“Banal” doesn’t begin to describe the exceedingly blase entrance to Stonehenge, a suburban subdivision in Athens, Georgia. Even the landscaping looks embarrassed to be there. Do REM and the B-52s know about this? Because they should – Athens, we thought you were cool!
Let’s quote blogger Neon Poisoning, who captured the above images on March 6th of 2007 and was less than impressed: “There are loads of amazing stonehenges that populate the US. This was not one of them. The Stonehenge of Athens was a complete letdown, however. Barely henge-like. And the neighborhood that was behind the shrine, boring. Just regular houses, some with cars being worked on in front and no sacrificial alters.” Well, some say Georgia IS an altered state.
Centro de Estudo do Universo Stonehenge Réplica, Brazil
If you’re the Centro de Estudos do Universo (Center for the Study of the Universe), then you’ve got the right to host a Stonehenge replica and this educational institution in Sao Paolo, Brazil does exactly that. This faux-henge may look a tad slim but its heart – the trilithon horseshoe – faces the three-lintel stretch in the outside circle, as it should be. Kudos to Panoramio user James King Pyles Ribeiro and Flickr users SPCA – Astronomia em Ponta Grossa, Paraná and May Machado for these images of Brazilhenge.
University of Texas of the Permian Basin Stonehenge
The Stonehenge replica at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) in Odessa, Texas was built in 2004 with construction taking a mere 6 weeks – so states a metal plaque installed at the site. This replica is a “working version” with a functional heel stone and not just a cosmetic cosmic creation for camera-clicking city slickers.
The stones are properly lined-up, life-sized and life-weighted as well with the heaviest tipping the scales at around 20 tons. Flickr user Richard Alexander (Pooua) visited the site in May of 2009 and snapped a ton of photos.
Gunma Prefectural Astronomical Observatory, Japan
Flickr user akinari GS (GSakinari) captured the Gunma Prefectural Astronomical Observatory’s Stonehenge replica in twilight on November 29th of 2011. The grounds also feature an homage to the 18th century Jantar Mantar observatory in New Delhi, India, that complements the neat and tidy stone circle nearby.
Located in Takayama, Japan, the Gunma Prefectural Astronomical Observatory opened in April of 1999 so we can assume their nifty Stonehenge replica dates from around that time.
