🗺️ Strange monuments of the world: from a shark in Oxford to shoes by the Danube

The Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty have been seen by everyone. Photos from these places no longer surprise anyone. But there are monuments in the world worth making a detour for.

We have gathered eight such monuments in six countries: from a shark in the roof of an Oxford house to cast-iron shoes by the Danube. Seven of the objects stand in the open air, while the tomb in Bar-le-Duc is located in an active church. Viewing takes from a couple of minutes to half an hour. Wear comfortable shoes.

How this selection is organized

💡 In short:

Eight monuments in six countries: Poland, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Czechia, and Hungary.
Seven of the objects stand outdoors, while the tomb in Bar-le-Duc is accessible during the church's opening hours. Viewing takes from a couple of minutes to half an hour.
Some of the objects are hidden in courtyards, on rooftops, and above passersby's heads, so look carefully.
As of the Danube memorial: 09/2026, Wikipedia.

Our picks:

No.	Monument	City	What it is
1	Goats monument	Poznan	mechanical goats on the town hall tower
2	Torn travelers	Marseille	figures missing body parts
3	Heart of Rene de Chalon	Bar-le-Duc	tomb with a heart in hand
4	Headington Shark	Oxford	shark in the roof of a residential house
5	Great Depression monument	Washington	bronze bread line
6	Hanging man	Prague	figure above the sidewalk
7	Shoes on the Danube bank	Budapest	memorial to war victims
8	Anonymous pedestrians	Wroclaw	figures sinking into the ground

Below we break down each object: what it is, where to find it, and what the catch is.

1. Goats monument in Poznan

On the town hall tower in Poznan, two goats butt heads every day at noon. The mechanism starts in front of the public: the figures roll out above the clock face, clash horns, and hide again. This is how an urban legend became the main attraction of the Old Market Square.

According to legend, a cook burned venison before an important feast and ordered servants to steal two goats. The animals broke free, climbed the tower, and started butting heads. Craftsmen immortalized this story in the clock mechanism. Later the city held a contest for the best names for the goats, and the winning pair was Pyrek and Tyrek.

Poznań Town Hall on the Old Market Square with tower and clock

Where to find it: Old Market Square, the town hall tower in the center of the square.
The catch: the mechanism runs once a day, exactly at noon. At any other time you will only see the tower.

2. Torn travelers in Marseille

On the streets of Marseille stand bronze travelers by Bruno Catalano: figures of people of different ages and nationalities holding a travel bag, seemingly frozen mid-step. Each one is missing a part of the body, which is why locals call them torn. Among the characters, Vincent van Gogh is easy to recognize.

What the emptiness inside the figures means, the artist never explained. Some see openness to the new, others read a loss of meaning in the rush. Each sculpture stands in its own spot and continues the urban landscape, so it is best to view them slowly.

Old Port of Marseille with many boats and yachts

Where to find them: in central Marseille, near pedestrian streets and waterfronts.
The catch: the sculptures stand individually, not as a group, so you cannot see them all in a single walk.

3. Monument to the heart of Rene de Chalon in Bar-le-Duc

In the Church of Saint-Etienne in Bar-le-Duc stands the tomb of Rene de Chalon. The prince died very young and before his death ordered that he be depicted as his body would look years after burial. Sculptor Ligier Richier carved a half-decomposed body with a heart in its raised left hand.

Skeleton sculpture with raised hand and coat of arms

This type of tomb is called a "transi." It reminded the living of the brevity of life and that death spares no one. Today it is one of the most unusual sculptures of the French Renaissance, and you can see it for free.

Where to find it: the Church of Saint-Etienne in central Bar-le-Duc.
The catch: the sculpture stands in an active church, so viewing depends on opening hours and services.

4. Headington Shark in Oxford

On the roof of an ordinary house in Oxford's Headington district, a huge shark sticks out. It was installed by radio presenter Bill Heine as a protest against the nuclear arms race: the sculpture is meant to remind people of bombs falling on residential houses. It appeared in 1986, on the forty-first anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing, and received the official title "Untitled 1986" (as of: 09/2026, Wikipedia).

City authorities tried to remove the object and argued with the homeowner for several years. In the end, officials admitted that the shark did not spoil the view and left it in place. Now it is an unofficial symbol of the district.

Headington Shark sticking out of a house roof in Oxford

Where to find it: the Headington district in eastern Oxford.
The catch: the shark sits on the roof of a private house, you cannot go inside, and only a view from the street is available.

5. Great Depression monument in Washington

During the Great Depression, millions of Americans lost their jobs and their homes. Bread and soup lines became a familiar sight of that era. Sculptor George Segal cast bronze figures of men silently waiting for their portion of food.

Tourists often join the end of this line to take a photo. The bronze figures remind us of the fate of people who lost almost everything.

Where to find it: in central Washington, near other memorials.
The catch: on weekends, a line of people wanting to take photos forms at the figures.

6. Hanging man in Prague

Above one of Prague's streets hangs a figure of a man gripping a beam. Passersby sometimes rush to call an ambulance, but no one needs saving: this is the work of sculptor David Cerny. The artist says he suspended the master of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, at height.

This is how Cerny showed how far the intelligentsia is from the everyday concerns of ordinary people. The sculpture has appeared at international exhibitions, and in Chicago police once seriously launched a rescue operation for the hanging man.

Hanging sculpture of a man above a Prague street

Where to find it: in central Prague, on Husova Street, the figure hangs above the sidewalk several meters up.
The catch: the sculpture is easy to miss, it hangs above people's heads and blends in with the buildings.

7. Shoes on the Danube bank in Budapest

On the Danube bank in Budapest stand sixty pairs of cast-iron shoes. The memorial was opened on April 16, 2005, in memory of people shot at the water's edge at the end of the war (as of: 09/2026, Wikipedia). Before execution, victims were forced to remove their shoes: footwear was valuable and went to the executioners.

The project's authors, director Can Togay and sculptor Gyula Pauer, placed the shoes right on the edge of the embankment, south of the parliament building. Behind the shoes runs a low stone bench, and nearby stand plaques with dates in several languages.

Bronze shoes memorial on the Danube embankment in Budapest

Where to find it: the Pest side of the Danube embankment, a little south of the parliament.
The catch: individual shoes have repeatedly suffered from vandals and thieves.

8. Anonymous pedestrians in Wroclaw

In central Wroclaw, people sink into the ground on one side of the street and rise on the other. This is a monument to anonymous passersby by Jerzy Kalina: several gray figures are frozen mid-step, and next to them stand a baby stroller, a string bag, and an old cane.

Interpretations of the monument vary. Some see victims of political repression, others read the story of ghetto residents. The artist himself spoke of something else: life under martial law and a time when fear and unspoken things became a thing of the past.

Bronze figures of anonymous passersby in Wrocław

Where to find it: in central Wroclaw, on Pilsudski Street.
The catch: the figures stand on a busy street, so the flow of pedestrians makes it hard to take a calm photo.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to see these monuments?

All objects in this selection can be seen for free. Seven of them stand in the open air. The tomb in Bar-le-Duc is located in an active church, and access depends on opening hours and services. Check them in advance before your trip.

When do the goats in Poznan start butting heads?

The mechanism on the town hall tower runs every day at noon. To see everything, come to the Old Market Square a few minutes before it starts and stand facing the tower.

Why do Catalano's travelers have missing body parts?

The sculptor himself never explained what the emptiness in the figures means. View the sculptures as a riddle without an answer.

Can you approach the shoes on the Danube?

Yes, the memorial is open around the clock and stands right on the embankment. But this is a place of remembrance for war victims, so do not climb into the shoes or pose in them for photos. Such shots have repeatedly sparked criticism in the Hungarian press.

Is it realistic to see all eight monuments in one trip?

No, the objects are spread across six countries, and you cannot cover that much in one trip. Pick one or two spots that fit your plans and build them into your route. That way you will still have time for the city, not just for individual sculptures.

In short: what to book

There is nothing to book in this selection: no tickets are needed for the monuments. The only things worth planning are your route and viewing time.

If you are going to Prague, add the Hanging Man to your walk through the center.
If you are planning a trip around Europe, build a route around three or four points from the list.

Choose your cities in advance and fit the monuments into your walk: they do not take much time, but they stay in your memory for a long time.

Shark on a roof and goats on a tower: 8 unusual monuments of the world