The Most Hated Landmarks in the World
Styles change over the years. What was considered glamorous and beautiful can be looked upon as a major eyesore on a skyline or urban landscape just a decade later. Sometimes architects are trying so hard to seem innovative that they get lost in flat-out ugly designs. It’s hard to appreciate such buildings. As a result, they become known as landmarks that locals love to hate.
Centre Pompidou in Paris, France
Locals compare it to an oil refinery. If you didn’t know this was actually a library, you would never think books are kept here. The color-coded, tubular encrusted cube has somehow grown on Parisians, probably because there is where students gathered, according to Why Go Paris. Many people complained that its multi-lingual library wasn’t accessible. Others hate it because it was built without any respect for the environment or what nearby neighborhoods look like.
Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue in Memphis, Tennessee
Local officials tried to have the controversial statue of Nathan Bedford Forrest relocated from the park near downtown Memphis. But the Tennessee Historical Commission rejected the application. The statue depicts the former Confederate lieutenant-general astride his horse “King Phillip.” Forrest famously made a fortune trading slaves prior to the Civil War. He was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
The Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York
Those who hate the complex don’t like it because it clashes with the surrounding landscape, and also because it was too expensive to build – $2 billion for 98 acres of land and 10 buildings. As it the case with most big construction projects, many locals had to be relocated, which only added to the resentment and controversial history of the Plaza.
The Žižkov Television Tower in Prague, Czech Republic
This must be the world’s ugliest TV tower in the world if you ask a random sample of people, especially compared to how charming and beautiful the city of Prague is known to be. The tower, the city’s tallest, pierces over 700 feet. It now has a new purpose, which has turned it into an attraction of sorts. It is a one-room hotel looking out on the city from 230 feet above ground.
Valley of the Fallen in Madrid, Spain
It was built to commemorate those killed in Spain’s 1936-1939 Civil War. The site includes a basilica where General Francisco Franco, who ruled over Spain as a military dictator for 36 years from 1939 until his death, is buried. The monument is one of the most hated also because thousands of prisoners of war who fought against Franco were among those used to build the construction.
Jesus Statue in Poland
This is, some say, the world’s biggest statue of Christ – 108 feet, or 33 meters, one for every year that Jesus lived. Some officials claim it’s 167 feet tall. The monument symbolizes the church’s power in the ｃountry. Many make fun of it because the statue is so grand and “glamourous,” but it’s located in a place that is not frequented at all – near the German border, near the Berlin-Warsaw motorway, opposite a large supermarket.
The BT Tower in London, England
The restaurant on top of the tower was the “place to be seen” for the social elite of the Swinging Sixties. At 627 feet, BT Tower was the tallest building in the city when it was erected in 1964. Both the restaurant and the observation deck closed in 1980. The structure has been widely viewed since then as useless and making the iconic London skyline look ugly.
Obelisco de Buenos Aires in Argentina
The grand Obelisk of Buenos Aires that is 223 feet high has little historical significance and no real purpose of function in the city, unlike its national symbol ｃounterparts like the Statue of Liberty or England’s Big Ben, according to Buenos Aires Argentina. The needle-like structure was completed in 1936 on the 400th anniversary of the first Spanish settlement on the Río de la Plata.
Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania
The huge Palace of Parliament is said to be the second largest government building in the world after the Pentagon. It’s home to the Romania’s parliament. It was the former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most infamous creation. It was built during the “golden age” of his dictatorial regime and to signify Ceauşescu’s absolute rule of the ｃountry and people.
Columbus Lighthouse in Santo Domingo Este, Dominican Republic
The monument in tribute to Christopher Columbus is built in the shape of a cross, and many visitors don’t have nice things to say about it – it’s downright ugly. It houses Columbus’ supposed remains. Thousands of poor resident were evicted to make room for the eyesore. Also, when the lighthouse powered on for the first time, the remaining nearby homes suffered blackouts.
The Orange County Government Center in Goshen, New York
Who would like this ugly building? The fact that it cost a lot of money to build this “visually unattractive” structure only adds to the resentment against it. The structure has more than 80 roofs and windows. The building is designed as a system of intersected indoor and outdoor public spaces that flow into each other. This could have felt like an innovation back in the 1960’s, but it sounds very confusing – like a labyrinth.
The Tour Montparnasse in Paris, France
The 210-metre (688 feet) office skyscraper is one of the most hated buildings in all of Paris because of its ugly design that locals consider an insult to the overall beautify landscape of the city. Also, the neighborhood in which it is located is known for its painters, writers, and cool expats. So, you can see how the skyscraper doesn’t fit? The top offers a nice view of ten Eifel Tower but that’s not enough to win it some love.
Ponte City Apartments in Johannesburg, South Africa
This is the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere. There was a time when the building was ruled by drug dealers and pimps, but the 567-foot concrete structure has cleaned up its reputation. The 54 stories high “cylinder” with an unusual hollow inner core is hated because it was the home of the elite white, hip and young urban dwellers before it fell into despair and became a “no go” zone. In the 1990’s there was talk of turning Ponte into a prison.
Mount Rushmore in Keystone, South Dakota
Millions of people go every year to see the figures of former U.S. Presidents, who laid a foundation for the ｃountry, carved in stone on Mount Rushmore. But some people may not know that the monument is actually hated by Native Americans because it was built on sacred land the government took from them.
African Renaissance Monument, Senegal
The monument is hated because it cost too much money to build and because it’s depicted as sexist. The woman is wearing revealing clothes the muscular man holds a baby in his arms and seems to be pulling along the “naked” woman. This is the tallest statue in Africa – at 161 feet, located outside Dakar, and built by North Koreans. Officials say it’s supposed to symbolize African liberation from centuries of ignorance and intolerance but opponents argue that it says more about poor governance.
Article Source: https://www.theactivetimes.com/travel/world/most-hated-landmarks-world
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VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Eyesore (n.) ~ a thing that is very ugly, especially a building that disfigures a landscape
2. Resentment (n.) ~ bitter indignation at having been treated unfairly
3. Basilica (n.) ~ a large oblong hall or building with double colonnades and a semicircular apse, used in ancient Rome as a court of law or for public assemblies
4. Elite (adj.) ~ a select part of a group that is superior to the rest in terms of ability or qualities
5. Infamous (adj.) ~ well known for some bad quality or deed
6. Evict (v.) ~ expel (someone) from a property, especially with the support of the law
7. Labyrinth (n.) ~ a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way a maze
8. Sexist (adj.) ~ relating to or characterized by prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What are the usual reasons for establishing various landmarks in a ｃountry?
2. What are the most popular landmarks in your ｃountry? Why were they built?
3. Are there some landmarks in Korea which are hated by Korean people? If yes, what is it and what is the reason for the resentment?
4. What are the landmarks that you have visited before that you liked very much? Describe them. How about the ones that you didn't like? Why?
