Kranj, a self-described “picturesque old town in the center of Slovenian Alps,” unveiled a monument to Bitcoin this week. To many regulators around the world, cryptocurrency is increasingly viewed as a perplexing nuisance. Accordingly, the three-ton monument resides in the center of a three-road intersection.
City authorities of Kranj (Slovenia) placed a statue shaped as a Bitcoin logo at the roundabout near the city center.
Link: https://t.co/7NFU6lbMxV#Crypto #Bitcoin #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain #Slovenia— Andrej Trček (@andrejtrcek) March 11, 2018
Touted as the world’s first cryptocurrency landmark, the intentionally rusty, off-kilter ring features the iconic bitcoin logo (a lowercase “b” intersected by two vertical lines) at its center. Digital currency exchange Bitstamp reportedly split the cost of the installation with local Slovenian tech firm 3fs, which is described on its own website as “a grown-up company.”
According to Reuters, Kranj’s mayor got the idea to enshrine bitcoin at the intersection of Ziosova Ulica, Cesta Staneta Žagarja, and Gregorčičeva Ulica via a Facebook poll. Bitcoin itself has struggled in recent months, dropping from a high of around $US20,000 ($25,405) per coin in mid December to barely over $US9,000 ($11,432) currently. Much like the value of the coin, the website of the monument’s designer, Aleksander Frančeškin, appears to have crashed.
Additional photos of the roundabout’s new distraction can be viewed on the website of local photographer Andrej Trček.
[Reuters]