6 Inspiring Crypto Landmarks That You Can Visit Today

As crypto enthusiasts, we spend a good chunk of time at our computer screens, but enjoying crypto doesn’t need to be confined to the digital world. 

The cryptocurrency community has grown so large that it has inspired several enthusiasts to create their own getaway destinations, which could be called landmarks. 

Whether it’s a family trip, a holiday with friends, or simply a solo adventure, these crypto-inspired locales are well worth visiting for those within the industry. 

What Defines a Crypto Landmark?

For a crypto-based statue, building, monument, or area to stand out, it needs to evoke some intangible emotion in the person viewing it. Simply put, it needs to convey a message rather than just exist for the sake of it. 

When someone gazes up at the Great Wall of China, for example, the wall itself can evoke feelings of patriotism, traditionalism, safety, and sacrifice. 

In the case of crypto, the themes that can emanate from such landmarks would be the likes of technological progress, individual privacy, and financial freedom, just to name a few.

As a result, the landmark in question doesn’t need to be some big and spectacular construction. So long as it’s built to exemplify the deeper themes of crypto, it’s more than capable of fitting the description. 

Popular Crypto Landmarks 

1. Satoshi Bust, Hungary 

By far the most popular statue dedicated to cryptocurrency, or more specifically, to the founder of Bitcoin (BTC) , is the Satoshi Nakamoto bust in Budapest, Hungary. 

According to the website of the team behind the bust, the goal was to honor Satoshi “Not just because of his significance in the world of IT, but because of his value for humanity in general”.

However, the bust’s a few key details highlight a deeper significance. For one, the statue is made of bronze, so when a person approaches, they will see their own reflection on its face. 

Additionally, the design is very minimalistic, with Satoshi wearing nothing more than a casual hoodie and a small Bitcoin badge with a title underneath that simply reads “Satoshi Nakamoto.”

All of this feeds into the popular phrase “We are all Satoshi,” which is also the slogan of the bust, as can be seen on the website. This popular quote refers to the idea that crypto was made by the people, for the people, and celebrates the anonymity cryptocurrency provides for the larger community. 

Therefore, the world’s first-ever memorial to the mysterious Nakamoto emphasizes the theme of personal and financial freedom that Bitcoin and its founder have allowed to flourish in the modern age by propelling crypto into the mainstream. 

2. Satoshi Island, South Pacific 

Despite the name, Satoshi Island isn’t a private getaway owned by the man himself. 

Instead, it’s cited as the planet’s first “Crypto economy”. But what does that actually mean? It’s an attempt to bring a blockchain into real life, creating a decentralized economy where crypto rules the land.

For example, NFTs play a big role on the island as they are used to own property and to vote on proposals. As a result, anyone can own a patch of 32 million square feet of land so long as they have the necessary NFTs to cover the asking price. 

Satoshi’s Island is an ambitious landmark that celebrates and acknowledges the potential of blockchain technology and decentralization. It was the first experiment of its kind to try to prove that such technology can also be replicated in real life. 

Despite how out there it may seem, Satoshi Island is well worth a visit for any Bitcoin or Satoshi fans. It can be visited by jumping on a direct flight from Australia, New Zealand, or Fiji. There is also a Metaverse version of the island for anyone who can’t see it in person. 

3. Second Culture, Czech Republic 

Second Culture has long been a venue hosting numerous Prague-based crypto events, including the Prague DeFi Summit, ETH Prague, and the Web3 Privacy Summit. 

What’s especially intriguing is the venue’s newest development, launched in 2014: the coffee shop. In keeping with the venue’s general purpose, this coffee shop is the first in Europe to only accept crypto as payment. 

The goal of the shop, according to the orchestrators behind it, was to “Bridge the gap between geeks and the general public” by combining an everyday service with cryptocurrency. 

In their own words, “Our intention was to offer visitors such great coffee that they would be willing to overcome their fear of cryptocurrencies.” This feeds into the important theme of acceptance among the general public, which is needed for crypto to develop and evolve over time.

Additionally, being the very first of its kind in Europe makes Second Culture a genuine accomplishment in helping to make crypto seem more relatable and appealing to the everyday visitor who may have been hesitant beforehand. 

4. The Crypto Cafe & Bar, Japan 

Japan was one of the earliest nations to adopt cryptocurrency, and it still retains a very large and active crypto community.

Japan is also known for its bar scene, but the first Japanese bar dedicated to crypto was not established until 2022 in the Ebisu district of Tokyo. 

The ‘Crypto Bar’, as it has become known, was thought up by crypto enthusiast Joichi Ito, who decided to transform a vacant building into a bar that can only be described as a crypto fans’ paradise. With a vibrant selection of NFT artwork splashed across the walls, rows of tables for studying and working, and a plentiful selection of beverages that can be purchased with crypto, the Crypto Bar has a lot to offer. 

There have even been talks about implementing the country’s first real life DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation) which would give the community members and visitors full control of the property, without anyone at the top handling its development behind the scenes. 

Whether the Japanese government will permit this is yet to be seen. However, the idea of creating a functioning real-world DAO and the bar, in general, has done an admirable job of ushering crypto into the Japanese public consciousness, facilitating adoption by mixing crypto with a casual everyday setting.

5. Crypto Valley, Switzerland 

The city of Zug, located in Switzerland, was originally a home base for Swiss consultants and lawyers. 

Zug’s business-friendly legislation and close proximity to the capital encouraged many entrepreneurs to settle down there, including crypto enthusiasts. Thus, Zug eventually earned the nickname ‘Crypto Valley’.

The first person to coin the name was Johann Gevers, the man behind smart contract platform MONETAS, who opened the floodgates for more than 40 other crypto foundations to relocate to the valley. 

It’s become known as a central hub of crypto innovation and progress. In the same way that many tech aficionados see Silicon Valley as a beacon of innovation and progress within the world of social media, the same can be applied to the more recently emerged Crypto Valley, showing just how many bright minds are committed to facilitating crypto’s evolution.

6. Kryptos Sculpture, America

Though the famous Kryptos Sculpture located right outside the American CIA headquarters was built in 1990, a while before the emergence of crypto, the cypherpunk movement was well underway at the time.

More specifically, this was a time when computer scientists, such as David Chaum and Adam Back, were theorizing ways to use cryptography to provide financial privacy. 

This period saw much pushback from authorities, but there was also a lot of excitement about cryptography, which sparked Jim Sanborn’s idea to create Kryptos. The sculpture itself contains four encrypted messages, three of which have been solved since it was created. 

For many crypto enthusiasts, Kryptos has been seen as a celebration of cryptography, which has played an integral role in keeping crypto investors’ actions private and safe from unwanted onlookers. The fact that it has taken so long to solve its riddles further cements this theme of personal financial privacy and the effectiveness of cryptography in general. 

What Countries are Pro-Crypto?

If all of this has got you interested in doing a little globe-trotting, it’s worth being aware of what countries most accept cryptocurrency use, as this can vary greatly across nations. 

Here are just a few countries that have been acknowledged for their pro-crypto stances: 

• Germany – Germany offers fair regulations on handling crypto. Cryptocurrency is recognised as a financial instrument or asset, which makes it subject to German laws, creating clear regulations that most countries don’t provide. 
• Singapore – Singapore contains supportive legislation for cryptocurrency usage, and it’s also a highly reputable financial sector.
• Switzerland – Switzerland offers favorable crypto regulations, low taxes for crypto profits, and clear ICO guidelines for ICOs (Initial Coin Offerings) .
• Japan – A major player in the crypto ecosystem, Japan recognized Bitcoin as a legal currency back in 2017 and also contains one of the most developed regulatory frameworks for crypto in the world. 
• Malta – Considered the global hub for crypto enterprises, Malta has clear regulation and favorable tax policies on crypto. It also hosts many crypto businesses, making it easy to make connections in the crypto industry. 

On the Flipside

• The biggest crypto landmark may be one that hasn’t yet been created; the Bitcoin City.
• This ‘smart city’ is planned to be established in El Salvador and will be the first ever city running entirely off cryptocurrency.

Why This Matters

Getting out there and seeing the sights can help us consider just how far crypto has come now that more and more countries are accepting it. Additionally, visiting crypto landmarks is just an easy way to find new friends in the big and expansive community forged out of a love for digital assets, the crypto market, and crypto trading in general.

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