Have you seen some amazing fountains around the world – either in person or while watching a movie in which they have been featured? There is no doubt they are spectacular sights to behold. But it’s also interesting to know their history and the inspiration behind their designs. Here’s our list of the 10 most amazing fountains around the world.

Bellagio Fountain, Las Vegas

The Bellagio fountain is a feature on the 8-acre manmade lake in front of the Bellagio resort, luxury hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. It is a large choreographed dancing water fountain. A network of pipes with more than 1,200 nozzles is synchronized with more than 4,500 lights to various pieces of well-known music.
The show takes place every 30 minutes in the afternoons and early evenings, and every 15 minutes from 8 pm to midnight. To indicate when the fountain show is about to start, two minutes before it starts, the nozzles begin to break the water surface and the lights illuminating the hotel tower change to different signature hues.
It is estimated that this amazing fountain costs around $40 million to build! Give this fountain a visit someday.

Fontana di Tivoli, Tivoli

The Villa d’Este is a 16th-century villa in Tivoli, near Rome that has around fifty-one fountains collectively called Fontana di Tivoli and various other water features all working entirely by the force of gravity, without pumps.
The Oval Fountain was one of the first in the garden and among the most famous. A massive stone basin is placed against the semicircular back wall. Water cascades from the fountain, sprays into the air, as well as jets into the basin from vases held in the hands of statues. This amazing fountain also has its own grotto, where traces of the original statues and grotesque figures still remain.
The Fountain of the Organ is another one of the famous and amazing fountains here. The fountain was the first of its kind with an ingenious mechanism of a water organ installed in it. The water arriving at the top first goes through a series of whirlpools which mixed air with the water. It then drops down a pipe or wind chamber, where the air and water were separated. The water turns a wheel, rotating a cylinder. This opens the valves of the twenty-two pipes, so the air could pass through the pipes and make the music. This makes it one of the amazing fountains around the world.

Magic Fountain of Montjuic, Barcelona

(Pic Credits: flickr.com)

Magic Fountain is situated in the Montjuic neighbourhood of Barcelona. The fountain was constructed in 1929 with only a light show at that time, but a music was incorporated in the 1980s. It is stated that the project was completed in less than one year with over 3000 workers commissioned to work on it.
This amazing fountain has three concentric pools with around 2,600 litres of water a second flowing through it, driven by a water-recycling system.
The Magic Fountain started using advanced technology in September 2011 that comes in handy for custom-made choreography or can be used for special events. It consists of an application for creating new light-and-water shows in just three minutes. It automatically analyses a piece of music and creates a choreography that can be viewed by a 3D simulator without actually having to start the fountain up. This makes it one of the most amazing fountains around the world.

Samson Fountain, Saint Petersburg

(Pic Credits: commons.wikimedia.org)

Samson Fountain built in the 1730s is the ideological centrepiece of the Grand Cascade at the Peterhof Palace. It depicts the moment when Samson tears open the jaws of a lion, representing Russia’s victory over Swedish troops in the Great Northern War.
It consists of a lion with mighty twenty-meter water pillar spurts and eight dolphins spraying up water. Saint Samson is depicted stopping the lion’s leap who is shown to be snarling with its jaws open. The dolphins symbolizing the calm seas seem to be celebrating along with Saint Sampsonius, the Hospitable, who was regarded as the patron of the Russian army.
The sculpture was originally cast in lead but lost its gloss by the end of the 18th century and was replaced with a bronze sculpture. This masterpiece was even stolen by the Germans during the Second World War. A replica of the statue was installed on a pedestal in 1947.
The Samson Fountain is supplied by a special aqueduct, over four km in length, drawing water and pressure from a high-elevation source. The Samson Fountain is certainly one of the amazing fountains around the world that you should visit in your lifetime.

Swarovski Fountain, Innsbruck

(Pic Credits: flickr.com)

The Swarovski Fountain is the front entrance of the crystal-themed indoor museum called Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds). Built in 1995, it is located in the town of Wattens and belongs to the Swarovski company. The museum has 14 chambers and houses exhibitions related to the specialized luxury crystals products that the company sells.
The fountain consists of a large head covered with moss, making it appear as if it is emerging from the grassy hill behind the fountain. Water spurts forth from the mouth of this bizarre-looking head, while it guards the entrance gate with glittering eyes. It offers an amazing display year-round, even in the winter.
The Swarovski Fountain is also nicknamed ‘The Giant’ and ‘The Crystaloscope’.

The Archibald Fountain, Sydney

(Pic Credits: commons.wikimedia.org)

Unveiled in 1932 to commemorate the association of Australia and France in World War I, the Archibald Fountain is located in Hyde Park North – Sydney. This amazing fountain is widely regarded as the finest public fountain in Australia. The fountain is in an open space surrounded by flower gardens with park benches. This makes it a popular location for city workers at lunchtime.
The Archibald fountain is in the shape of a hexagon and is approximately 18 metres in diameter. It consists of a bronze figure of the mythical god Apollo on a central pedestal and surrounded by other mythical figures animals. Apollo is depicted as giving life to all nature. The goddess Diana is shown as bringing harmony to the world and the god Pan watches over the fields and pastures. The mythical king Theseus is shown conquering the Minotaur creature, symbolizing sacrifice for the common good.
Behind Apollo is a large arch of fine spray and at his feet water sprays from horses’ heads into a series of three basins. There are tortoises in the large hexagonal basin and dolphins in the middle one that also direct jets of water towards the centre.

The Burj Khalifa Fountain, Dubai

(Pic Credits: commons.wikimedia.org)

The Dubai Fountain is the world’s largest choreographed fountain system. It is a captivating water, music and light spectacle situated on the 30-acre manmade Burj Lake. The fountain itself is over 900 ft in length i.e. more than two football pitches. It is visible from every point on the lake promenade and from many neighbouring structures.
The fountain has a unique design consisting of five circles in varying sizes and two arcs. It features performances to a selection of different melodies ranging from classical to contemporary Arabic and world music. At any moment during the performances, the Dubai Fountain can spray 83,000 litres of water in the air. Powerful water nozzles shoot water up to impressive heights. Colour projectors create a visual spectrum of over 1,000 different water expressions.
The Dubai Fountain Boardwalk is a brand-new 272-metre floating platform located within the fountain. The closest point allows you to get as close as 9 metres away from the fountains, giving you a whole new perspective of the captivating performances.

The Fountain of Wealth, Singapore

(Pic Credits: commons.wikimedia.org)

The Fountain of Wealth is located in one of the largest shopping malls in Singapore called Suntec City. It is at the centre of five office blocks that are meant to represent the five fingers of a hand coming out of the ground and the fountain appears as a gold ring in the palm.
The structure is made of silicon bronze. The circular ring with a circumference of 66 meters is supported by four large slanted columns. It is a symbolic representation of the oneness in spirit, and harmony among the four races in Singapore.
During the ‘Touch Water Sessions’ which occur four times through the day, many visitors walk three times around the central base and touch the waters and to absorb the positive ‘qi’ or ‘chi’
The fountain is turned off during certain periods of the day. People walk around the mini fountain located in the centre of the fountain, collecting coins which were dropped there for good luck. And between 8pm to 9pm every night, performances are held with live song and laser message dedications.

The Nations Friendship Fountain, Moscow

(Pic Credits: commons.wikimedia.org)

The Nations Friendship Fountain is the largest fountain in Russia. Located in the plaza near the Russia Exhibition Centre it is also known as the People’s Friendship Fountain. It is a display of 16 statutes that represent the member nations of the former Soviet Union. Constructed in the 1950s, the main objective of the fountain was to present the idea of national identity to the Soviet people and the world.
The base structure of the fountain is made of red granite. Each of the 16 bronze and gold-plated maiden feature the national dress of their country and they form a circle around a wheat sheaf made of gold-plated copper sheet. The fountain has eight hundred jets that spray water to ensure a stunning display.

Trevi Fountain, Rome

One of the most famous and amazing fountains in the world, the Trevi fountain is the largest Baroque styled fountain in the city of Rome. Located in the Trevi district, the fountain has appeared in several films like La Dolce Vita, Roman Holiday, and The Lizzie McGuire Movie.
The fountain was built at the junction of three roads and at the end point of the aqueduct. Thus these three streets ‘tre vie’ give the Trevi Fountain its name. The Fountain is one of the oldest water sources in Rome.
The centrepiece in the Trevi Fountain is a statue of the Greek sea god Oceanus. He stands atop a chariot pulled by seahorses and is accompanied by tritons – demigods of the sea. In the background, the fountain also features statues of Agrippa-the God of Abundance and Virgo-the Goddess of Health.
For the superstitious visitors, coins are meant to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder. Around 3,000 euros are estimated to be thrown into the fountain each day. It is, however, illegal to steal coins from the fountain. The money is used to subsidize a supermarket for needy and less fortunate people of Rome.

Interested in seeing any of the amazing fountains around the world? Plan your getaways and experience all of the above and much more. Travco Holidays provides a full range of visa assistance services and offers attractive holidays & tour packages, off-the-shelf or customized. Contact us today at +91-09860090341.