select - Fountains
Written by Oryx
Human societies have always appreciated fountains, which have long been used as urban decorations, garden adornments, memorials honouring famous people or events, or simply as entertainment. Here are some of the world’s most impressive fountains.
Singapore
Fountain of Wealth
The Fountain of Wealth refers to the richness of life – though its location inside Suntec City shopping mall speaks of more earthly desires. The design is based on a Hindu mandala and is in the form of a bronze ring – or some say, the palm of a hand. It’s said that if you walk around the fountain three times while constantly touching the water, you’ll have good fortune. At night, laser performances and music are added to the splashing jets.
Singapore
Distance: 6,196 km
Flight Time: 7 hours, 35 minutes
Frequency: 2 flights a day
Barcelona
Magic Fountain of Montjuic
This fountain on Avenida Maria Cristina was constructed in 1929 for the Universal Exhibition, and was restored in the 1980s with the addition of lighting, music, and water effects that appear to make the fountains dance. Thousands turn up on weekend evenings to enjoy the spectacle, which produces 3,620 water jets in 50 colours, some soaring high in the air, and always accompanied by classical or pop music.
Barcelona, Spain
Distance: 4,865 km
Flight Time: 7 hours, 25 minutes
Frequency: 10 flights a week
Moscow
People’s Friendship Fountain
Now standing as a reminder of the vanished USSR, this fountain outside the All-Russian Exhibition Centre features 16 enormous gilded statues of citizens in national costume representing the republics that made up the Soviet Union. It sports 800 water jets soaring 24 metres in the air before splashing back into a vast red granite bowl.
Moscow, Russia
Distance: 3,568 km
Flight Time: 5 hours, 15 minutes
Frequency: 10 flights a week
Rome
Trevi Fountain
Perhaps the world’s most famous fountain, the Trevi is backed by a baroque palace and topped with a dramatic sculpture of Neptune, god of the sea, taming the waters. There has been a fountain here since the construction of a Roman aqueduct in 19 bce, but the current monumental masterpiece is pure 16th-century rococo. Movies and songs celebrate the legend that, if you throw a coin in the fountain, you’re sure to return to Rome. The €3,000 collected daily goes to the Italian Red Cross.
Rome, Italy
Distance: 4,020 km
Flight Time: 6 hours
Frequency: 2 flights a day
