Many of you have probably heard of the Trevi Fountain in Rome, and you’ve probably seen the famous Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, either in person or while watching the movie Ocean’s 11.
While there’s no doubt that these are both spectacular sights to behold however, they only represent a small percentage of the incredible fountains that you can currently find around the world. From Stockholm to Sunderland, from China to Peru, this list compiled by Liked video showcases some of the quirkiest, the cleverest, and the most beautiful fountains we could find. Some rotate. Others light up. A few even seem to defy gravity. But one thing they all have in common is that they’re sure to leave you in awe. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite! Like what you see? Then click here to see 15+ of the most amazing sculptures from around the world!
#1 Water Boat Fountain, Valencia, Spain
Located at Playa de la Malvarrosa in Valencia, Spain and known simply as Water Boat Fountain (or Fuente del Barco de Agua in Spanish), this sculptural fountain gives the illusion of a sailboat with jets of water. There are also other water boat fountains in Portugal and Israel. (
#2 Osaka Station Fountain-Clock, Osaka, Japan
Nothing can describe how mesmerizing the water fountain at the Osaka City Station in Japan is. The attraction, located in the South Gate Building of the new Osaka Station City complex, consist of a large rectangular water fountain that displays a digital style time read out, moving floral patterns and falling shapes in the collapsing wall of water. Designed by the local firm Koei Industry, the fountain works…
#3 ‘The Mustangs Of Las Colinas’, Texas, USA
Mustangs at Las Colinas is a bronze sculpture by Robert Glen, that decorates Williams Square in Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. It is said to be the largest equestrian sculpture in the world. Although the Kelpies in Falkirk, Scotland are the confirmed largest. The sculpture commemorates the wild mustangs that were historically important inhabitants of much of Texas. It portrays a group running through a watercourse, with fountains…
#4 Banpo Bridge, Seoul, South Korea
The Moonlight Rainbow Fountain is the world’s longest bridge fountain that set a Guinness World Record with nearly 10,000 LED nozzles that run along both sides that is 1,140m long, shooting out 190 tons of water per minute. Installed in September 2009 on the Banpo Bridge, former mayor of Seoul Oh Se-hoon declared that the bridge will further beautify the city and showcase Seoul’s eco-friendliness, as the water…
#5 Magic Tap, Cadiz, Spain
This «Magic Tap» can be found at Aqualand in Cadiz, Spain. At first glance it looks as if the tap is levitating, but upon closer inspection you’ll find that there’s actually a pipe hidden in the stream of water that’s holding up the entire structure. Still looks pretty cool though!
#6 Vortex Fountain ‘Charybdis’, Sunderland, UK
Charybdis was created by the water sculptor William Pye in 2000 for the luxury Seaham Hotel and Spa, near Sunderland in Northern England. Charybdis is the name of a siren mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey, who was hit by a thunderbolt from Zeus that transformed her into a whirlpool as harsh punishment for stealing an oxen from Hercules. Pye later built similar sculptures influenced by the story in Oman…
#7 Giant — Entrance To The Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds), Wattens, Austria
The Swarovski Crystal Worlds (Swarovski Kristallwelten) is a museum, located in Wattens, Austria. The museum was built in 1995 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Austria based crystal company Swarovski. The Crystal Worlds Centre is fronted by a grass-covered head, the mouth of which is a fountain. We bet you’ve never seen a fountain like this before!
#8 ‘Nine Floating Fountains’, Osaka, Japan
The Nine Floating Fountains are Japanese American artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi’s creation for the World Expo held in Osaka, Japan in 1970. These incredible fountains look as if they’re flying, and even though these fountains were built over 40 years ago, they are still as fascinating to behold as they were back then.
#9 Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Pietro Bracci. Standing 26.3 metres (86 ft) high and 49.15 metres (161.3 ft) wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. The fountain has appeared in several notable films, including Federico Fellini’s La Dolce…
#10 ‘the Divers Fountain’, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This incredible 24-metre tall water feature can be found in The Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates. Adorned with fiberglass sculptures of divers, and traversing all four levels of the indoor shopping precinct, The Waterfall was designed by Singapore-based DPA Architects and was opened in 2009.
#11 Cascades Of Hercules Monument, Kassel, Germany
The Water features and Hercules within the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a monumental Baroque and Romantic garden landscape. Water descends from the Giant statue of Hercules, passing a water-wheel-powered organ, various fountains, waterfalls, basins and grottoes.The dramatic water displays were laid out by Landgrave Carl of Hesse-Kassel from 1689 onwards, to display his power as an absolute ruler. He derived his ideas from Italian, French and English examples of…
#12 ‘Rainman’, Florence, Italy
Rainman (L’Uomo della Pioggia) is a contemporary masterpiece and was a gift to the City of Florence, done by the artist Jean-Michel Folon, short before Florence Social Forum of November 6-9, 2002. The bronze man stands over 3 meters high and the water falls down the summit of the statue, in the shape of an umbrella. It is located in the middle of a crossroad between Lungarno Aldo Moro…
#13 Mosaïcultures Internationales, Montreal, Canada (Currently Closed)
Founded in 1998 by Lise Cormier, Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal is a not-for-profit corporation that designs, mounts, and maintains mosaiculture exhibitions, gardens and works. Considered the world’s most prestigious competition of horticultural art, the event attracts some of the most impressive examples of mosaiculture from across the globe. One example is this fountain, named Mother Earth, that appeared in the 2013 exhibition. (source: mosaïcultures internationales…
#14 Fountain «Tunnel Of Surprises», Lima, Peru
The Túnel de las Sorpresas (Tunnel of Surprises) is a fountain in Lima’s Circuito Mágico del Agua (Magic Water Circuit), opened in 2007 at a cost of $13 million. Built within the Parque de la Reseva, a historic 19-acre (eight hectare) park, the series of 13 illuminated fountains has since proved a successful addition to Lima’s many attractions. Upon its construction, the Magic Water Circuit made it into…
#15 Fountain ‘Metalmorphosis’, Charlotte, USA
Part sculpture, part fountain, part performance art, Metalmorphosis is the work of Czech sculptor David Černý. It’s 7.6m tall, weighs 14 tons, and consists of over two dozen stainless steel plates that rotate independently and periodically line up to form a massive human head. A raised pool surrounds the sculpture, and when the plates align, water pours out of the head’s mouth.
#16 Keller Fountain, Portland, Oregon, USA
Keller Fountain Park is a city park in downtown Portland, Oregon, which opened in 1970. The central feature of the park is the concrete water fountain. Keller Fountain is often noted as a memorable feature of the public landscape in downtown Portland, and in 1999 was awarded a medallion from the American Society of Landscape Architects. The fountain was designed by Angela Danadjieva using inspiration from waterfalls in…
#17 Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Fountain, Ancient City, Thailand
This incredibly ornate fountain can be found in Thailand. It’s situated in a park called Ancient Siam (also known as Ancient City or Mueang Boran). Built in 1963, Ancient Siam is dubbed the world’s largest outdoor museum, and the 320-hectare ‘city’ features 116 structures of Thailand’s famous monuments and architectural attractions.
#18 Fountain At The Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History & Culture, Washington, D.C., USA
This beautiful portal-like fountain can be found at the Smithsonian National Museum Of African American History & Culture in Washington D.C, USA
#19 Nacka Fountain, Stockholm, Sweden
The «God, our Father, on the Rainbow» fountain in Nacka Strand, a suburb on the main waterway approaching central Stockholm, Sweden, was originally designed by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles as a peace monument and to celebrate the founding of the United Nations. Marshall M. Fredericks, American sculptor and assistant to C. Milles for many years, made the statue in full scale from Carl Milles’ original in bronze at…
#20 ’71 Fountain’, Ohio, USA
This stunning giant ring-shaped fountain is located on highway 71 in Ohio, US.
#21 Julie Penrose Fountain, Colorado Springs, USA
Designed by David Barber and Bill Burgess, The Julie Penrose fountain at America The Beautiful park is an open loop of silvery-colored steel panels outfitted with 366 water jets that line the interior contours of the form. It sits on a hidden turntable so that it’s able to rotate every fifteen minutes. The fountain represents the life-giving movement of water between the atmosphere and the earth. Completed in…
#22 Fountain Of Montjuïc Palace, Barcelona, Spain
The magic fountain of Montjuïc (Font màgica de Montjuïc) is a spectacular display of colour, light, motion, music and water acrobatics located at the head of Avinguda Maria Cristina in the Montjuïc neighborhood of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Designed by Carles Buïgas, the fountain is situated below the Palau Nacional on the Montjuïc mountain and near the Plaça d’Espanya and Poble Espanyol de Barcelona. The fountain, like most of…
#23 Unisphere Fountain, New York, USA
The Unisphere is a spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth, located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York City. The sphere, which measures 120 feet (37 m) in diameter, was commissioned as part of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The Unisphere is one of the borough’s most iconic and enduring symbols. Commissioned to celebrate the beginning of the space age, the Unisphere…
#24 The Fountain Of Wealth, Suntec City, Singapore
The Fountain of Wealth is located in one of Singapore’s largest shopping malls, Suntec City, and was constructed in 1995. A symbol of wealth and life, the Fountain Of Wealth is recognized since 1998 by the Guinness Book Of World Records as the World’s Largest Fountain. The bronze ring of the fountain is designed based on the Hindu Mandala, meaning universe, and is a symbolic representation of the…
#25 Oval Fountain In Villa D’este, Rome, Italy
The Villa d’Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome, famous for its terraced hillside Italian Renaissance garden and especially for its profusion of fountains. It is now an Italian state museum, and is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The Oval Fountain was one of the first fountains in the garden, and among the most famous. It was designed by Pirro Ligorio, the architect of…
#26 ‘la Joute’, Montreal, Canada
La Joute («the joust») (1969) is a public sculptural installation by Quebec artist Jean-Paul Riopelle, a member of the Automatiste movement. It is currently located in Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle in the Quartier international de Montréal.
The ensemble of bronze sculptures contains a central fountain surrounded by a number of freestanding abstract animal and human figures inside and outside the fountain basin. The fountain operates on a kinetic sequence…
#27 The Pineapple Fountain, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
The Pineapple Fountain is a focal point of the Charleston Waterfront Park, which people have been enjoying since it opened in 1990. Pineapple motifs are common in Charleston because they represent hospitality.
#28 King Fahd’s Fountain (Tallest In The World), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
King Fahd’s Fountain, also known as the Jeddah Fountain, is a fountain in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the tallest of its type in the world. The fountain was donated to the city of Jeddah by King Fahd, hence its name. It was constructed between 1980 and 1983 and was launched in 1985.
Located on the west coast of Saudi Arabia, the fountain jets water to a maximum height,…
#29 Stravinsky Fountain, Paris, France
The Stravinsky Fountain (French: La Fontaine Stravinsky) is a whimsical public fountain ornamented with sixteen works of sculpture, moving and spraying water, representing the works of composer Igor Stravinsky. It was created in 1983 by sculptors Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, and is located on Place Stravinsky, next to the Centre Pompidou, in Paris.
#30 The Fountains Of Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Bellagio is a resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It’s well known for the Fountains of Bellagio, a vast, choreographed water feature with performances set to light and music. The fountains are set in a 8-acre (3.2 ha) manmade lake and it is estimated that the fountains cost $40 million to build. The fountains were created by WET, a design firm…
#31 Volcano Fountain, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Demolished)
Built in the 1980s, elevated on a circular pier on the Corniche near the foot of Muroor, the fountain looked like something from The Flintstones, «a page right out of history». Also known as Al Shallal (waterfall in Arabic), the stone-paved fountain, surrounded by tiered gardens with flights of stairs leading up to its base, was lit up at night to give the cascading water the appearance of…
#32 Fountain Of Alexander The Great, Skopje, Macedonia
On 21 June 2011 the Republic of Macedonia erected the largest statue of Alexander the Great in the world. As cranes lifted the bronze statue on top of the pedestal, hundreds of Macedonians sang the national anthem and other patriotic songs, waving flags and shouting «Macedonia!» The equestrian bronze statue of the Macedonian king riding his horse Bucephalus is 14.5 m (47.6 ft) tall and weighs 48 tons. …
#33 Vaillancourt Fountain, San Francisco, California, USA
Vaillancourt Fountain, sometimes called Quebec libre!, is a large fountain located in Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, designed by the Québécois artist Armand Vaillancourt in 1971. It is about 40 feet (12 m) high and is constructed out of precast concrete square tubes. Long considered controversial because of its stark, modernist appearance, there have been several unsuccessful proposals to demolish the fountain over the years. It was…
#34 The Dubai Fountain, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Dubai Fountain is the world’s second largest choreographed fountain system set on the 30-acre manmade Burj Khalifa Lake, at the center of the Downtown Dubai development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates next to «The Fountain» Okada in Manila, Philippines. It was designed by WET Design, the California-based company responsible for the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel Lake in Las Vegas. Illuminated by 6,600 lights and 25 colored…
#35 Fountain Of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi’an, China
Located at the foot of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Music Fountain Square of Big Wild Goose Pagoda covers 168,000 square meters, with the pagoda being the central axis from south to north. It is made up of music fountains, cultural square, garden landscapes, tourist and commercial facilities and is an important part of the Xi’an Cultural Area of Tang Dynasty. As the highlight of the square,…
#36 Toilet Bowl Waterfall, Foshan, China
Foshan, a city in central Guangdong province in China, has one of the strangest pieces of public art — a fountain built out of 10,000 recycled toilets, sinks and urinals covering a wall 100 meters long and almost 5 meters high. The fountain/waterfall was originally designed for the 2009 Foshan Pottery and Porcelain Festival, a porcelain product tradeshow, before being installed as a permanent piece of public art….
#37 Crown Fountain, Chicago, USA
Crown Fountain is an interactive work of public art and video sculpture featured in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Designed by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa and executed by Krueck and Sexton Architects, it cost $17 million and opened in July 2004. The fountain is composed of a black granite reflecting pool placed between a pair of glass brick towers. The towers are 50 feet (15.2 m) tall, and they use…
#38 ‘The Big Giving’ Fountain, London, UK
A fountain sculpture by artist Klaus Weber entitled ‘The Big Giving’ was displayed on the South Bank in central London between 2006 and 2007. Half a dozen sculptures made of stone and industrial waste featured water spurting in depictions of vomiting, sweating, crying, urinating and spitting. Maybe that explains why it was only temporary!
