Top Ten Most Bizarre Monuments and Statues Around the World
By Sjane Bansil
Monuments and statues are the visible proof of history, whether it’s about the place, person, or event. They remind the present generation of historical persons and events through artistic works. These masterpieces often have a story that most people don’t understand. Even though, there are reasons why they are built the way they are today. But some of them are just made for entertainment – well, totally bizarre entertainment.
If that caught your attention, then I guess you are curious about the one ranked the highest in our list. Here are the top ten most bizarre monuments and statues around the world:
Hand of the Desert
Anyone would probably find this structure amazingly strange – an enormous hand in the middle of the vast desert. The artist, Mario Irarrázabal, has captured the attention of the city of Antofagasta, Chile to create such a captivating statue. The reason for the construction is to build a notable figure that could fill the empty area of the desert.
Mario Irarrázabal’s artwork, Hand of the Desert, expresses the vulnerability and helplessness of humans. The size, structure, and location have perfectly represented it all. A tourist who ran out of petrol and got stuck amidst a desert can certainly relate to it.
The Dunmore Pineapple
Constructed in 1761, the Dunmore Pineapple captures the attention of many tourists until now. Scottish Earl of Dunmore designed this unusual structure for his summerhouse. This thirty-seven-foot high building has four vases at the base. They are concealed chimney used for a heating system for the hothouse. And since Earl of Dunmore loved fruits, he used this hothouse to breed exotic fruits, especially pineapples.
Yes, pineapples. You may think that pineapples aren’t exotic. But not in Scotland during Earl of Dunmore’s time. Pineapples were first grown in Scotland in the year 1761. Thus, it delighted the gentleman to have a summerhouse with a pineapple design.
The Sinking Library
If you’ll visit the State Library of Victoria, don’t get surprised to see a sinking library in the ground. It looks like the Earth swallowed a library building, leaving only the top corner at the surface. But trust me, it’s just the architectural design. Created by Petrus Spronk for the Swanston Walk Public Art Project, the Sinking Library becomes Melbourne’s favorite.
The story behind this piece of art came from the old college campus myth about unsuccessful architectural design. But accordingly, its concept originally came from the weight of knowledge that students expected to learn.
Child-Eater Fountain at Bern
The top seven of the most bizarre monuments and statues around the world might scare your children. Inspired by Kindlifresser, or the Child Eater, this statue has been terrifying the children for more than 500 years now. It’s a fountain sculpture, showing a baby half stuffed in the Kindlifresser’s mouth, and holding a sack of three toddlers. This creepy and bizarre statue’s original concept remains a mystery.
However, several theories have been circulating about it. Some say it’s a depiction of Kronos who eats his godchildren, or it was a warning to the Jewish community of Bern. Another theory is that the creepy structure was the older brother of Duke Berchtold. People say that he was jealous of the king. He became a mad man and ate the children of the town.
Upside-Down Statue of King Wenceslas Riding a Dead Horse
This peculiar monument of King Wenceslas has become one of Prague’s tourist attractions. Considered as Prague’s important historical figure, King Wenceslas was a fair king during the 10th century. So the reason behind the design of his upside-down statue riding a dead horse is still unknown.
The Prague-born artist, David Cerny, has not disclosed his motive. But some believe that it was an attack against authorities.
Boll Weevil Monument
Another bizarre monument in the world is the statue in Alabama – a woman standing proudly honoring an insect. The boll weevil, the insect in the structure, is a pest destroying the cotton crops.
Accordingly, these pests damaged the farmers’ harvest. But instead of becoming devastated, the farmers treated the disaster as another opportunity. They changed their crops, and they had grown peanuts on the same agricultural land.
Shit Fountain
You may find this weird – like, why would anyone build a fountain with a shit design? I mean, literally shit? It’s hilarious, but this structure has been catching people’s attention.
Jerzy Kenar, the artist, built this to remind the dog owners in their residential area to scoop their pups’ poop. Accordingly, he used to always step into a pup’s poop whenever he was going home. His frustration motivated him to create a unique artwork.
Jimmy Carter Peanut
This statue, the Jimmy Carter Peanut, does not intend to terrify people. Yes, it looks creepy. A thirteen-foot high peanut, with a huge toothy grin, and no eyes – it doesn’t mean to give you nightmares. Accordingly, its construction was to honor Jimmy Carter during his presidential campaign tour.
Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer before. Now you understand why peanut. But what’s about the big smile? It represents Jimmy Carter’s grin, as people say it’s his most handsome trait.
The Hanging Man
Another bizarre statue that you will find in Prague is this Hanging Man. This structure has tricked many tourists. They thought there was a suicide attempt in the Old Town District. Well, anyone would think that way seeing the Hanging Man statue the first time.
David Cerny also created this piece of art. Sigmund Freud, the famous Austrian neurologist, was the statue hanging. People believe that this masterpiece portrays Freud’s fear of death.
Jeju Loveland
The rank one in our list of the most bizarre monuments and statues is the Jeju Loveland of South Korea. Well, do you still need an explanation of why it got the first place? Just observing the photo, you will think thoughtfully why would the artist decide to use sexual acts as designs.
Jeju Loveland is a themed park, and it aims to show the natural beauty of sexuality. The graduate students of Seoul’s Hongik University were the ones who designed and created this park. Accordingly, Jeju Loveland fixed many marriages after visiting the said park. It also became a tourist spot for honeymooners.
So, have you seen any of these bizarre monuments and statues around the world? How was the experience? Let us hear your story and comment below.