Kelly Robertson
There are a number of awesome fountains all around Europe. In fact, we could make a list of top 10 fountains in Italy alone — and we may do that in the future — but today we’ll tell you about fountains you may haven’t seen before. They are not placed in major cities but are well worth checking out.
1. Swarovski Fountain, Innsbruck, Austria
As you can imagine, this fountain is related to the popular crystal jewelry maker. It’s part of the Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds), crystal-themed indoor theme park located near Innsbruck, Austria. The glass-covered head dominates the sight with water coming out of the mouth. Beneath the curtain of water is the mentioned theme park that houses series of art installations created to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the company’s founding (1895).
2. Charybdis, Sunderland, England
The legend says the Charybdis had stolen the oxen of Hercules, prompting Zeus to struck her with a thunderbolt and change her into a whirlpool whose vortex swallowed up ships. In Charybdis’ fountain, the circular movement of water inside a transparent acrylic cylinder forms an air-core vortex in the centre. It was completed in 2000 by William Pye, who is famous for his sculptures using metals, stone and, above all, water.
3. St. Francis Fountain, Faro, Portugal
The Largo de Sao Francisco is an impressive stone fountain that stands on the southern side of the Cidade Velha. Even though this landmark serves as a large car park for much of the year, at the end of October, the area is completely cleared, serving as a host for the annual Feira de Santa Iria. The mentioned event is super-busy with program including fairground rides, market stalls and live entertainment.
And that ends our list. We’ll continue to search for less known fountains and who knows, we may prepare another list in the near future. Stay tuned…
