A kugel fountain (also called a floating sphere fountain or by the pleonasmic name kugel ball) is a water feature or sculpture where a sphere sits in a fitted hollow in a pedestal, and is supported by aquaplaning on a thin film of water. Pressurized water flows between the sphere and socket, creating a mechanical hydrostatic bearing that is nearly frictionless. The sphere can weigh thousands of kilograms, but the efficient bearing allows it to be spun by the force of a hand. The sphere does not float, being denser than water; it is often made from granite.[1] The hydraulics of the fountain can be controlled so that the axis of rotation of the sphere changes continually.[2] Ring sculptures that rotate on an axis are also built.[2] [3]
Kugel fountains can be found all over the world. Many are at popular tourist destinations, such as science museums,[4] shopping centers, lobbies, and gardens.
is the German word for ball or sphere.[5]
| Facility | City | Country | Diameter | GPS Coordinate | Further information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temaikèn Park | Belén de Escobar, Buenos Aires Province | Argentina | -34.3667°N -58.8045°W | ||
| Feldkirch | Austria | Unknown | |||
| Casino Innsbruck | Innsbruck | Austria | 1.2m (03.9feet) | 47.2627°N 11.3961°W | This kugelbrunnen (English: kugel fountain) is located in front of the Casino Innsbruck at Salurner Straße 15 in Innsbruck, Austria. Installed 2000 - Welte IHT - https://kusser.com/en_INT/portfolio/ball-fountain-casino-innsbruck/ |
| Casino Velden | Velden | Austria | 46.6152°N 14.0432°W | ||
| Questacon | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory | Australia | -35.2982°N 149.1315°W | ||
| Bowral, New South Wales | Australia | -34.4771°N 150.4181°W | |||
| Casuarina Square | Darwin, Northern Territory | Australia | -12.3755°N 130.8824°W | ||
| SkyHigh Mount Dandenong | Victoria | Australia | -37.827°N 145.3528°W | ||
| Forrest Place | Perth, Western Australia | Australia | -31.9528°N 115.8592°W | ||
| The University of Western Australia, CS Department | Perth, Western Australia | Australia | -31.9778°N 115.8165°W | Installed 2009 | |
| Place du Martyr | Verviers | Belgium | Installed in 2003, called "Rio + 10" | ||
| WestJet Headquarters | Calgary, Alberta | Canada | 51.1215°N -114.0088°W | ||
| Chinatown | Victoria, British Columbia | Canada | 48.4291°N -123.3669°W | Floating metal sphere, not a Kugel ball | |
| Dundarave | West Vancouver, British Columbia | Canada | 49.3333°N -123.1825°W | ||
| Guinness World Records Museum | Niagara Falls, Ontario | Canada | 43.0919°N -79.076°W | ||
| Holiday Inn Express Montreal Airport | Montreal, Quebec | Canada | 45.4611°N -73.724°W | ||
| Lyngby Storcenter | Lyngby | Denmark | 55.7713°N 12.5059°W | ||
| Rotuaari pedestrian street | Oulu | Finland | 65.0122°N 25.4711°W | ||
| Hämeenpuisto | Tampere | Finland | 61.4978°N 23.7519°W | ||
| Casino Grand Cercle | Aix-les-Bains | France | 45.6889°N 5.9139°W | ||
| Rue de Bretagne | Alençon | France | 48.4315°N 0.0772°W | ||
| Square des longs-prés | Boulogne-Billancourt, Île de France | France | 48.8322°N 2.2464°W | ||
| Place de l'Hôtel de ville | Le Havre | France | 49.4928°N 0.1078°W | ||
| Près-La-Rose natural park | Montbéliard | France | 47.5058°N 6.8031°W | ||
| Spreebogen | Berlin | Germany | 1.5m (04.9feet) | 52.523°N 13.347°W | Architect: Stephan Haan; Material: Granite[6] |
| Sparkasse Bensheim | Bensheim | Germany | 49.6811°N 8.6181°W | ||
| Schweinemarktplatz | Crailsheim | Germany | 49.136516°N 10.072113°E | ||
| Äußere Neustadt, Martin-Luther-Platz | Dresden | Germany | 51.0644°N 13.7562°W | ||
| Düren | Germany | 50.8059°N 6.4824°W | |||
| Erlangen | Germany | 49.5956°N 11.0053°W | |||
| Palmengarten | Frankfurt am Main | Germany | 50.1167°N 8.6833°W | ||
| Hanse-Viertel | Hamburg | Germany | 2.11m (06.92feet) | 53.5529°N 9.988°W | Installed in 2012[7] |
| Westpark | Munich | Germany | 48.123°N 11.5312°W | ||
| Tibusplatz | Münster | Germany | 51.9659°N -7.6272°W, | ||
| Europa-Park, Schlosspark | Rust | Germany | 48.2686°N 7.7239°W, | ||
| Herrenschreiberstraße | Rheine | Germany | 52.2774°N -7.4386°W, | ||
| City Center, Riesenstraße | Kaiserslautern, Rheinland-Pfalz | Germany | 49.4429°N 7.7705°W | ||
| Langenfeld | Germany | 51.1098°N 6.9485°W | |||
| Calwer Straße | Stuttgart | Germany | 1m (03feet) | 48.7763°N 9.1742°W | |
| SAP SE Headquarters | Walldorf | Germany | 1.5m (04.9feet) | ||
| Am Zwinger 1 | Sankt Wendel | Germany | 49.4681°N 7.1688°W | ||
| Bengaluru International Airport Terminal | Bangalore | India | 13.1989°N 77.7056°W | ||
| W5 Interactive Discovery Centre | Belfast | Northern Ireland | 54.6038°N -5.9156°W | ||
| Bloomfield Science Museum | Jerusalem | Israel | 31.7781°N 35.2007°W | ||
| Parco Commerciale Dora | Turin | Italy | 45.0876°N 7.668°W | ||
| Incrocio Viale Giosuè Carducci-Via Filzi | Riva del Garda | Italy | 45.8858°N 10.8455°W | ||
| Parco | Kumamoto | Japan | 32.803°N 130.7101°W | ||
| Lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel | Salwa, Kuwait City | Kuwait | 29.375°N 48.0872°W | ||
| Triq it-Torri | Sliema | Malta | 35.9148°N 14.4965°W | ||
| Te Papa Museum | Wellington | New Zealand | -41.2906°N 174.7814°W | ||
| Centrum of Tjuvholmen Aker brygge | Oslo | Norway | 59.9095°N 10.724°W | ||
| Byrkjedalstunet | Rogaland | Norway | 58.7795°N 6.317°W | ||
| Flåm | Sogn og Fjordane | Norway | 60.8637°N 7.117°W | ||
| Park Zdrojowy | Polanica-Zdrój | Poland | 50.4096°N 16.5102°W | [8] | |
| "The Solar System" | Tarnów | Poland | 50.0083°N 20.9753°W | [9] | |
| Predmostnaya Ploshchad | Krasnoyarsk | Russia | 1.4m (04.6feet) | 55.9915°N 92.8879°W | The city has six kugel balls. |
| Malaya Sadovaya Street | Saint Petersburg | Russia | 59.9342°N 30.3374°W | ||
| Petnica | Valjevo | Serbia | 44.2599°N 19.9286°W | ||
| Patrimonio Inteligente | Puerto Lumbreras, Región de Murcia | Spain | 37.5773°N -1.7934°W | ||
| Casa de las Ciencias | A Coruña | Spain | 43.3618°N -8.414°W | ||
| Museo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología | Alcobendas, Madrid | Spain | 40.5378°N -3.6406°W | ||
| Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la Tecnología | Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Spain | 28.141104ºN 15.429532ºW | ||
| Kaggensgatan Pedestrian Street | Kalmar | Sweden | 56.6616°N 16.3645°W | ||
| Kursaal | Bern | Switzerland | 46.9529°N 7.4494°W | Due to construction/renovation work at the Kursaal Bern the Kugelbrunnen has been sold to a private person and moved to an undisclosed location.[10] | |
| Rue Cheneau-de-Bourg | Lausanne | Switzerland | 46.5201°N 6.6363°W | ||
| Zürichhorn | Zürich | Switzerland | 47.3532°N 8.5518°W | ||
| Donbass Arena | Donetsk | Ukraine | 48.0208°N 37.8094°W | ||
| Waitrose car park | Abingdon | England | 51.6719°N -1.2794°W | ||
| Carsington Water Visitor Center | Derbyshire | England | 53.0611°N -1.6411°W | ||
| Paultons Park | Hampshire | England | 50.9487°N -1.5527°W | [11] | |
| Town Centre | Kenilworth | England | 52.3439°N -1.5798°W | ||
| Techniquest | Cardiff | Wales | 51.4627°N -3.1682°W | ||
| Amarillo, Texas | United States | 35.207°N -101.8307°W | |||
| "Discovery", Columbus Learning Center | Columbus, Indiana | United States | 39.2527°N -85.9021°W | [12] | |
| Water Tower Plaza | Gilbert, Arizona | United States | 33.3548°N -111.791°W | ||
| Disneyland | Anaheim, California | United States | 33.8118°N -117.9171°W | ||
| Disney California Adventure Park | Anaheim, California | United States | 33.8046°N -117.9214°W | ||
| Amtrak Station | Bakersfield, California | United States | 35.3722°N -119.0082°W | ||
| San Diego Zoo Safari Park | Escondido, California | United States | 0.6m (02feet) | 33.0987°N -116.9989°W | |
| San Diego Zoo | San Diego, California | United States | 32.7337°N -117.1489°W | ||
| Hollywood Guinness Museum | Los Angeles, California | United States | 34.1013°N -118.338°W | 10958abbr=onNaNabbr=on[13] | |
| Livermorium Plaza | Livermore, California | United States | 37.6821°N -121.768°W | Opened June 15, 2022, this plaza commemorates the creation of the element Livermorium (Lv). | |
| Morgan Stanley | La Jolla, California | United States | 32.8482°N -117.2735°W | ||
| California Baptist University | Riverside, California | United States | 33.93°N -117.425°W | ||
| Canyon Creek Park | San Jose, CA | United States | 37.2907°N -121.7685°W | [14] | |
| Fry's Electronics | San Marcos, California | United States | 40abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 33.1371°N -117.184°W | |
| Railroad Community Park | Santa Paula, California, | United States | 34.356°N -119.0604°W | ||
| 29th Street Mall | Boulder, Colorado | United States | 40.0172°N -105.2559°W | ||
| Belmar Shopping Center | Lakewood, Colorado | United States | 39.7087°N -105.0776°W | ||
| Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex | Merritt Island, Florida | United States | 28.5225°N -80.6812°W | ||
| Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World | Orlando, Florida | United States | 28.4187°N -81.5793°W | ||
| State Botanical Garden of Georgia | Athens, Georgia | United States | 33.9011°N -83.3831°W | [15] | |
| Lincoln Park Zoo | Chicago, Illinois | United States | 41.9211°N -87.6355°W | ||
| Morton Arboretum | Illinois | United States | 41.8139°N -88.07°W | ||
| Abt Electronics | Glenview, Illinois | United States | 42.068°N -87.8526°W | ||
| Holliday Park Nature Center | Indianapolis, Indiana | United States | 39.8716°N -86.1614°W | ||
| Columbian Park Zoo | Lafayette, Indiana | United States | 42abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 40.4133°N -86.8705°W | The sphere fountain is a product of Kusser Fountain Works in Germany, a gift from The McAllister Foundation.[16] |
| Coleman-Morse Center | United States | 41.7007°N -86.2406°W | [17] | ||
| Iowa State Fairgrounds | Des Moines, Iowa | United States | 41.5955°N -93.551°W | ||
| Louisville Zoo | Louisville, Kentucky | United States | 38.2054°N -85.707°W | ||
| Marshall Nemer Pavilion, Lourdes Hospital | Paducah, Kentucky | United States | Unknown | ||
| Towne Center at Cedar Lodge | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | United States | 30.4328°N -91.112°W | ||
| The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum | Baltimore, Maryland | United States | 39.2852°N -76.6121°W | ||
| Davison Township Police Department | Davison, Michigan | United States | 43.0273°N -83.5558°W | ||
| The Frank's Nursery and Crafts Rose Garden at Michigan State University | East Lansing, Michigan | United States | 42.7208°N -84.4741°W | ||
| Private home | Superior Township, Michigan | United States | 48abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 42.3236°N -83.5977°W | 5600abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
| Somerset Collection | Troy, Michigan | United States | 42.5614°N -83.1839°W | 4250abbr=onNaNabbr=on | |
| Mississippi College | Clinton, Mississippi | United States | 32.3363°N -90.3292°W | ||
| Kansas City Life Insurance Company | Kansas City, Missouri | United States | 39.0637°N -94.5907°W | ||
| Bob Devaney Sports Center | Lincoln, Nebraska | United States | 48abbr=onNaNabbr=on[18] | 40.8302°N -96.6976°W | Installed in 2011 by Top Stone |
| Henry Doorly Zoo | Omaha, Nebraska | United States | 41.2252°N -95.9279°W | ||
| Millennium Plaza | Omaha, Nebraska | United States | 41.2642°N -96.1622°W | ||
| Storyland | Glen, New Hampshire | United States | 44.1171°N -71.1811°W, | ||
| Duke Power | Charlotte, North Carolina | United States | 35.2258°N -80.8505°W | ||
| Elon University, Numen Lumen Pavilion | United States | 36.1025°N -79.5023°W | Meditation garden | ||
| Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial | Rocky Mount, North Carolina | United States | |||
| Canton Ohio Downtown | Canton, Ohio | United States | 40.7987°N -81.3746°W | Destroyed By vandals | |
| TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion | Cincinnati, Ohio | United States | 39.2559°N -84.3649°W | ||
| Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza (park) | Columbus, Ohio | United States | 40.0072°N -83.0227°W | ||
| COSI Columbus | Columbus, Ohio | United States | Unknown | ||
| The Mall at Tuttle Crossing | Columbus, Ohio | United States | Unknown | ||
| Tulsa Zoo | Tulsa, Oklahoma | United States | 36.2127°N -95.9058°W | ||
| Nike Campus | Beaverton, Oregon | United States | Unknown | ||
| McKenzie Park | Hermiston, Oregon | United States | 45.8392°N -119.2912°W | ||
| Railroad Plaza | Lansdale, Pennsylvania | United States | 40.2431°N -75.2858°W | ||
| Alter Hall, Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | United States | 39.9801°N -75.1562°W | ||
| Reading Hospital | Reading, Pennsylvania | United States | 40.3297°N -75.9495°W | [19] | |
| Robert E. Freeman Memorial Park | Providence, Rhode Island | United States | 41.8222°N -71.4139°W | ||
| Outside Mellow Mushroom | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | United States | 32.8667°N -79.785°W | ||
| The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | United States | 33.6923°N -78.8798°W | ||
| The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum | Gatlinburg, Tennessee | United States | 35.7114°N -83.5185°W | ||
| Miracle Field | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | United States | Located at McKnight Park. Kugel ball is a representative of a baseball, and bears the signature of Boston Red Sox pitcher and Murfreesboro native David Price. Miracle Field was constructed with funds from Price's charity, Project One Four. The facility opened on 6 May 2017.[20] | ||
| Oak Court Mall | Memphis, Tennessee | United States | 35.1173°N -89.9134°W | ||
| Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park (Earth kugel ball) | Nashville, Tennessee | United States | 1.8m (05.9feet) | 36.172°N -86.7886°W | World War II Memorial 18000lbs lbs[21] |
| Cancer Survivors Plaza | Dallas, Texas | United States | 32.7861°N -96.7957°W | ||
| Historic Downtown Grapevine | Grapevine, Texas | United States | 32.94°N -97.0782°W | ||
| ConocoPhillips Campus | Houston, Texas | United States | 29.7883°N -95.6135°W | ||
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston, TX | United States | 29.7219°N -95.3902°W | ||
| University Place Orem | Orem, Utah | United States | 40.2761°N -111.6803°W | ||
| Utah's Hogle Zoo | Salt Lake City, Utah | United States | 40.75°N -111.8141°W | ||
| Lagoon Amusement Park | Farmington, Utah | United States | 40.9856°N -111.8947°W | ||
| Atlas Walk | Gainesville, Virginia | United States | 1.32m (04.33feet) | 38.7957°N -77.61°W | 7000 pounds[22] |
| Virginia Zoological Park | Norfolk, Virginia | United States | 36.8786°N -76.2744°W | ||
| International Mission Board | Richmond, Virginia | United States | 37.5684°N -77.4822°W | ||
| Science Museum of Virginia (Earth kugel ball) | Richmond, Virginia | United States | 2.653m (08.704feet) | 37.5608°N -77.4662°W | World's largest since 2003[23] |
| Science Museum of Virginia (Earth's Moon kugel ball) | Richmond, Virginia | United States | 0.72m (02.36feet) | 37.5613°N -77.4667°W | |
| Crossroads Park | Bellevue, Washington | United States | 47.6174°N -122.1228°W | ||
| Whatcom Community College | Bellingham, Washington | United States | 48.7953°N -122.4937°W | ||
| Pacific Science Center | Seattle, Washington | United States | 47.6192°N -122.3511°W | ||
| Milwaukee County Zoo | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | United States | 43.1342°N -87.9558°W | ||
| Casper Area Chamber of Commerce | Casper, Wyoming | United States | 42.8552°N -106.3254°W | [24] | |
| Canyon Visitor Education Center | Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming | United States | 44.7347°N -110.4919°W | ||
| Five Points Centennial Plaza[25] | Five Points (Columbia, South Carolina), South Carolina | United States | 33.9976°N -81.0167°W | ||
| St. Rita's Medical Center[26] | St. Rita's Medical Center, Ohio | United States | 40.7409°N -84.1207°W | ||
| Jack C. Taylor Conference Center | Annapolis, Maryland | United States | 38.9878°N -76.4914°W | Installed in front of the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center at the United States Naval Institute in 2021. | |
| Piazza d’armi (a public square)[27] [28] | Carrara | Italy | Made by Kenneth Davis in 19791.8 tons | ||