Water fountains have been around for centuries as a way to decorate buildings and as stand-alone structures. The architecture on many of them is quite beautiful and these are nine of the most fascinating fountains you’ll see anywhere in the world.
1. Versailles Palace, France
(photo credit: nikonvscanon)
The spectacular fountains at the Versailles Palace sit a few miles outside of Paris. The Neptune Fountain features 44 water jets, and shows Neptune surrounded by cupids and sea dragons. The Apollo Fountain features the Greek with his chariot being pulled by a quartet of four horses.
2. The Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
(photo credit: photographerglen)
If you throw a coin over your shoulder and into this marvelous fountain, legend has it that you’ll return there one day. It’s believed that about 3,000 coins are tossed into the water on a daily basis. The huge baroque fountain, which is made out of travertine, signifies the end of an old Roman aqueduct.
3. The Mirage Volcano, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
(photo credit: puroticorico)
This popular fountain sits on the Las Vegas Strip at the famous Mirage hotel and casino resort. It’s been entertaining residents and visitors since 1989. It was refurbished in 2008 at the cost of $25 million. It goes off in a spectacular show every 60 minutes from sundown to 11 p.m. it features lava and fireballs in a show that’s choreographed to music.
4. The Fountain of Lions, Alhambra, Spain
(photo credit: alaskan dude)
These fountains feature a dozen marble lions in the basin of the structure. It’s located in the Alhambra, palace complex in Grenada, Spain. It sits in the Court of Lions which is surrounded by beautiful arches and dozens marble columns. The palace itself was erected from 1362 to 1391 on the top of a hill which overlooks the picturesque town.
5. The Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
(photo credit: sackerman519)
This fantastic fountain is also part of as musical show. It’s located at the Bellagio hotel and goes of every 30 minutes during the daytime and after 7pm it’s triggered every 15 minutes. It was designed by the same people who built the Mirage Volcano fountain and the Dubai Fountain. The fountain was opened in 1998 and sits in a 9-acre manmade lake in front of the hotel.
6. The Prometheus Fountain, Rockefeller Center, New York City, USA
(photo credit: hawkwild)
The Greek god Prometheus introduced mankind to fire and this fabulous bronze art-deco fountain was built in his honor. It sits in the plaza in New York’s famous Rockefeller Center. The fountain was built in 1933 and is one of New York’s most well known landmarks.
7. Samson and the Lion Fountain, St. Petersburg, Russia
(photo credit: yuhyi)
This fountain is located in Peterhof Palace, a must-see destination for an absolute majority of tours in Russia. This palace is often compared to Versailles in Paris and the palace is about a dozen miles outside of St. Petersburg and was used as a residence by Russian czars ever since Peter the Greatconstructed it back in 1725. The Samson and the Lion statue commemorates Russia’s military defeat of Sweden during the Great Northern War.
8. The Gaia Fountain, Siena, Italy
(photo credit: jurvetson)
In Italian, Gaia means joyful. This fountain was erected in 1343 in celebration of the arrival of water inSiena’s Piazza del Campo. However, in 1419 the original fountain was replaced and then copied in the mid 19th century. There are sculptures of the 1419 fountain at the Hospital of Santa Maria della Scala.
9. The Buckingham Memorial Fountain, Chicago, Illinois, USA
(photo credit: psycho-pics)
This iconic pink marble fountain has been sitting in front of Chicago’s Grant Park ever since 1927. There are 134 water jets in the fountain which can shoot water up to 150 feet into the sky. It features a 20-minute display which launches every 60 minutes between April and October and it also features a music and light show.
