FX.co ★ Most expensive world's monuments

Heads on Mount Rushmore (South Dakota, USA)

One of the major sights of the United States of America are giant portraits of the four presidents carved on Mount Rushmore. The cost of stone sculptures' creation of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt is estimates to be 1 million dollars (11 billion dollars in current money equivalent). Construction jobs had been being held for 14 years - from 1927 to 1941. According to the words of sculptor Gutzon Borglum, who managed the project, he wanted people to remember the high ideas, that guided these great American leaders. For example, Washington is considered to be the founding father of the American democracy, Jefferson is an author of the Declaration of Independence, Lincoln abolished slavery, and in the time of Roosevelt there had been built the Panama Canal that became the largest and hardest construction project established by mankind and had the greatest geopolitical importance for the USA.

Spring Temple Buddha (Henan, China)

Buddha statue in Zhongyuan, that was built in 2002, is the highest sculpture in the world. Initially, the monument's size was 128 m. However, after the copper Buddha was set up, it was agreed to increase his pedestal in the form of lotus by 25 m. Later, two more pedestals were built, the top pedestal is 15 m tall. Thus, today the monument's height is 208 m. Setting it up cost 55 million dollars to China. The Vairocana Buddha sculpture was created after destruction of the ancient statue of Buddha by the Taliban in Bamyan (Afghanistan) as a protest against the barbarian destruction of the Buddhism heritage.

Statue of Liberty (New York, USA)

The famous Statue of Liberty was conceived as a present from France for the 100th anniversary of the American Revolution in 1876. But construction jobs were ended only in 1886 and France paid only for the statue without a pedestal for it. At prices of those times, setting up the giant sculpture cost 45 million dollars for two countries. Notably, the Statue of Liberty's internal construction was developed by Gustave Eiffel, the future author of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The manager of the project was French sculptor Frederic Bartholdi. The height of the "Lady Liberty" with the pedestal is 93 m, weight is 31 tons. Today, the Statue of Liberty is one of the most famous sights of the world. About 5 million tourists from all over the world come to see the legendary monument annualy.

Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)

The tower was designed by Gustave Eiffel as a temporary entry construction for the World Exhibition in 1889, but became a true symbol of France. However, in the late 19th century the construction didn't impress the Parisians. A lot of eminent cultural figures, including writer Guy de Maupassant, spoke up against the "disgusting" iron tower in the middle of the city. The construction was saved for military purposes and for using it as a radio tower. But in the first six months more than 2 million people came to see the 324 m tall tower. Then, the authorities of the French capital understood, that the Eiffel's construction can become a self-supporting city's sight. The Tower, that initially cost 35 million dollars, was renovated many times and was supplemented by several viewing platforms, chambers and, of course, restaurants.

Peter the First Statue (Moscow, Russia)

In 1997, the city government of Moscow ordered to set up the monument of Peter I, the great Russian emperor. It was designed by the famous sculptor Zurab Tsereteli. The official name of the construction is "In commemoration of the 300 years of the Russian Navy". The monument's height is 98 m, and that's why it is considered to be one of the tallest statues in Russia. According to unofficial data, setting up this statue cost 16.5 million dollars (at the rate of those years) to the Moscow's government. The cultural value of the monument has repeatedly been the subject of controversy and debate. And in 2008 the 98 m tall Peter I got in the list of the ugliest constructions in the world by VirtualTourist.com.

Statue of Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Creation of the symbol of Brazil, that got in the list of wonders of the world, was dedicated to the 100th aniversary of the country's independence from Portugal. The author of the sketch was the Brazilian Carlos Oswald. The project of the statue was developed by his compatriot Heitor da Silva Costa. However, the hands and head of Christ the Redeemer were modelled by the French sculptor Paul Landowski. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida finalized the face of the statue. The monument's height is 38 m, and the concrete Christ's arm span is 28 m. The monument weighs 1145 tons and 3.5 million dollars were spent for its creation.

White House (Washington, USA)

2.5 million dollars (by the prices of those times) were spent to build an official residence of all U.S. presidents, excluding George Washington. Each new presidential term the consulting agencies estimate a value of the building. Currently, the White House's cost is about 295 million dollars. The residence on Pennsylvania Avenue can rightly be called the most frequently blown building in the action movies. Every year more than 20 million tourists visit the White House.

Animals Memorial (London, UK)

In 2004 the "Animals in War" memorial was opened in London. This monument consists of several parts and is emblazoned with images of horses, elephants, dogs, carrier pigeons, cats, cows and even fireflies, because during the First World War soldiers read maps in the dark trenches, using them. The unusual memorial cost 2 million dollars British treasury. The most famous sculptor of the country David Backhouse designed it. "This monument is dedicated to all the animals that served and died alongside British and allied forces in wars and campaigns throughout time," says one inscription. "They had no choice," read the caption below.