Beton just delivered. The Most Grandiose Statues and Monuments
Their sheer size and unique cultural and ideological components, harmonious appearance and uniqueness of the author - what else can surprise us in modern statues and monuments? Every city in the world has its symbolic monuments surrounded by mysterious stories and legends. However, only some of them have gained an international fame. One succeeded thanks to an impressive scale, and the other due to its age. Some sites simply amaze with their majesty, while others have priceless symbolic meaning. Guided tours are rarely conducted without visiting the iconic monuments. It's better to start excursion programs with the enlisted items, as they are worth it.
Spring Temple Buddha, China
The small Chinese township Zhaocun can boast the tallest statue in the world, the Spring Temple Buddha. The opening of this unique monument took place in 2002. The height of the structure excluding pedestal is 128 meters. This figure allows us to consider this statue of Buddha the highest in the world. Since opening pedestal height was increased for several times. Initially, its was 20 meters, but a few years later was enlarged to 25 meters.
It's important to note that the statue is located on a hill, which could be transformed into the pedestal in the nearest future. If this ambitious project will be implemented, the total height of the pedestal with the sculpture will be 208 meters. About 33 tons of copper, 15 tons of steel and 108 kg of pure gold were used to create this amazing sculpture. The financial cost of constructing the monument is 55 million US dollars. Local residents were inspired by the tragic events in Afghanistan, where one of the oldest and most beautiful Buddha statues were destroyed by the Taliban not so long ago.
In protest to the barbaric destruction of monuments of Buddhist culture, it was decided to build a new statue, which won’t have equals in its beauty and greatness. The monument got its unusual name in honor of the nearby hot spring Tianrui, which literally translates from Chinese as hot spring. Temperature of this spring water is about 60C, it possesses the unique healing powers. Those who want to admire the great statue from the immediate vicinity have to overcome the stairway leading to it, which consists of 365 steps.
Next - Laykyun Setkyar
Laykyun Setkyar, Myanmar
Another sculpture that is able to impress with its size, is situated in Khatakan Taung. The monument of Laykyun Sekkya is dedicated to Buddha. The structure is 116 meters high and the pedestal is 13.4 meters. Construction of the monument began in 1996 and lasted for 12 years. It was officially opened in February 2008.
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Daibutsu Ushiku, Japan
Fans of unusual monuments will be interested by the Buddha statue located in the Japanese city of Ushiku. The Daibutsu Ushiku sculpture is considered the third largest in the world, its height is 100 meters. The statue is based on a traditional lotus-shaped platform. The latest is also quite impressive, as its height is 20 meters. The statue was represented in 1995. It was placed in a picturesque park.
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Guanyin of the South Sea of Sanya, China
Chinese city of Sanya features the gracious statue of the goddess Guanyin. The height of the sculpture is 108 meters. The official opening of the Guanyin of the South Sea of Sanya took place in 2005. The landmark is located close to another prominent religious shrine, Nanshan Temple. The appearance of the statue may seem rather unusual for the people, who are far from intricacies of the Buddhist culture. The fact is that the sculpture of the goddess depicts three persons.
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Santuario de Cristo Rei, Portugal
The Christ the King or Cristo Rei situated in Almada, Portugal, is amazing too. This sculpture of Jesus Christ has a rather unique design. The main part of the portico is 75 meters high. The statue itself is 28 meters high, so the total height of the sculpture is 103 meters. The opening of the monument took place in 1959. Its construction took 10 years.
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Motherland Calls Sculpture, Russia
The Motherland Calls sculpture situated in Volgograd, Russia, is also well known outside of the country. This impressive monument is located in the most emblematic part of the city, at the Mamayev Kurgan. The most bloody battles took place here during WWII. After war, it was decided to build a large memorial complex. The central place there occupies The Motherland Calls Sculpture.
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Monument to Peter I, Russia
In 1997, Russia hosted a large military celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy base. This important event coincided with an opening of the new monument in Moscow. It was the magnificent statue of Peter the Great, which is regarded as one of the greatest in the world. The project was developed by the eminent sculptor, Zurab Tsereteli. It was decided to place a monument on an artificial island, which was created specially for that purpose. This place lies in waters of the Moskva River, near Vodootvodny Canal.
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Statue of Liberty, United States
The Statue of Liberty is one of the prominent landmarks that most people often associate with the United States. This sculpture is one of the most recognizable in the world. That's a symbol of freedom and democracy. The unusual history of the monument is also known to many travelers. Citizens of France have given this statue to United States. Such a gift was made for the celebration of the centennial of the American Revolution.
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Leshan Giant Buddha, China
One can see one of the greatest statues of the world in China. There is the statue of the Maitreya Buddha in Leshan city. This monument is truly unique, because it was created more than a thousand years ago. Since then, it never ceased to amaze pilgrims and travelers with its grandeur. The place of location of the statue is the Link Yunshan Mountain. The statue was carved directly in the cliff. According to historical records, the construction of the statue began in the era of the Tang Dynasty, in 713 AD. The huge statue is 71 meters high. It took about 90 years to erect it. Workers carved the sculpture by hand without using any complicated tools for stone processing.
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African Renaissance Monument, Senegal
Dakar can boast with one of the most emblematic and impressive monuments of the world, African Renaissance Monument. Its opening took place relatively recently, in 2010. The event was timed to the 50th anniversary of Senegal's independence. The height of the monument is 49 meters. The statue is lined with 3 cm thick bronze sheets. The monument was supposed to be a symbol of independence and bright future for locals. However, after opening, the sculpture was heavily criticized.
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Lord Murugan Statue, Malaysia
In Malaysia, in the immediate vicinity of the city of Kuala Lumpur, there is the statue of the god Murugan. It's located next to another famous tourist attraction in the region, Batu Caves. Opening of the monument took place in 2006. Its height is 42.7 meters. The monument looks very impressive. About 250 tons of steel and about 1 500 cubic meters of concrete were used to construct the statue. It took 300 liters of the gold paint to decorate the monument.
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Genghis Khan Statue, Mongolia
In Tsonjin-Boldog region of Mongolia one can see the world's largest equestrian statue, the monument to Genghis Khan. Its height, excluding a pedestal, is 40 meters. The monument was opened in 2008. The sculpture is complemented with 36 columns that symbolize the Khans of the Mongol Empire, who ruled in the period from Genghis Khan to Ligden Borjigin Khan. It is important to note that the monument location was not chosen by chance. According to a legend, this is where Genghis Khan found the golden whip.
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Christ The King, Poland
Monuments that can be considered as sites of world significance can be found in Poland too. One of these landmarks is located in Swiebodzin, where travelers will have an opportunity to see the world's largest statue of Jesus Christ. The Christ the King or Pomnik Chrystusa Krola is located to the south-eastern part of the city. The height of the sculpture is 33 meters. Construction of the statue was initiated by one of the local priest named Sylvester Zawadzki. He made a proposal to build a unique monument in 2001. Only ten years later, the new iconic landmark appeared in Swiebodzin. The statue is made of reinforced concrete; its weight is about 440 tons.
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Statue of Virgin Mary Quito, Ecuador
The highest statue of Ecuador is the Virgin of Quito, which can be seen in the city of Quito. The monument was open to public in 1976. The height of the statue is 41 meters, including the pedestal. The author of the sculpture is the well-known architect from Spain, Agustin de la Erran Matorra. It is believed that the model for his wonderful creations was the sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Since 1734, the later has being adorning the altar of the main cathedral of Quito, in the Basilica of Saint Francis.
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Statue of Christ Blessing, Indonesia
Travellers who are going to visit Indonesia should definitely look into the town of Manado. Here they can see one of the greatest sculptures in the world, the Statue of Christ Blessing. The sculpture stands on top of a hill at an altitude of 150 meters above sea level. It is absolutely visible from anywhere in the tiny town and serves as an excellent reference point for tourists. The height of the monument is 50 meters, taking into account the 20-meter pedestal.
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