"Statues and Monuments" by Andrew_W_K

If you come from the UK I defy you stand inside the Menin gate in Ypres, Belgium and not be moved. Even as I recall standing there over 20 years ago I can still feel the power that it evokes. If you don't know what it is the Menin Gate is a memorial to the British & Commonwealth forces of the first world war that combines the architecture of a classical victory arch and a mausoleum and it contains, inside and out, huge panels into which are carved the names of the 54,896 officers and men of the commonwealth forces who died in the Ypres area and who have no known graves. As a mark of respect and gratitude the last post is played at 8:00 pm every day of the year by members of the Ypres fire brigade. If you are British, a visit to this great monument should be compulsory.

I have a thing for statues and monuments particularly if they are good ones. This is one of the best. It stands outside the castle at Falaise in Normandy - home of William the Conquerer. I think it captures the spirit of the man - a leader, a warrior but above all a victor.

I also have a thing for tube or metro signs - I don't know why. Maybe one day I'll start train spotting or something. Anyway anyone who has been to Paris will have seen the ornate signs that stand above the metro stations. This is my favourite from the Bastille. Art Nouveux at its best.

There is nothing in the modern Greek town of Sparta from the great city state of the Spartans of old except for a statue of a Spartan soldier and a fine one it is too.

Not one of the most sought out sights in New York but if you wander along the Riverside Park on the upper west side of Manhattan you will find this fine monument dedicated to the American soldiers and sailors that was erected in 1902. Worth the trip just for the park alone.

Erected in the city of Winchester in 1899 this is one of our finest statues. In honour of Alfred - famous for burning cakes - it stands proud at the eastern end of the Broadway.

A Roman arch that stands in the centre of Athens at the start of the Plaka and hence the road leading up to the Acropolis on one side and the temple of Apollo on the other. The arch is often overlooked among Athens other sights but a couple of minutes reflection there should be on everyones itinery.

This fine Serbian statue stands outside the town hall in the town of Pozarevac. Milos Obrenovic was a Serbian rebel who led the uprising of Serbs against the Turks in the nineteenth century.