10 interesting replicas of world famous monuments
Every year, millions of people travel thousands of miles around the world to see famous sights with their own eyes. But for those not concerned about originality, there are plenty of replicas scattered around. While some are undeniably tacky – like the reproductions of the Statue of Liberty and the Eiffel Tower on the Las Vegas strip – some alter the original in fascinating ways. Here are 10 of the most interesting replicas, which are both tacky and tasteful.
Related: 10 tourist attractions that deserve more love
10 The White House in Iraq
When building his mansion, Kurdish businessman Shihab Shihab decided to emulate the “beauty and simplicity” of the White House in Washington DC, home to every US president since John Adams in 1800. The replica cost Shihab $20 million and is located in the city of Erbil in northern Iraq, which was formerly under the control of Saddam Hussein.
Although he wanted the facade to mimic the original, Shihab went his own way with the interior. The original White House is of course grand on the inside, but Shihab went even further by having the ceilings and banister of the grand staircase covered with 21-carat gold. And while the Iraqi version is smaller than the American version – measuring 3,000 square feet instead of 5,110 square feet – it does have a luxurious Turkish bath. Furthermore, Shihab noted in 2014, “I get to keep my bedroom for the rest of my life, while Obama has to vacate it when his term ends.”[1]
9 Christ the Redeemer in Portugal
The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil is 30 meters high and sits atop an 8-metre high pedestal, giving it a dramatic view over Rio de Janeiro with its arms outstretched. When the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon saw the statue in 1934, he began erecting a similar one in Portugal. The project subsequently took on greater significance due to the Second World War, with the statue symbolizing Portuguese gratitude for being spared the effects of the war.
The Portuguese version, Cristo Rei (Christ the King in English), was inaugurated in 1959 and stands 28 meters high on a 75-metre pedestal. It is located in Almada, but looks across the river to Lisbon. Visitors can climb the pedestal via an elevator to enjoy the close-up statue of Christ and beautiful views of Lisbon.[2]
8 The Statue of Liberty in France
There are hundreds of imitations of the Statue of Liberty, but one of the most unique is at Vascoeuil Castle in France. Instead of holding up a torch in one hand and holding a tablet in the other, the statue in this French garden holds up torches with both hands – as if cheering on her favorite band or sports team. Officially called “La Victoire de la Liberté” (“The Victory of Freedom”), she was created in 1972 by the famous artist Salvador Dalí and is much smaller than the copper figure in New York, just slightly taller than the average person .
A copy of Dalí’s version can also be found in his hometown of Cadaquès, bearing a plaque with an “Ode to Salvador Dalí” by poet Federico Garcia Lorca. This version of Lady Liberty is also used as a symbol of Catalonia’s independence from Spain, dressed in the flags of the region and bearing the slogan ‘Llibertat presos politics’, which translates to ‘Freedom for political prisoners’.[3]
7 Big Ben in India
People driving along VIP Road in Kolkata, India are in for a surprise when they reach the junction to Lake Town. Here they find a towering clock that resembles Big Ben. The replica of the London landmark, known as the Kolkata Time Zone Tower, was built in 2015, but is considerably shorter than the original, standing almost 30 meters tall compared to Big Ben’s 96 meters.
Mriganka Bhattacharya, chairperson of South Dumdum Municipality, said the clock tower was inspired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s wish that Kolkata could rival London. “Big Ben was an obvious choice,” he said, as they only had a small plot of land to work with and needed a vertical structure.
However, the choice met with some criticism. Debashish Das, architecture professor at Jadavpur University, said that “imitating a structure from another city is clearly flawed. All landmarks in a city have their history and cultural background; there is a reason for their existence.”[4]
6 Moai (Easter Island heads) in Japan
Visitors to the Makomanai Takino Cemetery, located near the city of Sapporo in northern Japan, are greeted by a row of forty moai, commonly known as Easter Island heads (they do have bodies; they’re just disproportionately small compared to their heads and are often buried). The Rapa Nui people of Easter Island coveted hundreds of these monolithic statues, which average four meters in height. The versions found in the Japanese cemetery are between 6.5 and 9.5 meters high.
Moai replicas can also be seen near the southern tip of Japan, at Sun Messe Nichinan, a park about an hour south of Miyazaki. By the sea there are seven impressive moai at a height of about 5.5 meters. The moai heads are the main draw, but visitors can also see the Earth Appreciation Bell, a rare insect collection, and African tortoises.[5]
5 The Taj Mahal in Bangladesh
Bangladeshi filmmaker Ahsanullah Moni began building a full-scale replica of India’s Taj Mahal in his home country in 2003, which was completed just five years later. Moni said he built the replica because many Bangladeshis “can’t afford to go to Agra to see the Taj, so I bring the Taj to them.” Nearly 40% of people in Bangladesh live in poverty, so Moni claims he is “doing this only for the poor. They cannot travel. They cannot see this historical miracle.” However, he also adds that he hopes that “the monumental construction can attract more tourists from home and abroad.”
However, Moni’s Taj Mahal ruffled some feathers in India. “You can’t just copy historical monuments,” complained an Indian High Commission official. However, Deepak Mittal, a spokesman for the High Commission, admitted that the replica was unlikely to cause confusion among tourists and that the “copy is a form of flattery.”[6]
4 Stonehenge in Australia
The majestic ruins of Stonehenge – whose stones are positioned to align with the rising sun during the summer solstice and the setting sun during the winter solstice – can be found in England. However, people on the other side of the world can alternatively visit Esperance Stonehenge in Western Australia. Rather than being built to mimic the current era and its weather-worn ruins, Esperance Stonehenge is a representation of what the stones would have looked like when they were originally placed.
Built on a farm, the replica consists of 137 stones weighing 2,755 tons (2,500 metric tons), cut from local granite. Besides looking new, it is as accurate a replica as possible, both full size and astrologically aligned. When owners Kim and Jillian Beale wanted to retire in 2014, they put the attraction up for sale with an asking price of $5 million AU ($3.2 million US). After selling some of the surrounding farmland in 2020, they lowered the price to $2.1 million AU ($1.3 million US), and it was finally sold in 2022.[7]
3 The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in China
China is full of replicas of famous landmarks from around the world, and even has specific parks dedicated to this purpose. Two such parks are World Park in Beijing and Window of the World in Shenzhen. There is significant overlap in the replicas the parks display, including the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Controversial recreations of the World Trade Center towers can also be found in both parks. Along with significantly smaller-than-life versions of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, the Twin Towers still stand in these parks, more than twenty years after the originals fell. The parks have chosen not to update the scenes, but whether this is a conscious tribute is unknown.[8]
2 The Eiffel Tower in Japan
There are a handful of replicas of the Eiffel Tower in Japan, but the most impressive are in Minato, Tokyo. Completed in 1958, the Tokyo Tower reaches a height of 1,091 feet (just under 333 meters), making it slightly taller than its French inspiration, which clocks in at 330 meters (1,083 feet). The impressive height of the Tokyo Tower also means that it is the second tallest structure in Japan, after Tokyo Skytree, a transmission and observation tower measuring a whopping 634 meters high.
The main viewing platform of Tokyo Tower is 150 meters high and can be reached via an elevator or an open-air staircase of 600 steps. Another set of elevators takes guests to the upper deck at a height of 250 meters. The tower’s signature orange and white paint is not a stylistic choice to distinguish it from the Parisian version; rather, it is about complying with aviation legislation, which stipulates that buildings above a certain height must be painted in these colors. Since its 40th anniversary, Tokyo Tower has even had its own mascots: the Noppon Brothers are pink, pointy dungarees-wearing twins.[9]
1 Tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt
Tutankhamun’s real tomb is of course in Egypt, but just a mile away lies an incredibly detailed replica. Although the original grave is still open to visitors, every person who passes through it contributes to its demise, with their presence contributing to the peeling of the paint and the wearing away of the rocks. In an effort to combat this, a carefully crafted replica opened nearby in 2014.
The replica was created as a philanthropic gesture by artist Adam Lowe, owner of the Factum Arte company. It took his team five years to complete and it cost $690,000. To measure the grave, they used a 3D laser scanner that is accurate to a hundred million points per square meter. A computer-controlled router then cut the walls and sarcophagus to the exact dimensions. Once cut, molded and poured, the paint was applied using both a digital printer and human hands.
There are a few differences from the original: the antechamber is used as a Tut museum and Tut’s mummy is absent (as it is currently in the original). Archaeologists are generally excited about the technology that can make these replicas as accurate as possible. Robert Brier, an Egyptologist at Long Island University, said the Tut replica “will not hurt anyone, and it will benefit Egypt and save the tomb. It’s a no-brainer.”
While it’s clearly not a tacky rip-off like some replicas, tourists often still have a desire to see the real thing. Lowe says: “If deepening understanding is important, then this replication is an approach that can lead to deeper understanding. When it comes to some kind of prejudice, you have to see the original, then you have to face your own prejudices.”[10]