We are all aware of the popular landmarks that many of us dream of visiting – the Eiffel Tower, The Great Wall of China and even the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but the world is a strange place with many weird and wonderful surprises. Let’s take into consideration the landmarks that make us raise our eyebrows in shock or our jaws drop in confusion.
Are you ready for a virtual trip around the world? Here is a list of pleasantly peculiar landmarks around the world.
1. Le Pouce – Paris, France
The 12 metre bronze sculpture, a symbol of good luck, was erected in 1994. The brain behind the sculpture is Cesar Baldaccini. In 1965, he took some resin mould and made a duplicate of his thumb. The piece of art was then converted to a metal form. The thumb is in the business district in Paris and is very detailed, even showing his original fingerprints.
Cesar Baldaccini is a French Sculptor, born from Italian parents. Image by Matt Lingard.
2. Charles la Trobe Statue – Melbourne, Australia
This statue is placed in the La Trobe University of Bundoora. It is a commemoration of Lieutenant Governer Charles Joseph la Trobe, the governor of Victoria. I would have loved to meet Charles Robb, the sculptor of the Charles la Trobe Statue. The reasoning behind why the statue was planted upside down is so profound: it embodies the notion that the university should ‘turn their ideas on their heads’.
The definition of ‘out of the box’ thinking. Image by Phil Lees.
3. Hanging Rhino – Potsdam, Germany
Created by the Italian artist Stefano Bombardieri, the rhino hangs above passersby. I think it is great for rhino awareness, however a bit scary to see every day. Stefano is known for creating large sculptures, but no reason is known as to why Stefano decided to bring the large safari animal to the streets.
The locals call this statue the sad rhino. Any guesses why? Image from Dancing with Ghosts.
4. Mannekin Pis – Brussels, Belgium
One of the most iconic statues in Belgium happens to be this statue of a little boy taking a tinkle. Mannekin Pis means “Little Man Peeing” in Dutch. As much as I don’t like to admit it, it’s exceptionally cute. There are many myths about how this lad became famous – my favourite is that there was a fire in the city in the 13th century and he saved the city by putting out the fire with his urine.
The meaning of Mannekin Pis is from the Dutch language, The Little Man peeing. Image by Vijay Kiran.
5. Gereja Ayam – Magelang, Indonesia
From above, it appears to be a giant chicken, randomly placed in the middle of the forest, in Indonesia. Daniel Alamsjah (the man behind the structure) had a dream in which he received direction to build a prayer house. So he did – with a bit of a bizarre twist. The amazing thing about the prayer house is that it welcomes all faiths (Buddhists, Muslims, Christians). The ‘chicken church’ is now abandoned, but many people still go view to see the landmark.
The Gereja Ayam, a prayer house in Indonesia. Image from Rendika Iswandi.
6. Dublin’s Hungry Tree – Dublin, Ireland
What sets the steel bench apart is that for many years, it has been devoured by a tree. The Hungry Tree can be found at King’s Inn by the Constitutional Hill. It has allegedly been munching on this bench for over 100 years.
Image by William Murphy.
7. Hanging Statue – Prague, Czech Republic
In the narrow streets of Old Town in Prague, is a man hanging outside a building. Don’t worry, he is not planning a suicide attempt. The statue is 2.15 metres high, and made out of bronze. Artist David Cerny is the man behind it, and is known for his provocative sculptures. The man hanging out of the window is a representation of Sigmund Freud.
Hanging in there. Image by Thomas Quine.
8. Seattle Gum Wall – Seattle, America
Many folks are never sure what to do with their gum. Some insist on placing their flavourless gum under tables and chairs, but in Seattle, there is a gum wall. The wall is decorated with a kaleidoscope of colours. In 2015, the gum wall was cleaned and a sum of 1000 kilogram of gum was weighed. It wasn’t very long before locals and tourists resumed with to stick their gum on the iconic wall.
Wall of Gum in Seattle. Image by KrisNM.
9. Kindlifresser Fountain – Bern, Switzerland
In the middle of Bern is a man with a baby half stuffed into his mouth, and a sack full of tiny tots over the shoulder. It’s one of the oldest fountains in Bern, having been there since 1564. There are several theories about the purpose of the Kinlifresser (child eater) Fountain, but one thing is for sure – it’s been used to scare children into behaving for a very long time.
The Kindlifresser Fountain (Child Eater Fountain). Image by Aidan Wakely-Mulroney.
10. The Cinema at the end of the World – Sinai Desert, Egypt
A French man had a goal to build a theatre house in the 90s. This theatre house would be like no other – without a roof or walls, in the middle of the Sinai Desert. The artist collected seats and equipment from Cairo for the cinema, but the equipment was sabotaged by the locals who were against the idea. You will find the old cinema with about 700 seats and no screen. Very little has been written about the cinema but tourists can go visit it.
The seats for the cinema all lined in rows. Image by Marguerite Ward.
11. Crystal Shoe – Taiwan
Where did Cinderella lose her glass slipper? Who knows, it could have been in Taiwan. The 17,8 metre high glittering glass shoe is a referred to as a church, but it is not affiliated with any religion. Black foot disease took over Taiwan during the early 20th century and many women had to get their feet amputated to survive.
Some say the shoe was created to attract women. Quite the Cinderella story. Image from Star2
12. Isla de las Muñecas (Island of Dolls) – Mexico
Hundreds of dolls hang in Mexico, and the island has become a horrifying wonderland for some. Only the brave go to visit it. 50 years ago, Don Julian Santana left his wife and child and moved to Teshuilo Lake. Don believes he witnessed a girl drown, so he devoted his life honouring her loss by hanging dolls on the island. He traded his local produce with the locals for the dolls. He would hang the dolls as he received them, without limbs or eyes. In 2001, he was found dead in the same lake he believed the girl drowned in.
If you thought Chucky and his bride were scary, think again. Image by Alenjandro De La Cruz
13. Clothespin Sculpture – Liege, Belgium
Turkish artist and professor Mehmet Ali Uysal built the sculpture of the what appears to be a peg holding on to a mound of grass and dirt. The sculpture was created for the Festival of the Five Seasons in Chaudfontaine Park on the outskirts of Liege.
A giant clothespin pinching the grass. Image by Recyclart.
14. Upside down house – Austria
Two Polish architects thought it would be an incredible idea to build a house upside down. Irek Glowacki and Marek Rozanski created a house that is upside down for tourism purposes. The home is fully furnished with furniture is stuck to the ceiling. The car in the garage, the beds and all the ornaments are also attached to the ceiling.
Innovation at its best. Image from Hausstehtkopf
15. Kunsthofpassage Funnel Wall – Dresden, Germany
What started off as an art experiment by the tenants of the building, is now a musical masterpiece also known as the courtyard of elements. The singing drainpipes are created by sculptor Annette Paul and designer Christoph Roßner and Andre Tempel. When the raindrops fall, the drain creates music through the pipes.
The sound of music can be found anywhere if you listen. Image by Serge Bystro.
What’s the weirdest landmark you’ve ever visited? Let us know in the comments!
