Unusual Monuments

Tiger & Turtle Magic Mountain

No need to strap in for a "ride" on this walkable roller coaster

The first impression given by this 69 ft. sculpture is that it's like any other roller coaster, with twists and turns and the ever-thrilling loop-the-loop. A closer look reveals that this is no... »

Outsider Art, Unusual Monuments, Architectural Oddities | Edited by Rachel

Woodland Hills, California, US

Old Trapper's Lodge Statues

A wild west scene starring life-sized wooden statues hides in the trees behind Pierce College

In 1941, former tracker John Ehn opened a motel in Burbank and called it “The Old Trapper's Lodge”. Ehn filled it with western memorabilia, weapons and pelts that represented his earlier vocation,... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by Rachel

Statue of José Maria Morelos

Climb through the life of a Mexican hero as you ascend a 130-foot statue

Approaching the tiny island of Janitizio by boat, there is no way to miss the towering Statue of José Maria Morelos. Standing 130-feet high over Lake Patzcuaro, the spiraling stairway that leads... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by serflac, stevelarson and others

City of Odessa, Texas, US

Stonehenge Replica

Massive stacked rocks in Texas prove the benefits of technology

In many ways, Stonehenge remains a complete mystery. Yet despite the lack of quality information on the megaliths, some estimates believe its erection took over 2000 years. But in 2004 in Odessa,... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by atimian

Borobudur

Hundreds of Buddhas in a re-discovered Indonesian temple

Built in the late 8th century, Borobudur temple took an army of workers and 60,000 cubic meters of lava rock to construct. Yet despite its massive size and elaborate rows of Buddha statues, it was... »

Unusual Monuments, Giant Buddhas | Edited by tonka922 and atimian

Alyosha Statue

A monument to the defenders of the arctic in Murmansk, Russia

In 1941, Soviet forces in Murmansk finally gained ground and pushed back against the invading Nazi army. A turning point in Hitler's arctic campaign, the Alyosha Statue was erected in 1974 as a... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by tonka922 and atimian

East Portland, Oregon, US

Portlandia

Portlandia is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States

Portlandia is a sculpture by Raymond Kaskey located above the entrance of Michael Graves' Portland Building in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by canuck and atimian

Oude Kerk

Amsterdam's oldest church, and the center of Dutch prostitution

Amsterdam is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in Europe. It is also a self-proclaimed experiment in freedom, which has forced many of the city's beautiful buildings and districts into... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by serflac and atimian

Charlestown, Rhode Island, US

The Fantastic Umbrella Factory

250-year-old farm now features sculptures, a petting zoo and a hippy-bazaar

Originally opened in 1760, the Fantastic Umbrella Factory is actually a small farm near the coast of Rhode Island and was opened as a plant nursery, petting zoo and gift-bazaar during the 1960s.... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by atimian

Providence, Rhode Island, US

Gun Totem

3,500 pound obelisk constructed with 1000 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,... »

Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by atimian