There are thousands of public works of art around the world and many impress and surprise with their creativity and size. Whether carved in rock or covered in marble, dripping with gold or made from plants, these are some of the biggest, tallest and most awe-inspiring statues and sculptures worth seeking out on your travels.

Currently under construction in Encantado, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, this statue of Jesus Christ will be larger than Rio's famed Christ the Redeemer. Once finished, the statue, called Christ the Protector of Encantado, will be the world's third-largest statue of Jesus at a total height of 156 feet (47.5m). Created by a father and son sculptor duo, the concrete structure is scheduled to be finished this year and visitors will be able to rise 111 feet (34m) through the heart of it, to a glass opening looking out across the surrounding area.

Rising high above the Danube, at the border between Romania and Serbia, the portrait of Decebalus, the last king of the Dacians, is Europe's biggest stone sculpture. At 180 feet (55m) tall and 82 feet (25m) wide, it's bigger than both the Statue of Liberty in New York and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

The largest equine sculpture in the world, the two horses' heads rise 98 feet (30m) above the surrounding area. Depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), the sculpture is a reference to the area's strong connection to horses that helped shape Scottish industry and economy. Located in the Forth Valley, Falkirk itself lies between Scotland's two biggest cities, Glasgow and the capital of Edinburgh.

Located on the resort island of Koh Samui in Thailand, Wat Plai Laem is a Buddhist temple dedicated to Guanyin, the goddess of compassion and mercy. The temple's main feature is the 18-arm image of Guanyin that rises 66 feet (20m) above the complex. Unlike many other Buddhist places of worship, Wat Plai Laem is a modern temple, however, the techniques used in its creation are centuries old and based on ancient beliefs.

Carved out of a cliff face in the southern part of Sichuan province in China, the Leshan Giant Buddha is a 233-foot (71m) tall stone statue. Built between 713 and 803, the statue depicts Maitreya, the embodiment of all-encompassing love. The giant statue is a popular attraction and just one of its shoulders is large enough to be a basketball court.

A part of the Tsz Shan Monastery in Hong Kong, its most striking feature is the blindingly white Guanyin statue. Rising 249 feet (76m) above ground, it's nestled among the greenery of lush woodlands, making the monastery a serene and beautiful escape from the busy city.

A statue of epic proportions, the Spring Temple Buddha is the second tallest statue in the world. It's 420 feet (128m) tall but, together with the lotus throne it stands on and the stacked platform base, the total height is closer to 682 feet (208m). Located in Henan, China, the statue depicts Vairocana Buddha – often seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of śūnyatā, which refers to the emptiness reached through meditation.

Modelled after the famous Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba in Bolivia is one of the largest statues of Jesus Christ in the world. Reaching a total height of 133 feet (40m), it's located atop San Pedro Hill and is accessible via a cable car or by climbing the 2,000 steps.

The world's tallest statue between 1993 and 2002, Ushiku Daibutsu in Japan stands a total of 390 feet (120m) tall, including the base and the lotus platform. The bronze statue has an observation floor and three other levels that serve as a museum. It was built to commemorate the birth of Shinran – a Japanese Buddhist monk who founded Jōdo Shinshū which is the most widely practised branch of Buddhism in Japan.

Visitors arriving to Esbjerg by sea are greeted by four monumental figures crafted in white concrete entitled Man Meets the Sea. The sculpture was unveiled in 1995, celebrating Esbjerg's 100 years as an independent municipality and is a symbol of the contemplative nature of humankind. Measuring 27 feet (8.2m) tall, this work of art by Svend Wiig Hansen is much-loved within the community.

Declared the Buddhist Treasure of Phuket, the statue is located in Phuket, Thailand. Reaching heights of 148 feet (45m), the statue is made of concrete and covered in Burmese white marble. It depicts Gautama – the monk on whose teachings Buddhism was founded – in a sitting position. Its construction started in 2004 and cost around £727,000 ($950,000) to build, sourced mostly from donations.

The tallest Guanyin statue in the world, it rises 354 feet (108m) and has three aspects – one facing inland and the other two looking out to the South China Sea. The different aspects represent Guanyin's blessing and protection of China and the whole world. It was enshrined in 2005 with the participation of 108 eminent monks from various Buddhist groups in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao and China alongside thousands of pilgrims. 

An undeniable symbol of New York City, Lady Liberty has been welcoming visitors since 1886, when France gifted it to the people of the United States. Although the statue itself is only 154 feet (47m) tall, with the pedestal it's over 300 feet (90m), placing it among the 10 tallest statues in the world.

Known locally as Brezhnev's Daughter, The Motherland Monument in Ukraine's capital Kiev honours the Ukrainian soldiers who defended Kiev during the Second World War and celebrates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. The 203-foot (62m) tall titanium statue is part of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, overlooking the River Dnieper.

This 112-foot (34m) tall statue of the Hindu deity Shiva has been recognised as the largest bust sculpture in the world by Guinness World Records. Located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, it's intended to inspire and promote yoga. It's named Adiyogi, meaning the first yogi, because Shiva is known as the originator of yoga.

One of the largest Buddha statues in China and the world, the Grand Buddha at Ling Shan is 289 feet (88m) tall, including the 30-foot (9m) tall lotus pedestal. The bronze statue depicts Amitābha – the principal Buddha in Pure Land Buddhism.

The record holder for the world's tallest fork, this 26-feet-tall (8m) art installation is almost as popular of a tourist attraction in the Swiss town of Vevey as Charlie Chaplin's statue. The Fork was initially created for the 10th anniversary of Alimentarium, a Vevey-based museum with a permanent exhibition on food and the history of Nestlé. It was removed in 1996, however, following a public petition it was reinstated about a decade later.

Arguably one of the most famous statues in the world, Christ the Redeemer welcomes around two million visitors every year. Located atop the Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro, the reinforced concrete statue stands 98 feet (30m) tall with its outstretched arms spanning 92 feet (28m). Known as Cristo Redentor in Portuguese, the statue was completed in 1931 and is the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world.

This 397-foot (121m) tall statue in Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Indonesia, depicts Garuda, a bird-like creature in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythology, with Vishnu on his back. The statue was inspired by a Hindu myth about the search for Amrita (the elixir for life) that Garuda could use to free his enslaved mother. The statue took 28 years to build and was unveiled in 2018.

Hidden away in lush, forest-clad mountains, the remote Po Lin monastery attracts visitors and pilgrims from all across the world. One of its main draws is the 111-foot-tall (34m) Tian Tan Buddha statue. It was erected in 1993 and sits facing north, looking over the Chinese people, with its right hand raised to deliver a blessing to all. To take a closer look at this bronze Buddha that took 12 years to complete, visitors face an arduous 268-step climb.

This epic 1,320-tonne God of War statue looms tall over the Guan Yu Park in the Chinese city of Jingzhou. The statue of the Chinese god is 190 feet (58m) tall and is covered in more than 4,000 strips of bronze. Designed to look like a warship, Guan Yu holds a weapon known as the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and inside the pedestal there's a museum dedicated to his life and achievements.

Found just off the coast of Nassau in Bahamas, this is the largest underwater sculpture in the world. Called Ocean Atlas, it's the work of artist, diver and naturalist Jason deCaires Taylor, who introduced record-breaking sculpture to the Caribbean waters in 2014. Forged from sustainable and pH-neutral materials, the statue is meant to encourage coral colonisation and to show that human interaction with the natural world can also be positive. 

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The tallest statue in Europe, Motherland Calls is at the centre of the monument ensemble Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd, Russia. Depicting a woman that symbolises the Russian motherland, it calls the country's sons and daughters to defend her against the enemy. Standing 279 feet (85m) tall, the statue was built in 1967, commemorating 25 years since the bloody Battle of Stalingrad (Volgograd's previous name), when almost two million people died during the six-month siege of the city. 

Outside of Mongolia, Genghis Khan is known as a brutal and savage dictator but to locals, he's a national hero, who established the Mongol Empire as a cultural, political and economic force. The 131-foot-tall (40m) statue faces east, towards Genghis Khan's birthplace, and the adjacent museum offers archaeological tours, a chance to try on traditional Mongolian costumes and sample the country's cuisine. It's the largest equestrian statue in the world.

Perched on top of Cerro Santa Bárbara stands the towering statue of Virgen del Socavón, the patron saint of Oruro. Inside the 105-foot-tall (32m) statue, stairs lead to platforms from where there are impressive views of the city and beyond. It's especially atmospheric during the carnival that precedes Lent every year when thousands of people march in elaborate, colourful costumes to the music of brass bands.

Best known for his balloon dogs, this is possibly the most adorable of Jeff Koon's works. Located outside the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, this 43 feet tall (13m) West Highland terrier is a living plant sculpture. A take on the outlandish topiary sculptures of 18th-century gardens, the piece was created to inspire optimism according to the artist himself.

The second tallest Shiva statue in the world, it's located in southern Indian town Murdeshwar near the ancient Murudeshwara Temple. Located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, the statue is 130 feet (40m) tall and is a part of a temple complex, dedicated to Lord Shiva – one of the principal deities of Hinduism.

Located at the entrance of Batu Caves just outside of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, this statue of Lord Murugan is the tallest depiction of a Hindu deity in the world. Standing 140 feet (43m) tall, the statue is constructed from around 250 tonnes of steel and took 66 gallons of gold paint to decorate it.

Located just outside of Da Nang, one of Vietnam's largest cities, the Golden Bridge has quickly become a must-visit attraction after opening in 2018. Soaring 3,280 feet (999m) above sea level, the two giant hands hold a striking footbridge, meant to resemble the hands of gods holding a golden thread. Part of a £1.5 ($2) billion investment to lure more tourists to the area, it's a spectacular sight to see. 

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Dedicated to the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Statue of Unity is currently the tallest in the world. Towering an impressive 787 feet (if you include the base), facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam in India, the statue depicts one of the country's founding fathers and its first Deputy Prime Minister.

To put the statue's monumental size in perspective, it's equivalent to around an 18-storey building and took 3,000 workers and 250 engineers 40 months to complete. The statue's core is made from 6,500 tonnes of structural steel and 18,500 tonnes of reinforced steel. The outer façade is covered in 1,700 bronze plates and 1,850 tonnes of bronze cladding. 

 

The accompanying statue, Reclining Buddha, represents historical Buddha during his last illness before his death. The statue houses a temple and is surrounded by a garden of Bodhi trees and 9,000 other plants. It's believed that Buddha attained enlightenment during a rest under a Bodhi tree. 

 

The Great Buddha of Thailand, located in the Wat Muang temple, is currently the tallest statue in Thailand. Depicted in a seated posture, called Maravijaya Attitude, the Buddha draws in visitors thanks to its right hand – just below there's a small pedestal people can stand on to touch the Buddha's hand. 

 

This Buddha statue's enormous dimensions – it's 300 feet high (91m) and 201 feet wide (61m) – dominate the landscape, meaning it can be seen for miles. 

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Breaking up the seemingly flat surface of Atacama Desert's moonscape, Mano del Desierto (Hand of the Desert) is a work of the Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal. The 36 feet tall (11m) hand was built in the early 1980s and the artist himself has said that his "art is meant to spark imagination". However, the hand, its size and its location are all a symbol of human vulnerability. 

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The third largest statue in the world, the 423-foot-tall (129m) Laykyun Sekkya is a monument dedicated to Buddha Shakyamuni – the spiritual master considered the founder of Buddhism. Funded solely by donations, the statue took more than 12 years to finish and was finally unveiled in 2008.