Thursday, September 27, 2012

Roadside Memorials From Around the World

A roadside memorial is a marker that usually commemorates a site where a person died suddenly and unexpectedly, away from home. Unlike a grave site headstone, which marks where a body is laid, the memorial marks the last place on earth where a person was alive - although in the past travelers were, out of necessity, often buried where they fell. Usually the memorial is created and maintained by family members or friends of the person who died. Many people find them unsightly and also a distraction to drivers.


Laos roadside memorial - LINK

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany -- This shrine was built to honor the Virgin Mary, whom residents say helped them during times of need. Photo credit: Iris Reiff - LINK

Photo credit: ©2011. Keith Dannemiller - LINK

Highway 63 A roadside memorial near the Syncrude Canada site, approximately 30km north of Fort McMurray. Photo credit: Amanda Richardson - LINK

Flowers at a roadside in memorial in Abbotsford, B.C. Photo credit: Stuart Davis - LINK

Roadside shrine near Zakopane, Poland. Photo by basiagasienica

Austrian roadside memorial - LINK

This roadside shrine or animita is south of Santiago, Chile. It has been there for perhaps 50 years and is devoted to the memory of a young handicapped boy who was cruelly killed. Photo by kimbar/very busy, in and out on Flickr

Roadside shrine in New Mexico- LINK

Roadside shrine Photo by radimersky on Flickr

Funeral Crosses at Kilmore, Co. Wexford. These crosses are the continuation of a custom dating back to the 1100s. Upon every funeral at the local cemetery, a cross is placed under a tree in memory of the deceased. Those attending the funeral pause in respectful silence as the cross is placed with the others. This was traditionally done by one of the mourners, but is now done by the undertaker, who automatically brings two crosses for all funerals in Kilmore, the other being for the grave. Photo by Gale on Flickr

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Roadside shrine in Greece - LINK

Roadside shrine marks a traffic fatality in Greece - LINK

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Ghost bikes are small and somber memorials for bicyclists who are killed or hit on the street. A bicycle is painted all white and locked to a street sign near the crash site, accompanied by a small plaque. They serve as reminders of the tragedy that took place on an otherwise anonymous street corner, and as quiet statements in support of cyclists' right to safe travel. - LINK

Roadside shrines in Gythio, Peloponnese - LINK

This pair of ornamental steel crosses mark hte deathplace of two individuals at the intersection of FM 70 and CR 51 just South of Corpus Christi, Texas - LINK 

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