As a followup to our previous article Insights On The World Of Colossal Statues, we thought it would be fitting to highlight a collection of some of the more unusual colossal statues in the world today.
This article is co-written with our invited member, Erud1t0, of the RList.io community.
In this collection, we will cover non-religious colossal statues that you may want to visit once the world is free again to travel post-Covid. Thus, not in any particular order, we present the following:
1. Pegasus and Dragon (33.5m) of Florida, USA
Completed in 2014, Pegasus and Dragon is a 33.5-meter tall statue that majestically (and literally) depicts Pegasus duelling and near-stomping a dragon. The entire statue is made of 440 tons of steel and 264 tons of bronze. You can find the Pegasus and Dragon statue at Hallandale Beach, Florida, United States.
Pegasus and Dragon at GulfStream Park, Florida
2. The Kelpies (30m) of Falkirk, Scotland, UK
Kelpies are shape-shifting beasts said to possess the power and endurance of ten horses. Thus, the name was chosen for the pair of horse-head statues to represent the transformational potential and endurance of inland waterways of Falkirk, Scotland.
The Kelpies
Completed in 2013, the Kelpies statue have a strikingly imposing presence at a height of 30 meters. Each horse-head sculpture is made of structural steel and weighs 300 tons each.
3. Guan Yu (58m) of Jingzhou, China
58-meter tall Guan Yu statue at Jingzhou, Hubei, China
Guan Yu was a legendary Chinese military general in the "three kingdoms" period (14th century) of China. His bravery in war, righteousness in cause and loyalty to his sworn brothers were unparalleled and his character remained strongly revered by many Chinese today.
Statues of Guan Yu can be found in many Chinese cities, particularly in places of worship. However, the most striking and majestic statue that captured his warring aura is the statue of Guan Yu in Jingzhou, Hubei, China. Completed in 2016, this Guan Yu statue stands at a towering height of 58 meters.
4. Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue (40m) of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue
The great Genghis Khan (1158-1227) was another military legend. The extent of his invasions and conquests were on an unprecendented scale during that period and he became the founder and first Great Khan of the far-reaching Mongol Empire.
Paying tribute to the legendary Great Khan, the 40-meter tall Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue was completed in 2008 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is situated atop the Genghis Khan Statue Complex which is a 10m-tall visitor center.
5. Merlion (37m) of Sentosa, Singapore
37-meter tall Merlion Statue
The Merlion, a mythical creature with a lion's head and a body of a fish, is a popular icon in the folklore of island-state Singapore. It is also a national symbol, with only six officially approved Merlion statues found in the parks of Singapore.
The Merlion statue of the Sentosa Island was the tallest of its kind at 37 meters. However, on 20 Oct 2019, it was officially closed and disassembled to make way for a new Sensoryscape attraction in Sentosa.
6. Gundam RX-78F00 (18m) of Yokohama, Japan
18-meter tall Gundam RX-78F00
The launch of the gigantic Gundam RX-78F00 could usher in an era of "high-tech" colossal statues. This 18-meter tall, 25-ton robot is capable of animated motion when operated by a human operator within its control cabin.
Unveiled in 19 Dec, 2020, the Gundam statue is the full-scale statue of the original RX-78 Gundam in the iconic namesake anime. It is located in the Gundam Factory Yokohama entertainment complex at Yamashita Pier in Yokohama, Japan.
Admission to the Gundam Lab area is priced at 1,650 yen for visitors aged 13 and older, 1,110 yen for ages 7-12, and free for ages 6 and younger if accompanied by a paying adult.
7. Angel of the North (20m) of England, UK
20-meter Angel of the North
Located in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, the Angel of the North is a 20-meter tall steel sculpture depicting an angel, with wings that span 54 meters (177 feet) across. It is widely regarded as a symbol of Gateshead and the North East region of England.
The Angel of the North was completed in 1998 and is the largest sculpture in Britain.
8. Guerrero Chimalli (50m) of Chimalhuacán, Mexico
50-meter tall Guerrero Chimalli (Chimalli warrior)
Located in Chimalhuacán, Mexico, Guerrero Chimalli depicts a 50-meter tall Aztec warrior with a chimalli or shield.
The sculpture was completed in 2014 by sculptor-artist Sebastián at a cost of $30 million MXN or US$1.38 million. Guerrero Chimalli stands upon a 10-meter (33 ft) pedestal, giving the monument a total height of 60 meters (200 ft).
9. Statue of Liberty (46m) of New York, USA
46-meter tall Statue of Liberty at Liberty Island, New York
Situated in Liberty Island, New York, the Statue of Liberty is a depiction of the Roman Goddess of freedom.
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated to the United States by the French government on 28 Oct 1886. She stands at a height of 46 meters atop a 47-meter (154 feet) pedestal, with the overall monument standing at 93 meters.
10. Birth of the New World (aka La Estatua de Colón or Columbus' Statue) (110m) of Puerto Rico, USA
110-meter tall Birth of the New World Statue at Puerto Rico, USA
Completed in 2016, Birth Of The New World, also known as La Estatua de Colón or Columbus' Statue, is a 110-meter tall statue located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
It is the tallest statue in North America and commemorates the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' first voyage.
You might also like to interact and query our datasets of the 100+ tallest statues in the world below:
More Resources
- Interact, rank and query this dataset of 135 colossal statues
- Tallest statues in the world
- Tallest statues in Asia
- Tallest statues in Europe
- Tallest statues in North America
- Tallest statues in South America
- Insights on the World of Colossal Statues
This article is co-written with our invited member, Erud1t0, of the RList.io community.
This article is co-written with our invited member, Erud1t0, of the RList.io community.
Gerald Y.
Contributing writer @ RList. Gerald has an avid interest in all kinds of datasets relating to a diverse range of topics. In particular, he likes to present interesting nuggets of insights from datasets in a way that anyone can appreciate and consume easily.
