Spectacular Spirals

Swirls and curls with an enchanting twist.

53 Places

The Spiral Jetty

An earthwork sculpture built by Robert Smithson in the Great Salt Lake only reemerges during drought.

Added by tvstay

Isle of Skye, Scotland

Fairy Glen

This dramatic landscape hidden on the Isle of Skye looks as though you've stepped into the magical realm.

Kerry Wolfe

Added by Kerry Wolfe

Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville Interchange Spiral

Must form and function forever remain at odds? Not if the Florida Department of Transportation has its way.

Josh

High Trestle Trail Bridge

A half-mile long and three stories high, this bridge over the Des Moines River Valley mimics a descent into a mine shaft.

Blindcolour

Added by Blindcolour

Krásno, Czechia

Spiral Tower of Krásno

A spiral staircase twists to the top of this unusual Czech lookout tower.

Christine Williamson

Added by Christine Williamson

Onomichi, Japan

Ribbon Chapel

This high-design church is made up of two dizzying spirals meant to evoke the weaving together of marriage.

EricGrundhauser

Added by EricGrundhauser

The Stairs of Reconciliation

Double spiral staircases are not unheard of, but they are very rare.

AdamTKincaid

Added by AdamTKincaid

Qesm Hurghada, Egypt

Desert Breath

A massive work of modern art that appears to be a crop circle in the middle of the desert.

Josh

Bușteni, Romania

The Mountain Sphinx

Conspiracy theories and occult legends surround this mysterious natural rock formation.

poppyoana

Added by poppyoana

Newgrange

The ancient tomb acts as a calendar that keeps perfect time.

Greensburg, Kansas

The Big Well

The United States's largest hand-dug well is topped with a state-of-the-art museum.

Dylan

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Playtower

A whimsical tower with a spiral staircase, inspired by the Space Age and the Möbius strip.

Allison

Added by Allison

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Loretto Chapel

Wedding chapel's mysterious spiral staircase said to be miraculously constructed.

Oakland, California

Mazzariello Labyrinth

Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

Added by lisaemily

Saint-Étienne, France

Maison sans Escalier (The House Without Stairs)

An architectural oddity of six stories, accessed by graceful ramps.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Evolver

Spiral alpine structure provides an alternative experience of viewing the Matterhorn.

anhie

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

matthiasheinrich

Added by matthiasheinrich

Naucalpan, Mexico

Nautilus House

This fantastical house shaped like a seashell brings aquatic design to architecture.

Rachel

Added by Rachel

Copenhagen, Denmark

Rundetårn

The old observatory in Copenhagen has a spiral corridor used as a racetrack.

stanestane

Added by stanestane

Leixlip, Ireland

The Wonderful Barn

A corkscrew-shaped barn in Ireland.

Added by NathanRisinger

Lewes, Delaware

Zwaanendael Museum

A grotesque Fiji merman dwells within this traditional Dutch-style building.

horticulturcat

Added by horticulturcat

Treetop Tower of Rügen

A long spiraling walkway winds through the woods, and around a copper beech tree at the center.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Architectural DNA

An old spiral fire escape dangles above a public courtyard in Midtown Oklahoma City.

leannatron

Added by leannatron

Oaks, Pennsylvania

World's Largest Slinky

Once on display alongside a giant Gumby, it’s as tall as a nine-story building when fully extended.

Chittick

Added by Chittick

Astoria, Oregon

The Astoria Column

A Roman-style column in Oregon hides a spiral staircase inside.

canuck

Added by canuck

Munich, Germany

Umschreibung

A stairway to heaven, or to nowhere at all.

ahvenas

Added by ahvenas

Rottweil, Germany

ThyssenKrupp Test Tower

Built to test magnetically levitated elevators, the tower also boasts Germany's highest visitor platform.

jfrank

Added by jfrank

Chesterfield, England

Chesterfield Snail

This enormous spiral sculpture looks strangely out of place on the edge of a housing development.

Dr Alan P Newman

Added by Dr Alan P Newman

Horned Helmet of Henry VIII

The bizarre headgear looks like it was made for a fool, not a king.

Aika

San Antonio, Texas

Fiesta Tower

Colorful curls of hand-blown glass form a captivating tower in San Antonio's Central Library.

satxwdavis

Added by satxwdavis

Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.

Added by geokate

Independence, Missouri

Independence Temple

This otherworldly church spire reaches up toward the heavens.

Added by Hermit

Singapore's Blinking Snails

Relax on your veranda and watch the light show.

Jeff Wagg

Added by Jeff Wagg

Istanbul, Turkey

Serpent Column

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Woodward's Spiral Staircase to Nowhere

A unique spiral staircase that doesn't quite make it up to the top floor.

jengphoto

Added by jengphoto

Art Tatum Celebration Column

A 30-foot stack of piano keys memorializes one of the greatest keys players in jazz history.

jessecbethea

Added by jessecbethea

Crawick, Scotland

Crawick Multiverse

Modern megaliths form this work of cosmic, Celtic landscape art.

ssm67alba

Added by ssm67alba

Kawazu Nanadaru Loop Bridge

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.

Added by cookiecookie

Stamullen, Ireland

Fourknocks Passage Tomb

An ancient chamber filled with wonderful rock art and a Neolithic carving of a human face.

noeldonnellon

Added by noeldonnellon

Darmstadt, Germany

Waldspirale

A German apartment building hosting as many trees as human occupants.

Rebekah Otto

Added by Rebekah Otto

Bern, Switzerland

Méret Oppenheim Fountain

The Swiss artist's bulbous and overgrown shape-shifting sculpture controversially graces the center of Bern.

Vololona

Added by Vololona

Culebra, Puerto Rico

The Tanks of Flamenco Beach

Rusting, graffiti-covered tanks litter the beach of this island, once used by the U.S. military for target practice.

Added by CharlatAnne

London, England

London Underground Labyrinths

A labyrinth hides in plain sight at each of the city's 270 Tube stations.

Monsieur Mictlan

Added by Monsieur Mictlan

Puquios

The sophisticated hydraulic system of the Nazca civilization.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell

Newry and Mourne, Northern Ireland

Kilnasaggart Pillar Stone

The inscribed stone at Kilnasaggart is a remnant from nearly a millennium ago.

Added by bethmc42

Glasgow, Scotland

The Lighthouse

Climb this overlooked gem's spiral staircase and you'll be rewarded with spectacular views of Glasgow.

ssm67alba

Added by ssm67alba

Crestone, Colorado

Crestone Ziggurat

Climb to the top of this spiritual tower, and you'll be rewarded with spectacular views.

schultjh

Added by schultjh

Des Moines, New Mexico

Capulin Volcano

This volcano rises like a giant anthill from the plains below, with a road spiraling up to the rim.

Tony Dunnell

Added by Tony Dunnell