Kugel fountain


A kugel fountain 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. The hydraulics of the fountain can be controlled so that the axis of rotation of the sphere changes continually. Ring sculptures that rotate on an axis are also built.
Kugel fountains can be found all over the world. Many are at popular tourist destinations, such as science museums, shopping centers, lobbies, and gardens.
Kugel is the German word for ball or sphere.

Locations of kugel fountains

FacilityCityCountryDiameterGPS CoordinateFurther information
Temaikèn ParkBelén de Escobar, Buenos Aires ProvinceArgentina
FeldkirchAustriaUnknown
Casino InnsbruckInnsbruckAustriaThis kugelbrunnen 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 VeldenVeldenAustria
Casino SeefeldSeefeldAustria
People's Globe, Fairfield ShowgroundPrairiewood, New South WalesAustralia1.6 m Installed 2021, shows map of world and distances migrants travelled to Fairfield.
QuestaconCanberra, Australian Capital TerritoryAustralia
Bowral, New South WalesAustralia
Casuarina SquareDarwin, Northern TerritoryAustralia
SkyHigh Mount DandenongVictoriaAustralia
Forrest PlacePerth, Western AustraliaAustralia
The University of Western Australia, CS DepartmentPerth, Western AustraliaAustraliaInstalled 2009
Atlantis HotelNassauBahamasN 25° 05.028 W 077° 19.330https://waymarking.com/waymarks/wm11W05_Pearl_of_Atlantis_Kugel_Ball_Nassau_Bahamas
Place du MartyrVerviersBelgiumInstalled in 2003, called "Rio + 10"
WestJet HeadquartersCalgary, AlbertaCanada
ChinatownVictoria, British ColumbiaCanadaFloating metal sphere, not a Kugel ball
DundaraveWest Vancouver, British ColumbiaCanada
Guinness World Records MuseumNiagara Falls, OntarioCanada
Holiday Inn Express Montreal AirportMontreal, QuebecCanada
Foxconn Factory CourtyardKutna Hora, Central BohemiaCzech Republic
Lyngby StorcenterLyngbyDenmark
University of Helsinki, Physicum buildingHelsinkiFinland0.5 m
Rotuaari pedestrian streetOuluFinland
HämeenpuistoTampereFinland
Casino Grand CercleAix-les-BainsFrance
Rue de BretagneAlençonFrance
Square des longs-présBoulogne-Billancourt, Île de FranceFrance
Place de l'Hôtel de villeLe HavreFrance
Près-La-Rose natural parkMontbéliardFrance
SpreebogenBerlinGermanyArchitect: Stephan Haan; Material: Granite
Sparkasse BensheimBensheimGermany
SchweinemarktplatzCrailsheimGermany49.136516°N 10.072113°E
Äußere Neustadt, Martin-Luther-PlatzDresdenGermany
DürenGermany
ErlangenGermany
Garmisch-Partenkirchen CasinoGarmisch-PartenkirchenGermanyAm Kurpark 10, 82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
PalmengartenFrankfurt am MainGermany
Hanse-ViertelHamburgGermanyInstalled in 2012
WestparkMunichGermany
TibusplatzMünsterGermany,
Europa-Park, SchlossparkRustGermany,
HerrenschreiberstraßeRheineGermany,
City Center, RiesenstraßeKaiserslautern, Rheinland-PfalzGermany
LangenfeldGermany
Calwer StraßeStuttgartGermany
SAP SE HeadquartersWalldorfGermany
Am Zwinger 1Sankt WendelGermany
House of SciencePatrasGreeceA granite sphere of a diameter of precisely 1 m, immersed in the water basin up to the angle of 35° from the bottom.
Bengaluru International Airport TerminalBangaloreIndia
W5 Interactive Discovery CentreBelfastNorthern Ireland
Bloomfield Science MuseumJerusalemIsrael
Parco Commerciale DoraTurinItaly-
Incrocio Viale Giosuè Carducci-Via FilziRiva del GardaItaly
ParcoKumamotoJapan
Lobby of the Radisson Blu HotelSalwa, Kuwait CityKuwait
Triq it-TorriSliemaMalta
Te Papa MuseumWellingtonNew Zealand
Centrum of Tjuvholmen Aker bryggeOsloNorway
ByrkjedalstunetRogalandNorway
FlåmSogn og FjordaneNorway
Park ZdrojowyPolanica-ZdrójPoland
"The Solar System"TarnówPoland
Predmostnaya PloshchadKrasnoyarskRussiaThe city has six kugel balls.
Malaya Sadovaya StreetSaint PetersburgRussia
PetnicaValjevoSerbia
Patrimonio InteligentePuerto Lumbreras, Región de MurciaSpain
Casa de las CienciasA CoruñaSpain
Museo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaAlcobendas, MadridSpain
Museo Elder de la Ciencia y la TecnologíaLas Palmas de Gran CanariaSpain
Kaggensgatan Pedestrian StreetKalmarSweden
KursaalBernSwitzerlandDue to construction/renovation work at the Kursaal Bern the Kugelbrunnen has been sold to a private person and moved to an undisclosed location.
Rue Cheneau-de-BourgLausanneSwitzerland
ZürichhornZürichSwitzerland
Donbas ArenaDonetskUkraine
Waitrose car parkAbingdonEngland
Carsington Water Visitor CenterDerbyshireEngland
Paultons ParkHampshireEngland
Town CentreKenilworthEngland
TechniquestCardiffWales
Amarillo, TexasUnited States
"Discovery", Columbus Learning CenterColumbus, IndianaUnited States
Water Tower PlazaGilbert, ArizonaUnited States
DisneylandAnaheim, CaliforniaUnited States
Disney California Adventure ParkAnaheim, CaliforniaUnited States
Amtrak StationBakersfield, CaliforniaUnited States
San Diego Zoo Safari ParkEscondido, CaliforniaUnited States
San Diego ZooSan Diego, CaliforniaUnited States
Hollywood Guinness MuseumLos Angeles, CaliforniaUnited States
Livermorium PlazaLivermore, CaliforniaUnited StatesOpened June 15, 2022, this plaza commemorates the creation of the element Livermorium.
Morgan StanleyLa Jolla, CaliforniaUnited States
California Baptist UniversityRiverside, CaliforniaUnited States
Canyon Creek ParkSan Jose, CAUnited States
Fry's ElectronicsSan Marcos, CaliforniaUnited States
Railroad Community ParkSanta Paula, California,United States
29th Street MallBoulder, ColoradoUnited States
Belmar Shopping CenterLakewood, ColoradoUnited States
Kennedy Space Center Visitor ComplexMerritt Island, FloridaUnited States
Magic Kingdom Walt Disney WorldOrlando, FloridaUnited States
State Botanical Garden of GeorgiaAthens, GeorgiaUnited States
Lincoln Park ZooChicago, IllinoisUnited States
Morton ArboretumIllinoisUnited States
Abt ElectronicsGlenview, IllinoisUnited States
Holliday Park Nature CenterIndianapolis, IndianaUnited States
Columbian Park ZooLafayette, IndianaUnited StatesThe sphere fountain is a product of Kusser Fountain Works in Germany, a gift from The McAllister Foundation.
Coleman-Morse CenterNotre Dame, IndianaUnited States
Iowa State FairgroundsDes Moines, IowaUnited States
Louisville ZooLouisville, KentuckyUnited States
Marshall Nemer Pavilion, Lourdes HospitalPaducah, KentuckyUnited StatesUnknown
Towne Center at Cedar LodgeBaton Rouge, LouisianaUnited States
The Ripley's Believe It or Not MuseumBaltimore, MarylandUnited States
Davison Township Police DepartmentDavison, MichiganUnited States
The Frank's Nursery and Crafts Rose Garden at Michigan State UniversityEast Lansing, MichiganUnited States
Private homeSuperior Township, MichiganUnited States
Somerset CollectionTroy, MichiganUnited States
Mississippi CollegeClinton, MississippiUnited States
Kansas City Life Insurance CompanyKansas City, MissouriUnited States
Bob Devaney Sports CenterLincoln, NebraskaUnited StatesInstalled in 2011 by
Henry Doorly ZooOmaha, NebraskaUnited States
Millennium PlazaOmaha, NebraskaUnited States
StorylandGlen, New HampshireUnited States,
Duke PowerCharlotte, North CarolinaUnited States
Elon University, Numen Lumen PavilionElon, North CarolinaUnited StatesMeditation garden
Martin Luther King, Jr. MemorialRocky Mount, North CarolinaUnited States
Canton Ohio DowntownCanton, OhioUnited StatesDestroyed By vandals
TriHealth Fitness & Health PavilionCincinnati, OhioUnited States
Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza Columbus, OhioUnited States
COSI ColumbusColumbus, OhioUnited StatesUnknown
The Mall at Tuttle CrossingColumbus, OhioUnited StatesUnknown
Tulsa ZooTulsa, OklahomaUnited States
Nike CampusBeaverton, OregonUnited StatesUnknown
McKenzie ParkHermiston, OregonUnited States
Railroad PlazaLansdale, PennsylvaniaUnited States
Alter Hall, Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaUnited States
Reading HospitalReading, PennsylvaniaUnited States
Robert E. Freeman Memorial ParkProvidence, Rhode IslandUnited States
Outside Mellow MushroomMount Pleasant, South CarolinaUnited States
The Ripley's Believe It or Not MuseumMyrtle Beach, South CarolinaUnited States
The Ripley's Believe It or Not MuseumGatlinburg, TennesseeUnited States
Miracle FieldMurfreesboro, TennesseeUnited StatesLocated 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.
Oak Court MallMemphis, TennesseeUnited States
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park Nashville, TennesseeUnited StatesWorld War II Memorial lbs
Cancer Survivors PlazaDallas, TexasUnited States
Historic Downtown GrapevineGrapevine, TexasUnited States
ConocoPhillips CampusHouston, TexasUnited States
Houston Museum of Natural ScienceHouston, TexasUnited States
Oaks Medical GroupBountiful, UtahUnited States
University Place OremOrem, UtahUnited States
Utah's Hogle ZooSalt Lake City, UtahUnited States
Lagoon Amusement ParkFarmington, UtahUnited States
Atlas WalkGainesville, VirginiaUnited States7000 pounds
Virginia Zoological ParkNorfolk, VirginiaUnited States
International Mission BoardRichmond, VirginiaUnited States
Science Museum of Virginia Richmond, VirginiaUnited StatesWorld's largest since 2003
Science Museum of Virginia Richmond, VirginiaUnited States
Crossroads ParkBellevue, WashingtonUnited States
Whatcom Community CollegeBellingham, WashingtonUnited States
Pacific Science CenterSeattle, WashingtonUnited States
Milwaukee County ZooMilwaukee, WisconsinUnited States
Casper Area Chamber of CommerceCasper, WyomingUnited States
Canyon Visitor Education CenterYellowstone National Park, WyomingUnited States
Five Points Centennial PlazaFive Points, South CarolinaUnited States
St. Rita's Medical CenterSt. Rita's Medical Center, OhioUnited States
Jack C. Taylor Conference CenterAnnapolis, MarylandUnited StatesInstalled in front of the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center at the United States Naval Institute in 2021.
Piazza d’armi CarraraItalyMade by Kenneth Davis in 1979
1.8 tons