The most unusual tombstones of celebrities. Unusual tombstones The most terrible monuments in the cemetery

Nowadays in large European cities you can find very unusual monuments and sculptures, often striking with their amusing, funny and even ridiculous appearance.

Well, is it really possible to take such a monument standing in Amsterdam seriously? “Don’t drink the branch you’re sitting on”:

By the way, a similar monument was erected in Yakutsk. Here it is:

And in Brussels on the street you can meet an old lady like this with a bag, counting her money.

There, in Brussels, there is this funny monument: a policeman and the prankish thief who caught him:

A queue monument was erected in Washington. Look how tourists organically join it:

The situation with passage through walls is very unusual. If in Los Angeles a clerk with a suitcase could only stick his head into the wall...

That French writer Marcel Aimé, in Paris, has already passed through the wall, and is now in the process of emerging from it...

But the bronze woman from Santa Fe, New Mexico lay down to rest right on the sidewalk. Tourists are joining!

People in Holland love music. Here, a violinist broke through the floor to please the ears of passers-by:

In Bratislava there is even a monument to a plumber leaning out of a sewer manhole:

By the way, there are plumbers not only in Bratislava, but also in Ukraine. This is such a sad “Santa” from Berdyansk. By the way, there are similar monuments in Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, and Yekaterinburg...

And in Oslo a stone man was seen fighting off stone children. Or is he juggling them? What's remarkable is that the man is naked...

In Seoul, street benches are held up not by supports, but by strong teeth! Look at these comrades!

By the way, the Danes also have a sense of humor. For example, a monument to uh... how can I put this mildly?

But the Danish madam from Ringkobing will probably have more:

One more is enough unusual monument installed in Melbourne. Something is wrong in the picture, isn't it?

By the way, you can’t hide anywhere from these cyclists... Even at the bottom of the sea!

Except stone or bronze people, the world is flooded with monuments to things, and we cannot remain silent about it!

The newest of them is a monument, let's say, political. Monument to the shoe thrown at Bush the Younger:

And in Paris there is a monument to the finger. And he sticks out from under the ground:

In Australia - to the wallet:

In Nakavik, Canada - an axe:

In Springfield (USA) - a monument to a fork:

And in Norway, Oslo - a paper clip:

And even books - in Berlin:

And in Russia they responded to this with a powerful three-meter stool! “Monument to the first stool of the Russian land” was installed in former estate Arshenevsky brothers on Taganka:

And in Germany, in Braunschweig, stray cats were spotted (it’s good that at least these ones don’t yell):

And the tap in Cadiz pouring water from the sky:

London is famous for its traffic lights, and on this occasion there is this monument erected there:

And in Prague - a monument to a woman’s shoe:

And now, let's move to Russia. What is there in Russian land? Let's start with animals. The Russian people love their little brothers!

For example, in St. Petersburg, on Malaya Sadovaya Street, there is a cast-iron cat, who was christened Elisha Kotovich Pitersky. The cat climbed high - to the second floor of the Eliseevsky grocery store, and therefore it is not so easy to notice:

Another cat (or rather a cat) “hangs” at the window of the creative center “Mitki VKHUTEMAS” (Pravdy St., 16) on the 6th floor. Dressed like famous hero cartoon, she was immediately nicknamed Matroskin’s cat:

And in Moscow, in a park by the lake near the Novodevichy Convent, a whole sculptural composition“Make way for the ducklings!” Little ducklings look around, quack, look for a worm in the grass - in a word, they behave as if they were alive. It’s not for nothing that a guard was placed at the monument - the ducklings are trying to steal them!

By the way, the sculptors did not ignore even such a tiny creature as a bee. In Kuzminki Park, for example, they erected a monument to the bee Kuza, who sits on one of the columns depicting a honeycomb:

“The Nose” is ranked among the most unusual monuments in St. Petersburg. By the way, he, like his prototype, loves to take a walk. For example, in 2002 he suddenly disappeared from his pedestal. He was found a year later on the landing of house No. 15, not far from Voznesensky Prospekt, where his rightful place was located:

I am also placing here a selection of monuments whose location is unknown to me, but it is simply impossible not to show them to you, dear readers!

Worldwide famous monument The elephant from Salvador Dali's painting "The Temptation of St. Anthony" is simply amazing!

And these are the real Thick and Thin:

Oh, how the mother hyped up her daughter. If only she didn't let go!

Here the boys jump into the water and squeal with anticipation:

And the girls, remaining on land, play leapfrog:

Who is this? A handsome knight on horseback? But what about the horse?

And lastly: a cow on a tree! Take a closer look. What does she remind you of? Maybe a carton of milk?

Going to the city cemetery to look at unusual tombstones is probably the last thing that comes to mind. However, getting to know them can tell a lot about the culture of the people and individual residents of the country, as well as give an unforgettable experience, not only creepy, but also positive.

So in some cemeteries you can find real masterpieces worthy of becoming museum exhibits. Others are interesting for their historical value. If you throw away all superstitions and fears, you can discover something new and broaden your horizons.

The most unusual cemeteries in the world

Church of the Dead

In Urbania (Italy) the Church of the Dead is located, which is famous for its collection of 18 mummies dating back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The church once served as a cemetery, but then Napoleon ordered the bodies to be buried outside the city. During the move, it was discovered that the remains themselves had turned into mummies.

At first, what happened was taken as a miracle, but later experts found that the secret of such natural mummification lies in a special type of mold growing in those parts. She dried the bodies, absorbing moisture from the tissues.

The “exhibits” displayed behind the altar of the church each have their own history, for example, there is a woman who died in childbirth, and also the abbot of the brotherhood. Tourists come with pleasure to see the chilling spectacle. What’s interesting is that for the residents of Urbania, putting human remains on public display is not considered something immoral. On the contrary, it is an honor. Only outstanding personalities are given this honor.

Discovered in the 1920s, the Peruvian cemetery of Chauchilla dates back to approximately the 1st-2nd century AD, which means some of the remains are about 2,000 years old. They probably belong to the Nazca civilization (those who created mysterious geoglyphs in the sand).

Chauchilla contains thousands of burials, but the remains are not buried, but laid in a sitting position in open tombs, the walls of which were lined with bricks. What’s also surprising is the “facial expression” of the skeletons – they smile. A smile sometimes looks welcoming, and sometimes it looks creepy. There is a feeling that they are waiting for someone, inviting them to join.

Chowchilla bodies can be called a “scientist’s dream.” They were well preserved due to the dry desert climate, as well as due to a special burial technique: the dead were dressed in cotton clothes, then doused with resin.

The find made it possible to learn more about the Nazca people, but the preservation of this cultural heritage is under threat. The burial structures were partially looted and continue to be robbed by “black diggers.” They are interested in jewelry and ancient artifacts that were buried with the dead.

This portal tomb is located in the Burren (Ireland). The estimated time of its creation is 4000-3000. BC

The Pulnabron dolmen is a kind of tombstone made of 2 huge stone slabs of 2 m each, on top of which lies a third. It turns out to be a huge stone table. During the restoration, skeletons of more than 20 people were found under the dolmen, including a newborn child. Various things were also buried in the ground: weapons, dishes, household items.

Hanging coffins are a custom rather than a specific burial site. It is distributed in several regions: China, Indonesia and the Philippines. Instead of burying coffins in the ground, they are suspended on rocks, high above the ground.

This was originally done to protect bodies from animals, but over time, hanging coffins became a tradition.

La Recoleta

You can walk around this necropolis in Buenos Aires for hours, looking at the structures there. At La Recoleta Cemetery there are not ordinary monuments, but large mausoleums that look like houses. It feels like you're walking around small town. Each of the 6,000 mausoleums has an individual style, sometimes reminiscent of Gothic chapels or Greek temples.

People from La Ricoleta were buried high society– presidents, politicians, writers, artists, famous doctors. That's why the buildings look so pompous.

Neptune Memorial

The Neptune Memorial was dedicated in 2007 in Biscayne Bay, Florida. This is the first underwater mausoleum, which became the resting place of thousands of dead. The idea is very original: at the bottom of the ocean, an entire city with roads, sculptures, and benches was sculpted from a mixture of cement and the ashes of cremated people. Reminds me of Atlantis.

But this is not just a structure, but an artificial reef. Thus someone's death will give new life. In addition, land area is saved.

On the roads of the underwater streets there are memorial tables with the names of the dead buried there. The reef area is 65,000 m2, but it continues to be expanded.

You can get a place in Neptune's cemetery for no less than $7,000. However, relatives will have to scuba dive to visit the grave of loved ones.

Unusual cemeteries and tombstones in Russia

City of the Dead

Often called City of the dead, the village of Dargavs (North Ossetia - Alania) is considered one of the most mysterious places in Russia. This ancient necropolis, hidden in the Caucasus Mountains, looks like the ruins of a medieval village at first glance. The crypts with the remains of the dead look like white houses with roofs. Only when you get closer do you realize what it really is.

By official version Valley residents buried loved ones there. Each family had a separate crypt. How more people buried there, the higher he is. Some sources claim that the oldest crypts date back to XVI century, allegedly at that time the plague was rampant in the neighboring territories, and the village became a burial place for dead patients.

Interesting fact: recently it was planned to film a new horror film in Dargavs, but the residents of the Republic took this news negatively, since for them the necropolis is sacred. As a result, the shooting was postponed.

This is the old necropolis of Moscow, containing a large number of tombstones that can be called works of art. Most of the time they are creations outstanding artists, architects and other craftsmen. The Vagankovskoe cemetery was founded in 1771. At first it served to bury patients who died from the plague, then the poor were buried there.

Celebrities appeared here only in the 19th century. Now on the territory of the Vagankovo ​​necropolis you can find the burial places of famous Russian figures: Vladimir Vysotsky, Alexander Abdulov, Vladimir Voroshilov, Bulat Okudzhava, Oleg Dahl, Sergei Yesenin. To see the most interesting places, you can book a tour with local guides.

The grave of the famous criminal Sonya “The Golden Hand” especially stands out at the Vagankovskoye cemetery. It is believed to bring good luck and material gain. Therefore, “pilgrims” come to her (mostly representatives of the criminal world, although there are also ordinary people). They write down their requests on paper and leave them near Sonya. The statue, by the way, is missing arms and head. They say that it was broken off by some drunk man who was trying to climb in and kiss his idol.

But people come to Vysotsky’s grave for inspiration. Some even claim that the poet in some mystical way helps them compose lyrics and poems. His monument also deserves attention: the sculptor sculpted Vysotsky in bronze, wrapped in a kind of straitjacket and escaping from the flames. Next to him is his eternal companion – a guitar.

Yesenin's grave is notorious for its sadness. Near her, many people committed suicide, following the example of the notorious poet. It all started with his friend Galina Benislavskaya. She came to Yesenin’s burial place and shot herself in the head with a revolver. She was subsequently buried next to her lover.

The Vagankovskoe cemetery still keeps many secrets. It is worth visiting and getting acquainted with the history and legends of the local “residents”.

Novodevichy Cemetery

Another popular cemetery among Russians, which is an object of the country’s cultural heritage, is Novodevichye. This is because many celebrities are buried here - N.S. Khrushchev, A.N. Tolstoy, M.A. Bulgakov, N.V. Gogol, V.I. Vernadsky and others. The monuments erected in their honor are true masterpieces.

One of the most unusual graves Novodevichy Cemetery belongs to Yuri Nikulin, a well-known Soviet actor. The sculpture depicts Nikulin sitting with a cigarette in his hand. It reflects the simplicity and sincerity of this person.

A marble chapel was erected in memory of Chekhov. And a memorial to the recognized surgeon A.N. Bakulev, the founder of cardiovascular surgery, looks like two hands holding a large red stone - a symbol of the heart.

Original tombstones

Père Lachaise is a large Parisian necropolis, which is visited by more than 3 million tourists annually. Why is he attractive? The last refuge was found on Père Lachaise huge amount famous figures: from composer Frederic Chopin to writer Gertrude Stein and musician Jim Morrison.

In addition, each grave has its own design. On top of some there are busts of the deceased, and near others there are amazing statues. For example, above the burial site of Oscar Wilde there is a sphinx carved from a 20-ton piece of wood. The memorial at the grave of musician and actor Fernand Arbelo depicts him holding his wife's face so that he can look at her face forever.

Merry tombstones

In the Romanian village of Sapinta there is a cemetery called Merry. The point is in unusual colored tombstones with images of scenes from the life of the deceased and a bizarre epitaph.

Such monuments turned a dull place into something cheerful and bright. Although, if you look closely at them, you will notice that the drawings and phrases engraved on the tombstones are not so joyful. For example, one of them depicts a man who was hit by a truck. Another contains the inscription “don’t disturb my mother-in-law, otherwise she will bite your head off.”

The monuments were carved from wood and hand-painted by a local artist. He continued to do this business until his death in 1977, having completed more than 800 objects. Now the cemetery has been turned into a museum, which is popular among tourists.

It is only natural that Jules Verne, the father of science fiction, would have an unusual monument. 2 years after his death, a sculpture entitled “Vers l’Immortalité et l’Eternelle Jeunesse” (“Towards immortality and eternal youth”) was installed. The statue depicts the writer breaking a tombstone and emerging from a crypt.

A strange procession that never moves

Surprisingly, this monument belongs to the grave of only one person - Colonel Henry G. Wooldridge. It is located in Maplewood Cemetery, Kentucky. The statues were built under the direction of the military man during his lifetime. It took 7 years to create from stone all the people dear to him whom he had lost, including his mother, sisters, and wife. There is also a sculpture of Henry Wooldridge's favorite horse on the grave.

Weeping Angel

This statue commemorates Seattle entrepreneur Francis Haseroth. A seated bronze angel of human height holds an inverted torch - a symbol of extinct life. The mysticism of the angel is added by the black “tears” that seem to flow from his eyes.

Unusual tombstones can be found in probably every cemetery. People install in honor of loved ones or in memory of themselves not only beautiful monuments, depicting a person resting underneath, but also statues in the form of cars, pieces of furniture, theater stage, favorite animals. There is even a tombstone with a computer carved into it, as well as a cell phone!

The cemetery is not the most pleasant place that most of us have ever visited in our lives. Literally, the deathly silence that envelops this place is terrifying, and the crows sitting on rickety crosses, whose cawing breaks the silence with a piercing sound, are truly terrifying. Although the tombstones that can be seen in a cemetery can be much creepier than the cemetery itself. Here are 25 of the strangest, most heartbreaking and sometimes funny tombstones from around the world.

Woman at the piano. I wonder if she played during her lifetime?

This Woman Really Loved Mickey Mouse

We hope that this man's death and smoking are not related.

Tomb of the creator of the labyrinth

Now they will sleep forever

The tree mercilessly swallowed up the old grave

This tomb is located in Paris, France and contains the inventor of the gas lamp, Charles Pigeon.

In this grave lies a 10-year-old girl who died in 1871, who during her lifetime was very afraid of thunderstorms. After the death of her daughter, her grief-stricken mother ordered the construction of a basement next to the girl’s grave, where she could go down during a thunderstorm and calm her daughter.

This life-size monument in a glass box was commissioned by the mother of the deceased

This is the grave of a 16-year-old girl whose sister commissioned this life-size headstone.

Lovers from Thailand

One of the most heartbreaking monuments we have ever seen, and one that reminds us that we are all in God's hands.

A tombstone in the shape of a mobile phone in one of the Israeli cemeteries

Happy forever

A terrifying tomb located in Genoa, Italy

In this grave with an eerie tombstone lies the writer Georges Rodenbach, who emerged from it.

Mortsafe: this appearance of the grave was common in 18th century Scotland and was done to protect graves from looting, which was a common occurrence among medical students who were so lacking in practical material

Nature is unforgiving

The frightening tombstone of Fernand Arbelot, who was a musician and actor

Tomb of an 18th century French journalist

Whoever's lying here really enjoyed playing Scrabble.

These are the interconnected graves of a husband and wife. The wife was a Protestant and the husband was a Catholic. They died at a time when Catholics and Protestants were buried in different cemeteries

This is the last remaining grave in an old cemetery in rural Indiana. Much of the cemetery was moved to make way for the state highway. The grandson of the woman buried there refused to allow his grandmother to move. The county eventually gave in and built a road around the grave

We invite you to take a look at several unusual graves that can be seen in cemeteries in different countries world:

The graves of a Catholic woman and her Protestant husband, who were not allowed to be buried together. J.W.C. van Gorcum, colonel of the Dutch cavalry and commissioner of militia in Limburg, is buried in the Protestant part of this cemetery. His wife, Lady J.C.P.H van Aefferden, is buried in the Catholic part. They married in 1842, when she was 22 and the colonel 33, but he was a Protestant and not a member of the nobility.

Their marriage caused a lot of gossip in Roermond. Having been married for 38 years, the colonel died in 1880 and was buried in the Protestant part of the cemetery near the wall. His wife died in 1888 and wished to be buried not in the family tomb, but on the other side of the wall, which was the closest place to her husband's grave. Two hands in a handshake connect the graves across the wall.

Recoleta Cemetery is best known for being the burial place of Maria Eva Duarte de Peron or Evita, but in fact many famous military leaders, presidents, scientists, poets and other important people are buried there or rich Argentines.

David Alleno was an Italian immigrant who dreamed of being buried in this prestigious cemetery, where he worked as a caretaker from 1881 to 1910. He saved enough money to buy himself a place and built his own tomb. He even went back to his homeland to find an artist who could carve his figure out of marble, complete with keys, broom and watering can. Legend has it that after the tomb was finished, David committed suicide on his grave, but many authorities say he died several years after the tomb was built.

This tombstone is also located in the Recoleta Cemetery in Argentina. But what is unusual about it? Well, let's start with the fact that a man sitting on a sofa is seriously looking at the horizon, and a woman's bust is standing behind him, but they are looking in opposite directions. They are positioned this way because he died first, so the family made his mausoleum. A few years later, when his wife died, in her will she asked that her image be placed in such a way that it represented their marriage: they spent the last 30 years of marriage without saying a word to each other.

Fernand Arbelot was a musician and actor who died in 1990 and is buried in the Pere Lachaise cemetery. He wished to look at his wife's face forever.

This unique monument represents little boy who jumps out of his wheelchair. Chained to wheelchair spending most of his short life, he was finally freed from earthly burdens.

The headstones are arranged around a tree, which has grown noticeably since part of St Pancras cemetery was cleared in 1860 to make way for railway between London and Midland. The young architect supervising the work was Thomas Hardy, a famous author.

The Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris is probably the most visited cemetery in the world, and it is famous not only for the beauty of its monuments, but also for the celebrities buried there. However, one of the most dramatic graves belongs to an author most people have never heard of.

Georges Rodenbach was a 19th-century Belgian writer, best known for books that were largely intended as serious literature for students. Dead Bruges (Bruges-la-Morte), symbolic romance, published in 1892, was about a man grieving for his deceased wife. Therefore, it is excruciatingly painful to look at Rodenbach’s grave, the tombstone of which represents himself, rising from the grave with a rose in his hand.

When Jonathan Reed's wife, Mary, died in 1893, the widower was inconsolable and did not want to leave the grave. Moreover, he was so devoted to her that he moved to live on her grave, where he lived (with a parrot) for 10 years. Reed died in 1905 and was buried with Mary.

The most famous landmark in Hiawatha, Kansas, is the 1930s tomb located in Mount Hope Cemetery, near the southeastern edge of the city. John Milburn Davis arrived in Hiawatha in 1879 at the age of 24. After some time, he married Sarah Hart, the daughter of his employer. The Davises opened their own farm, which prospered, and were married for 50 years. When Sarah died in 1930, the Davises were already wealthy. Over the next seven years, John Davis spent much of the family fortune to build a monument to mark Sarah's grave.

The amount spent on the Davis Memorial is estimated at approximately $100,000, but the actual total is several times that amount. In any case, it was a huge sum, the collection of which required mortgaging the entire household and mansion. This was during the great depression, when people could not make ends meet.

Reasons that could explain the extravagance of such an act include great love, guilt, anger at Sarah's family, and a desire for the Davis fortune to be exhausted before John's death.

The Davis memorial grew piece by piece, which is quite sad. If it had been built according to a pre-made plan, then perhaps it would have been larger and more beautiful. The memorial site was originally a simple headstone, but John worked with Horace England, a monument dealer in Hiawatha, to make the monument more and more elaborate. The memorial includes 11 life-size statues of John and Sarah Davis made of Italian marble, stone urns and a marble dome rumored to weigh more than 50 tons.

Jack Crowell owned the last wooden clothespin factory in the United States. He originally wanted a real spring installed in the clothespin so children could play with it. He is buried in Middlesex, Vermont.

In fact, people are scared in most cemeteries because this is the place where they remember death, including their own death. But these cemeteries are simply teeming with stories of ghosts and unusual facts! Do you want to tickle your nerves? Here you go.

You might be surprised that the first cemetery photo on this list is of an airport. However, it really is a cemetery! Under runway No. 10 contains the graves of the Dotson couple, a married couple who used to live in a house on the site of the airport and were buried in a plot next to it. The airport repeatedly negotiated with the Dotsons' relatives about transferring the remains, but they did not agree, and this is not allowed in the United States without the consent of the relatives.

The architectural splendor of the Recoleta cemetery is amazing, but it was included in this list not because of it, but because of a number of terrible and unusual stories about those who are buried there: next to the grave of Evita Peron, on which there are always fresh flowers, are buried Rufina Cambaceres, a girl who was buried alive and woke up from a coma right in the coffin, and David Alleno, a poor gravedigger who saved money for thirty years to the burial plot, and having saved up, he committed suicide.

We are used to cemeteries being underground, but the Philippine Igorot tribe bury their dead... in the air. Cemeteries always hang over the heads of people from this tribe. For example, this rock covered in coffins looks creepy!

This cemetery is a popular tourist attraction in the Romanian village of Sapinta. Cemetery monuments, painted in bright colors, take us away from the mournful atmosphere of the place, and the epitaphs on them are funny and even satirical.

This is perhaps one of the most famous cemeteries in England. Every crypt and every statue here is an architectural masterpiece. But besides this, the cemetery is famous for its abundance of ghosts - for example, the tall Highgate vampire with a hypnotic gaze. Another famous ghost is a mad woman running around a cemetery looking for the children she killed.

Greyfriars Cemetery is an old cemetery with a rich history. It was founded in the 1560s. at the local prison. Of the 1,200 prisoners, only 257 came out of it alive - the rest remained here forever. Now a rare brave man will dare to enter the gates of Greyfriars at night - the souls of the innocent killed will not give him peace.

People are afraid to visit even ordinary cemeteries. What would you say about the whole island of the dead? It's in Venice! When it was determined that burials on the main territory of Venice led to unsanitary conditions, the dead began to be taken to San Michele. This is still done in a specially designated gondola.

The mining towns of La Noria and Humberstone are located in the middle of the desert in Chile. The history of these towns - terrible story about the violence of masters against their slave miners. Sometimes they were simply brutally killed, not sparing the children. They were buried in the La Noria cemetery; Now, when you are in this cemetery, you cannot leave the feeling of an otherworldly environment around. There are many open and dug graves in the cemetery, from which even skeletons are showing!

4. Chiesa dei Morti (Church of the Dead), Urbino, Italy

The Church of the Dead is famous not only for its big name, but also for its exhibition of mummies. Behind the classic baroque arch there is a wonderful view of most of them. Each of the 18 surviving mummies is in its own alcove. The church was built, characteristically, by the Brotherhood of the Good Death.

3. Bachelor's Grove Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, USA

This place is legendary as one of the most haunted cemeteries in America. Eyewitnesses confirm the appearance of strange figures in the cemetery. One of the famous ghosts is a white lady with a child in her arms. Also in the 1950s. many visitors to the cemetery reported a ghostly house. In addition, a farmer with a horse, killed nearby, and a black dog appeared in the cemetery.

The number of “inhabitants” of the Paris catacombs is almost three times higher than the number of Parisians living above - almost 6 million corpses are buried here. The vibrant life of the chic “upper Paris” is terribly different from the gloomy city of the dead underground. Here you can find entire corridors of skulls and bones. The Parisian catacombs are huge, and no one knows how intricate their labyrinth is: it is quite possible to get lost here forever.

The Capuchin Crypt is 6 rooms located under the Church of Santa Maria della Concezione in Italy. It contains 3,700 skeletons of Capuchin monks. When their remains were brought here in 1631, they filled 300 carts and were buried in soil specially brought from Jerusalem. After 30 years, the remains were exhumed and displayed in the hall. But the worst thing is not the mummies themselves, but the “message of brotherhood” translated into 5 languages: “We were what you are. You will be what we are."