The world's most unexpected monuments

By Nikki Bayley

The first time we hit Las Vegas and saw the Eiffel Tower rising above the Strip, we assumed that we may have had one too many of those awfully more-ish margharitas... but no! There really is an almost exactly half-the-size scale model of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Vegas hotel. So with that in mind, we decided to celebrate all those other unexpected monuments that pop up in the strangest places. Grab your camera and get ready for a double-take adventure around the world, spotting things that really shouldn't be there...

Shenzhen's Taj Mahal
It's impossible to be anything but amazed at the Window on the World park in Shenzhen, in the People's Republic of China. Just a few hours away from Hong Kong, this is a popular day-trip to make. The park has replicas of famous monuments from around the world, from the Eiffel Tower and Acropolis to St Petersburg's Winter Palace and a mini-Matterhorn mountain! But we love the scale monument of the Taj Mahal the best, as there's an Indian restaurant at the Lo Wu shopping Mall next door which helps create the flavour of a day out at Agra.

Arizona's London Bridge
When we first heard about this, we assumed it was a joke. Or a scam. Certainly not real. But no, apparently the London Bridge which used to be in London, until the late 60's, now spans a canal in Lake Havasu, Arizona! One Robert P McCulloch bought the granite blocks that made up the bridge and had them numbered and sent to his home town in Lake Havasu City. A replica concrete London Bridge was then built and the blocks fixed on top. Just when you think this story can't get any better, it turns out that the made-for-TV movie about the relocation of the bridge stars The Hoff. Fantastic.

Leicester's Statue of Liberty
Did you know that if you can't get to New York city to take a look at the inspirational Statue of Liberty, you could always pop over to Leicester instead? Until recently, the Liberty Shoe Factory had a 17-foot replica statue that perched on top of its roof. According to Leicester council, the statue was built after the directors of the factory made a trip to New York in the 1920s and were so impressed by Lady Liberty, they commissioned an itsy-bitsy, lookie-likie when they came home. The statue was removed at the turn of this century after the factory closed but after some restoration work, you can now see the lady and her flame proudly standing guard over the Swann Gyratory roundabout.

Virginia's White House
There are a handful of White House wannabes dotted around the globe, but these two contenders are our favourites. You can find a mini version of it at Austria's Minimundus, where you'll find a range of other famous monuments including St Peter's Basilica and the Sydney Opera House. But if you're after a version that not only can you live in, but you can actually buy, then try the 12,000 sq foot White House copy in McLean, Virginia. It's currently on sale for $4.65 million and it was built by a Vietnamese refugee who wanted to show his love for the country that gave him a home after he fled in the 70s. It's a fifth of the size of the Pennsylvania Avenue original and it was used in the Will Smith film, ‘Independence Day’!

The Aussie Sphinx
It's hot... it's dusty... there's a sphinx in the distance, so you have to be in Egypt, right? Wrong! You're in Geelong, Australia, just an hour or so away from Melbourne. Keeping with the theme, the splendid Sphinx Entertainment Centre has a pyramid roof too. You can eat at the Pharaoh's Bistro, play the tables at the Sphinx Poker bar and, of course, check out the drive-through Toot And Come In (say it out loud - yup, Tutankhamun) Thirsty Camel Bottle Shop. Yup, a drive-through off-licence is a real thing in Oz. Walking like an Egyptian optional.

Washington State's Stonehenge
Remember the scene in Spinal Tap with the 'mix-up' of the size of the Stonehenge model? No such chance of such a confusion at Maryhill, Washington where you'll find a full-size replica of the stoney behemoth. Construction began on the project in 1918 and finished in 1929. You can find many other 'henges’ around America, from Carhenge in Nebraska which is made with vintage American cars, Foamhenge in Virginia that, yes, is squishy and Phonehenge which you'll find at the Freestyle Music Park in South Carolina, that's made from old-style British phone boxes.

Japan's Mount Rushmore
In the mid-seventies an unexpected bond was formed between South Dakota, USA and Imaichi, Japan when the Japanese decided to create something rather dazzling for their Western Village theme park. Yup, an 82-foot high fake Mount Rushmore sculpture. The mountain replica was opened to great fanfare in front of dignitaries including three reigning Miss South Dakotas, five Dakota Sioux Indians and the mayor of Rapid City, while a U.S. Navy band played and a Shinto priest blessed the mountain. Sadly, the park closed in 2007, but you can still see Abe, George and co staring out over the bullet trains whizzing past if you make the trip from nearby Tokyo.

Thursday, September 8, 2011 by For Her · 0