Buildings & Structures
The Tallest Statues in Europe
Led by two Russian giants, the tallest completed statues across Europe — ranked by the height of the figure alone, not including any pedestal or base it stands on.
#1
Peter the Great Statue — 98 m
Designed by sculptor Zurab Tsereteli and erected in Moscow in 1997 to mark the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy, which Peter the Great founded. The bronze tsar stands atop a ship built from unfurled sails and rigging — legend has it the piece began life as an unsold Columbus statue before being reworked for its current subject.[1]
#2
The Motherland Calls — 85 m
The centerpiece of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex in Volgograd, commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad. Sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich's allegorical figure of the Motherland, sword raised, was the largest free-standing statue in the world when it was unveiled in 1967 — the sword alone is 33 meters long.[2]
#3
Motherland Monument — 62 m
A stainless-steel figure of Mother Ukraine towering over Kyiv, unveiled in 1981 atop the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II. In 2023, on Ukraine's Independence Day, the Soviet-era hammer-and-sickle emblem on its shield was cut away and replaced with the Ukrainian trident.[3]
#4
Christ the King — 36 m
Completed in 2010 in the small Polish town of Świebodzin, this statue of Christ — including its gilded crown — is taller than Rio de Janeiro's famous Christ the Redeemer, though built on a much smaller budget funded largely by local parish donations. It stands on a 16.5-meter mound with a lift up to a small viewing platform.[4]
#5
Alyosha Monument — 35.5 m
Overlooking the Arctic port city of Murmansk, this 1974 monument honors the Soviet soldiers, sailors, and airmen who defended the region during World War II. It's Russia's second-tallest statue after The Motherland Calls, and its hollow granite-clad frame faces toward the "Valley of Glory" battle site roughly 19 kilometers away.[5]