Fountains are pleasant diversions for visitors to a city or park. Some are just for the pleasure of the eye, while in others, you can wade in on hot summer days and refresh yourself after an exhausting walk, as well as sit on a bench nearby and enjoy a musical symphony alongside the wet air. In the following, we are going to introduce some 10 of the most fascinating fountains all over the world.
Samson Fountain, St. Petersburg, Russia
At center stage in the incredible cascade of 64 fountains flowing down from St. Petersburg, Tsar Peter’s palace, alongside an arrow-straight canal, is Francesco Rastrelli’s fountain, crowned since 1802 by a gilded bronze statue of Samson wrestling with a lion. That lion symbolized Charles XII and Samson, the victorious Russian tsar. In the 1940′ s, however, the German army destroyed the palace, and the statue of Samson was taken away. In the year 1947, she was replaced by a replica by Vasily Simonov.
Archibald Fountain, Sydney, Australia
Located in Hyde Park, Archibald Fountain is situated in the center of Sydney, New South Wales. The Design is a blend of Greek and Roman influences. It features the god Apollo surrounded by other mythical creatures spouting water for the delight of visitors.
Great Wild Goose Pagoda Fountain, Xi’an, China
This is the largest fountain in Asia, covering 110,000 square meters. The whole complex has the most benches, longest light ribbon, and largest acoustic ensemble globally. This fountain has three sections: the Hundred-Meter Waterfall Pool, the Eight-Stage Plunge Pool, and the Prelude Music Pool.
Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, Hyde Park, London
Opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2004, that fountain has grown in popularity over the past decade. This is a loop of finely hewn granite. Its water enters at its highest point, flowing in two directions and meeting at its lowest point, from which it returns to symbolize the cycle of life. The fountain also invites people to sit and refresh their feet in the cool water during the summer.
Buckingham Fountain, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Buckingham Fountain in Chicago’s Grant Park was built in 1927 and is still one of the largest fountains in the world. Designed to symbolize Lake Michigan, its four seahorses represent the four states that border the lake. Every hour there is a choreographed water show.
Jet d’Eau, Geneva, Switzerland
Do not expect bronze statues here. More surprisingly, this fountain’s magic lies in a simple 10-cm-diameter nozzle that shoots seven tons of water into the alpine sky at 120 mph. The water, which is fed by millions of air bubbles, gleams snow-white and glistens iridescently when the sun shines through the sky-high spout.
Keller Fountain Park, Portland, Oregon, USA
Designed by landscape architect Angela Danadjieva, this modern fountain complex is a beautiful park. It resembles the waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge, through which nearly 50,000 gallons of water flow every minute. It became a local landmark after its completion in 1970.
Stravinsky Fountain, Paris, France
The colorful fountain by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle is one of seven new fountains in Paris commissioned by presidential decree in 1978. It evokes motifs from the work of Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky. The circus was a favorite theme of Stravinsky and his contemporaries, making this charming surrealist fountain truly exuberant and colorful. You can find it near the Pompidou Cultural Center.
Naqsh-e Jahan Square, Isfahan, Iran
A large public square with an arcade, this square is the heart of Isfahan, a great historical city in present-day Iran. It was constructed according to the designs of Shaikh Bahá’í between 1602 and 1629 for Shah Abbas. Historically, the site has been a notable meeting place for various professions, peoples, cultures, and even religions. Fountains were added during the reign of the last Shah of Persia, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, deposed in 1979. When the temperature regularly rises to 35°C or more on summer days, such refreshment is incredibly convenient.
Fountain of Apollo, Versailles, France
The French king Louis XIV considered himself the Apollo of his time. The finest of the fountains created in 1662 in the palace gardens was inspired by the image of the Roman sun god rising from the sea at sunrise to cross the sky. With horses, cetaceans and newts spouting water from their horns, this splendid attraction stands at the head of a mile-long canal that makes the Palace Gardens seem endless.
