg
When strolling on the short pedestrian Malaya Sadovaya Street, just off Nevsky Prospekt, you will see a weird sculpture that will make you wonder what it is and why it stands here. Well… that is a monument to the Petersburg Photographer: a bronze statue built in 2001 next to the building where, for
the first three decades of the 20th century, the photographer Karl Bulla had a famous studio. Image Credit: www.saint-petersburg.com
3. Carhenage Replica of England’s Stonehenge
As you can see, this remarkable monument located near the town of Alliance, Nebraska cleverly mimics the prehistoric Stonehenge monument. In fact, it is accurately proportional to the English monument. The idea of creating this strange monument was conceived by Jim Reinders. Thus, he got it built in 1987 as a memorial to his father. Image Credit: lifeat55mph . blogspot . com
4. Le Passe-Muraille (The Passer-through-Walls), Paris, France
It is the name of a larger than life bronze statue representing a man half trapped in a stonewall. You’ll find it in a private car park in rue Norvins in Montmartre. The French actor and sculptor Jean Marais (1913-1998) created this unusual bronze patina sculpture in 1989 in order to pay tribute to Marcel Aymé (1902-1967), a popular French novelist, screenwriter and playwright. Le Passe-Muraille, the hero of one of Marcel Aymé’s novels, is Mr Dutilleul. Dutilleul is a modest clerk who works in an obscure ministry department. However, one day he discovers that he has the gift of walking through solid walls! Dutilleul uses his newly discovered talent to avenge the humiliation that his colleagues and superiors subjected him to at work. Nothing stops him. He keeps using… and abusing his powers until the day they abandon him, just as he walks through a wall, leaving half of his body trapped in the stone. Only his head, his right arm, left leg and left hand come out of the wall… Image Credit: www.coolstuffinparis.com
5. Crazy Horse Memorial Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota
This memorial, depicting Crazy Horse (a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota ) riding a horse and pointing to a distance, has been under construction for more than 60 years (construction began in 1948) now and still its date of completion is not clear. It is planned to be about 641 feet wide and 563 feet high. This complex monument is being carved out of the sacred Thunderhead Mountain. Image Credit: www.travelblog.org
6. Giant Steve Jobs Memorial Monument in St. Petersburg
This six-foot-tall unusual iPhone-shaped monument to honor the memory of Steve Jobs has a video screen that plays the highlights of key moments of his life and inspirational quotes taken from his speeches. Moreover, there is a QR code at the back of the monument. Image Credit: izifunny.com
7. Monument Depicting an Ogre Devouring a Naked Child
This is a disturbing monument in the Swiss city of Bern was built in 1546. It is known as the Kindlifresserbrunnen, meaning Child Eater Fountain. It depicts Kronos, a character from Greek mythology who used to eat his own children so that they could not take this throne. Image Credit: Wikipedia
8. Statue of Chimney Sweep Bertalon Tovt with a Cat in Ukraine
This sculpture is located in the center of Mukachevo city, Ukraine. Interestingly, it is believed that meeting a chimney sweep by chance is lucky. Image Credit: www.panoramio.com
9. Unique Albert Einstein Memorial
This interesting memorial showing Albert Einstein seated on a three-step bench of Mount Airy (North Carolina) is present at the National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC. The bronze statue is shown holding a paper with mathematical calculations. Plus, there is a star map at the statue’s base embedded with several metal studs representing the sun, moon, stars, planets, and other celestial objects. Interestingly, the astronomers from the U.S. Naval Observatory helped position all these objects accurately. Image Credit: www.welovedc.com
10. Weird Pat Tillman Statue
This is a statue of Pat Tillman, former football player who left the NFL and joined the US Army after the 9/11 attacks. He tragically died from friendly fire in April 2004. It shows him screaming and running while his head is aflame. It is located at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Image Credit: bleacherreport.com
11. 15-foot Statue of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, outside the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport
The bronze statue of Queen Charlotte was modeled to appear like she is blowing in the wind produced by an airplane. She is holding a crown to represent the “Queen City” of Charlotte, NC. The statue was moved from its original location outside the terminal of Charlotte Douglass International Airport to a new resting place in-between the daily parking decks. Currently, she stands about 20 feet tall on a white column surrounded by decorative landscaping. Image Credit: www.panoramio.com
12. Jumbo, the Dead Elephant
The life-size Jumbo Statue at St. Thomas, Ontario is a tribute to Jumbo, the circus elephant who was killed in the town in a railroad accident in the year 1885. Image Credit: railwaycitybrewing.com
13. Statue of St. Wenceslas Riding a Dead Horse in Prague
This strange statue is located in the Lucerna Palace. It was created by Czech sculptor, David Cerny. Image Credit: blog.adampaul.com
14. Upside-Down Monument to Charles La Trobe
It was earlier located in central Melbourne but shifted to the La Trobe University Bundoora campus in 2006. Image Credit: www.sinbadesign.com
15. Memento Park, Budapest, Hungary
Memento Park (Bela Kun Memorial) is an open museum dedicated to the monumental statues of Hungarian Communist leaders. Image Credit: abjourney.com
16. Nave Espacial de Varginha (Spacecraft shaped water tower is only a part of the mysterious UFO mania in this Brazilian town)
Something strange took place in Varginha, Brazil on January 20, 1996. It is hard to say where it began, but many point towards two sisters and their friend who said they saw a “creature” with a thin body, strange V-shaped feet, and large red eyes walking the streets of the city. Image Credit: João Farias (flickr.com)
17. PistachioLand: World’s Largest Pistachio
After a lifetime building his New Mexico pistachio farm, also known as PistachioLand, Alamogordo nut salesman Tom McGinn was memorialized with a roadside advertisement that now draws tourists from all over the country. The World’s Largest Pistachio stands 30-feet tall and was constructed using over five yards of concrete and 35 gallons of paint to give the enormous green cashew a strangely real look. Like many over-sized items littering the world’s highways, the pistachio is there mainly to lure motorists into the McGinn’s Pistachio Tree Ranch and Winery Gift Shop. Unsurprisingly, there are a number of exotic, pistachio based products for sale like chili-chocolate pistachio brittle and homemade pistachio milkshakes– although nothing is a priceless as taking a “nutty” photo under the giant snack. Image Credit: roadsideamerica.com
18. Bronze Bathers (Singapore)
The now bustling city was once a modest river settlement, and playing with Singapore’s open museum concept, local artists created the “People of the River” to create a window into the city’s history. Located in the Boat Quay, which back in the 1860s handled three-quarters of the shipping service, the bathers seem to elicit joy in all who see them. Five gleaming, life-sized chestnut-colored boys, naked as can be, are in different stages of leaping into the water. One throws his arms up as he falls through the air, another pushes his friend who is either to scared to jump or blocking the route. One boy sits on the ledge, contemplating his jump, and the fifth has just noticed the fun, and is climbing the fence to get in on the action. This piece, as well as the rest of the river people, can be found along the water of the Singapore River in the Boat Quay, positioned behind the Maybank Building and the Fullerton Hotel. A camera is suggested; it’s hard to resist silly or inappropriate photos when surrounded by nude life-sized statues. Image Credit: Atlas Obscura
19. Maman (Louise Bourgeois’ 30-foot-tall steel spider sculpture)
Part of the inaugural Unilever Series in the Tate’s Turbine Hall, Maman greeted the first visitors to the gallery in May 2000 and millions more while it was on display until December of that year. The spider, so popular with tourists and locals alike, returned to the Tate Modern in 2004. Then, it was displayed on the bridge across the Turbine Hall. Maman is currently displayed outside of the entrance to the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada after being purchased by the Gallery for $3.2 million in 2005. Maman, according to Bourgeois, represents a female spider who carries her white marble eggs beneath her. “Maman accesses Bourgeois’ childhood anxieties and preoccupation with family relationships,” according to a press release put out by the Tate upon the spider’s return to the museum. “Tate has been storing the sculpture for Louise Bourgeois and is planning a major exhibition of her work.” Born in 1911 in Paris, Bourgeois is regarded by many as one of the most important artists working even a century after her birth. She has worked with printmaking, sculpture, installation, performance, and much more. Image Credit: Creative Commons
20. Bronze Statue of the Czech Republic’s greatest author, Franz Kafka in Prague
This unusual yet entertaining monument is located just outside the historic Jewish Quarter in Prague. Image Credit: www.visitingprague.org
21. Penis Fountain (Amsterdam’s Red Light District leaves little to the imagination)
Amsterdam is a city of permissions and tolerance, and home of one of the most famous red light districts in the world. Tourists flock from all around to indulge in, or at least gawk at the ladies of all nationalities flaunting their wares in showcase windows up and down the street. Besides the oldest profession, all kinds of pleasures are offered, dealers of mind-altering substances name their price, and if you don’t watch your wallet closely, you’re likely to lose it. Still, it is a popular stop on the Amsterdam itinerary. Despite being a delightful den of debauchery after the sun goes down, one can’t help but be drawn to the area during the daytime as well, to stroll its lovely canals, enjoy the oddly-angled architecture, and sample the eateries as live music fills the streets. While the daylight tends to make window-shopping less appealing, there is a monument to the neighborhood’s main offering that shouldn’t be missed, and is best viewed in the light of day, as the water-powered spinning testicles are removed at night to avoid theft. The penis fountain may seem smaller in photos than in person, but it’s impressive nonetheless. While there are many things in the red light district you aren’t allowed to photograph, the fountain presents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for some fun photos just to show where you’ve been. Image Credit: www.amsterdam.info
Update: Unfortunately, the city of Amsterdam forced the sex show responsible for it, Cassa Rosa, to take it down.
22. Gun Totem (3,500 pound obelisk constructed with 1,000 reclaimed guns)
Standing 12 feet high in front of Providence’s Federal Courthouse is an unusual monument constructed out of steel, concrete, and used handguns. Dubbed the Gun Totem by its artist, Boris Bally, the imposing obelisk was constructed in 2001 with guns from a firearm buy-back program in Pittsburgh. Altogether, more than 1,000 guns went into the construction of the pillar, which was commissioned by the Providence Parks Department. All of the guns included in the project were disabled and fossilized beneath concrete, and bits of the pillar were chipped away so people could see the deadly layer beneath the its exterior. Bally has teamed up with the gun program in Pittsburgh again and has been working on a new project, a series of gun-arches, using disabled handguns in the area. Image Credit: Creative Commons
23. Cyclisk – Santa Rosa Monument
Although it’s not quite 555 feet like the Washington Monument, the Santa Rosa Monument named “Cyclisk” certainly has a lot more character. Created from 340 bicycles, and standing at 65 feet high, the monument is an eye-catching, roadside display of public art. In Santa Rosa, California, any construction project costing over $500,000 must put one percent of their budget toward public art. This has led to the creation of hundreds of benches and murals in the city, along with the “Cyclisk.” Specifically, the massive bicycle column now proudly stands as half-public art and half-advertisement near the Nissan dealership whose construction paid for the work. “Cyclisk” was designed by Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector, who proposed the idea to the city’s Design Review Board. Every bicycle, and the monument’s one tricycle, were beyond the point of riding and were donated to the project by non-profit groups and individuals in the community. Besides bicycle parts, the monument was sprayed with a treatment to help preserve its color and integrity for many years to come. Image Credit: Creative Commons
24. Charlie Parker Memorial
Located next to the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri, the Charlie Parker Memorial pays homage to one of the innovators of jazz music. Charlie Parker was one of the most influential performers and composers of jazz music to have ever put his lips to brass. The fittingly brass statue of Parker’s head is an 18 foot tall effigy that attempts to capture the musician in his most natural state: playing music. The downward tilted head has the closed eyes and pursed lips of the jazz musician in mid-blow, paying tribute to Parker’s life-long devotion to the saxophone. The words, “Bird Lives” are inscribed in the base of the statue, recalling both his famous nickname and his eternal music which will ensure that his legacy survives into the foreseeable future. Image Credit: K. MacDonald
25. Fellatio Monument (Hainan island, South Korea)
Jeju Island, a.k.a the next Hainan, is a subtropical island in South Korea. Also known as the honeymooner’s island, it’s got a lot to build a romantic atmosphere: balmy weather, soft sand, a pretty coastline, and more. There’s also the sex garden. Jeju Love Land is a “sculpture theme park” that features giant statues of naked ladies, naked gents, and all sorts of sexytime fun. Much like the potato chip, a portrait of oneself next to Love Land’s fellatio monument is a blogger’s best dream come true. There’s a gift shop on the premises that sells all the accessories you’d expect. Image Credit: oddee.com
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