30 Monuments to Ordinary Things

Some things are unforgettable. Other things inspire monuments like this.

by Daniel McDermon, Senior Editor

30 Places

People will, if allowed, erect a monument to almost anything. It’s probably just part of being human, a tendency to feel affection for what surrounds us. Familiarity breeds… comfort. We like the stuff that surrounds us, the furniture of our everyday lives.

Sometimes this turns into nostalgia, a backward-looking tendency that can become hazardous and stifling. But often all it means is that we want to put up a huge belt buckle, a giant spool of thread, or not one but two separate huge pineapple sculptures on different continents. Such objects are meaningful to us.

Kojonup, Australia

Giant Wool Wagon

This large replica wagon tells the story of the booming wool industry in this small Australian town.

Added by Obscuravibes

Muscatine, Iowa

World’s Largest Watermelon Sculpture

A colossal watermelon slice celebrating Muscatine’s sweet agricultural heritage.

xcountryqt35

Added by xcountryqt35

Riverside, California

World’s Largest Paper Cup

A tribute to the disposable cups that were once manufactured here, this 68-foot-tall statue would be difficult to throw away.

ccesare

Added by ccesare

Hamilton, Missouri

World's Largest Spool of Thread

Outside the Missouri Quilt Museum, this large spool has more than one million yards of thread—and counting.

Added by randinboord

Burlington, Vermont

Tallest Filing Cabinet on Earth

This 38-drawer structure claims the superlative title, but it isn't the world's only giant filing cabinet.

Lily Landes

Added by Lily Landes

Zheleznovodsk, Russia

Monument to Enemas

Russian spa's bronze monument to enemas.

ronin

Meganenohi (Monument to Eyeglasses)

A replica of an ancient alien-like idol humorously represents spectacles in a corner of this shrine complex.

Fred Cherrygarden

Added by Fred Cherrygarden

Abilene, Kansas

World’s Largest Belt Buckle

Celebrating the cultural heritage of Kansas’s premier cowtown.

Alex Crayon

Added by Alex Crayon

Albion, New York

World's Largest Apple Pie Tin

A giant pan is on display to honor a community's sweet efforts.

davidjarka

Added by davidjarka

West Ballina, Australia

The Big Prawn

There's nothing shrimpy about the world's largest artificial prawn.

MadamZoZo

Added by MadamZoZo

Philippeville, Belgium

World's Largest Wheelbarrow

Though Guinness took away its record, Romedenne’s 1998 wheelbarrow remains the biggest of them all.

Added by duaner

Glendon, Alberta

Giant Perogy

Roadside tribute to a staple of eastern European cuisine.

canuck

Added by canuck

Albertinia, South Africa

World's Largest Aloe Statue

A larger-than-life representation of the humble aloe plant.

CoolCrab

Added by CoolCrab

Edsbyverken, Sweden

World's Largest Skis

This Swedish village shows off its most well-known products in a big way.

Added by boltgolt

Saint Claude, Manitoba

Giant Tobacco Pipe Monument

St. Claude, Manitoba, commemorates its first settlers with a giant tobacco smoking pipe monument.

aksomitis

Added by aksomitis

World's Largest Branding Iron

The Milburn-Price Culture Museum in Vega offers a brand-name oversized cultural attraction.

Added by ianlefk

Muscotah, Kansas

World's Largest Baseball

This unfinished tribute to a hometown hero and early baseball great is now an abandoned roadside attraction.

Added by ianlefk

Robertsfors N, Sweden

World's Largest Cheese Slicer

The cheese slicer may be a Norwegian invention, but the biggest ones in the world are found in Sweden.

hrnick

Added by hrnick

Gouverneur, New York

Giant Life Savers Roll

A giant roll of mints marks the birthplace of one of America's most famous candy brands.

Fairy Princess Lolly

Added by Fairy Princess Lolly

Alexandria, Indiana

World's Largest Ball of Paint

Covered in tens of thousands of coats of paint, this Indiana attraction holds a world record all its own.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

Darwin, Minnesota

World's Largest Ball of Twine Rolled by One Man

17,400 lbs., 12 feet in diameter, and 29 years in the making.

Flüelen, Switzerland

The World’s Largest Ship Horn

On the water, the sound from this horn could be heard from up to 10 kilometers away.

Added by MarcoUP

Ohakune, New Zealand

Ohakune Carrot

The largest model carrot in the world.

julia154brown

Added by julia154brown

Rothsay, Minnesota

World’s Largest Prairie Chicken

The statue honors the booming birds Rothsay, Minnesota, is famous for.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Gumeracha, Australia

The Big Rocking Horse

You can climb to the top of the world's largest rocking horse.

Added by cmalla

Baldwin, Michigan

World’s Largest Brown Trout Sculpture

This enormous fish commemorates the unplanned release of brown trout into a Michigan river.

rickbbiking

Added by rickbbiking

Castroville, California

World's Largest Artichoke Statue

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

kjmoore12

Added by kjmoore12

Bathurst, South Africa

The Big Pineapple

The world's largest pineapple building honors Bathurst's favorite fruit.

Erin Everywhere

Added by Erin Everywhere

Woombye, Australia

The Big Pineapple

A giant Australian fruit and tropical farm.

serflac

Added by serflac

High Point, North Carolina

High Point Chest of Drawers

A six-foot pair of socks hangs from a drawer of the world's largest bureau.

Meg

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