Prague

Ever since man’s predecessors figured out that they can use one stone to make holes in another, there have been statues and carvings.  As time and technology progressed, these creative endeavors became larger and more elaborate.  Most of the earliest examples of statues revolve around religious motivations, though there are plenty of different reasons for people to create art.  Statues have been erected to commemorate famous people, to convey legends and folklore, to show devotion to one religious belief or another and to demonstrate the spirit of a country or other cultural center.  Some of these have turned out grand and hold a place as remarkable artistic efforts.  Others, particularly modern ones, are more bizarre peculiarities than anything else.  Here, I’ve collected eight interesting statues from around the world, running the gambit from monumental to just plain insane.

Roma, or Romani, are a people who have been around throughout the centuries.  They have no country to call their own and traditionally wandered from place to place, yet they are still united.  Some call them gypsies and others have names for the Roma that are much less attractive.  Over the years and into modern times they’ve been subject to racism and discrimination the likes of which few people have been forced to suffer.  The Roma live in many places around Europe and nowadays call many countries their home, but still their culture is as misunderstood as it ever was.