Amazing Water Fountains Attracting Hundreds of Thousands of Tourists Annually

Water fountains, which come in all shapes and sizes, have been a part of earth's landscape for thousands of years. Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to international destinations each year to catch a glimpse of these man-made treasures.

Most Famous Fountains in the World

The Tivoli Fountain, which is situated on the Piazza de Trevi in Rome, Italy, has over the years become a must do day trip for anyone staying in Rome. The fountain, which dates back to 1761, attracts hundreds of thousands of sightseers each year and is considered to be the world's most famous fountain.

Pope Urban VIII initiated construction of the fountain in 1629. Believing the original fountain to be too simplistic, Pope Urban approached Gian Lorenzo Bernini to produce sketches for renovating the modest fountain into a more suitable one. Unfortunately when Pope Urban died in 1644 the project was abandoned with one modification made by Bernini - the fountain was repositioned in the opposite direction so that it would face the Quirinal Palace.

The Baroque-style fountain existing today in Rome was constructed over a 29-year period at the request of Pope Clemetine XII. In 1730 Pope Clementine organized a contest to construct a replacement for the original fountain, which was a popular venue used during the Baroque period for awarding building and fountain contracts. The winner had been Florentine architect Allesandro Galilei. This decision did not sit well with the people of Rome and Nicola Salvi was selected instead. Once more death interrupted construction of the fountain when in 1751 Salvi passed away. Giovanni Paolo Pannini completed the fountain in 1762.

Other Fountains made famous by tourists include the following:

Magic Fountain of Montjuic

The Magic Fountain of Montjuic, which is located in Barcelona, Spain, is another popular fountain attracting hordes of tourists since opening in 1929. The fountain, which was designed by Carles Buigas, was completed in less than a year thanks to the 3,000 workers involved in its construction. This must see fountain, located at the Placa de Carles Buigas, is a magnificent sight to behold, especially in the evenings when the fountain's plumes come alive with the addition of lights, colors and music.

The Fountain of People's Friendship

The Peoples' Friendship Fountain, also known as the Friendship of Nations Fountain, can be found in Moscow's All-Russian Exhibition Center. The fountain, which celebrates its 56 birthday this year, features 15 gilded statues of maidens in their national costumes representing the old Soviet Union, is framed by an octahedral bowl of red granite.

Largest Fountains in the World

The United Arab Emirates recently unveiled the world's largest water fountain in Downtown Burj Dubai. The music, visual and water spectacle, which was designed by the California-based company WET, topples the Fountains of Bellagio's 11-year reign.

The Dubai Fountain is situated on the 30-acre Dubai Burj Lake. With 22,000 gallons of airborne water jetting to heights from 3 to 500 feet each minute accompanied by fountain lights, color projectors and selected Arabic and world music, the fountain sets a new standard for performing water fountains found throughout the world with more than 1,000 visual water expressions at its disposal.

Other fountains having held the title of World's Largest Fountain include:

The Fountains of Bellagio

Steve Wynn's Bellagio Casino, which is situated on an 8-acre lake in Las Vegas, Nevada, has been attracting tourist since 1998. Also designed by the California-based company WET, The Fountains at Bellagio comes to life daily dancing to opera, classical, or Broadway music against the backdrop of Las Vegas' lavender sky.

Jetting to heights of 460 feet, the fountains have been featured in four major motion pictures over the years - Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Thirteen, Lucky You and 21--The Movie.

The Fountain of Wealth

The Fountain of Wealth is located in one of Singapore's largest shopping malls Suntec City. From the base of the fountain, which is located underground, water emerges almost 95 feet towards the sky through a bonze circular ring that is visible from the mall's ground level. In the evenings the fountain is the site of music and laser performances with special dedications accepted from the public from 8 to 9 p.m.

Tallest Fountains in the World

Another world record setting water fountain worth seeing is King Fahd's Fountain, which is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This water fountain is currently ranked as the tallest water fountain in the world with its water shooting upwards to a height of 1,020 feet. This would be the equivalent of a 100-story building!

King Fahd's Fountain, which is visible throughout the entire city of Jeddah, was built in the 1980's and has remained a spectacle to behold ever since, especially in the evening when it is illuminated with more than 500 spotlights.

Other fountains often visited for having incredibly high water plumes include:

The Gateway Geyser

Located on the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Illinois sits The Gateway Geyser. Ranked the second tallest water fountain in the world, the fountain's plume reaches 630 feet towards the sky. Designed and constructed by St. Louis-based Hydro Dramatics, the fountain's 50 plus storey plume, which fills the skies from 12:00 -12:15 p.m. and from 1:00-1:15 p.m. daily from April to October, garners it the title of tallest water fountain on American soil as well.

Karachi Port Trust Fountain

Coming in as the third tallest water fountain in the world is the Karachi Port Trust Fountain in Karachi, Pakistan. Illuminated at night by 18 floodlights, the fountain's 625 feet plume that is drawn from the seawater surrounding it can be seen throughout the city as well as from several miles at sea.

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