Kugel ball

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about a sculpture. For other uses, see Kugel (disambiguation).
Kugel ball in Railroad Plaza, Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Simplified diagram of the workings of a kugel ball

A kugel ball is a sculpture consisting of a large granite ball supported by a very thin film of water. Water flows beneath a very heavy, perfectly spherical rock from a spherical concave base with exactly the same curvature. A kugel ball can weigh thousands of pounds, but because the thin film of water lubricates it, the ball spins.[1]

Kugel ball installations can be found all over the world. Many are at popular tourist destinations, such as a science museum in the United States,[2] a shopping center in England, a hotel lobby in Kuwait, and a botanical garden in Germany.

The term kugel ball originates from the German word Kugel for ball, sphere or globe.[3]

Locations of kugel balls

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
FacilityCityCountryGPS CoordinateFurther information
Marshall Nemer Pavillion, Lourdes Hospital Paducah, Kentucky USA Unknown
Holiday Inn Express Montreal Airport Montreal, Quebec Canada 45°27′40″N 73°43′26″W / 45.461109°N 73.723973°W / 45.461109; -73.723973 (Montreal)
Abt Electronics Glenview, Illinois USA 42°04′05″N 87°51′09″W / 42.067964°N 87.852602°W / 42.067964; -87.852602 (Glenview)
TriHealth Fitness & Health Pavilion Cincinnati, Ohio USA 39°15′21″N 84°21′54″W / 39.255901°N 84.364927°W / 39.255901; -84.364927 (Cincinnati)
Reading Hospital Reading, Pennsylvania USA 40°19′47″N 75°56′58″W / 40.329704°N 75.949492°W / 40.329704; -75.949492 (Reading) [4]
Science Museum of Virginia Richmond, Virginia USA 37°33′39″N 77°27′58″W / 37.560809°N 77.466157°W / 37.560809; -77.466157 (Richmond, Virginia)
International Mission Board Richmond, Virginia USA 37°34′06″N 77°28′56″W / 37.5683565°N 77.4822119°W / 37.5683565; -77.4822119 (Richmond, Virginia)
Millennium Plaza Omaha, Nebraska USA 41°15′51″N 96°09′44″W / 41.264191°N 96.162198°W / 41.264191; -96.162198 (Omaha, Nebraska)
Forrest Place Perth, Western Australia Australia 31°57′10″S 115°51′33″E / 31.952756°S 115.859182°E / -31.952756; 115.859182 (Perth)
The University of Western Australia, CS Department Perth, Western Australia Australia 31°58′40″S 115°48′59″E / 31.97781°S 115.81645°E / -31.97781; 115.81645 (Perth) Installed 2009
Questacon Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia 35°17′53″S 149°07′53″E / 35.298158°S 149.131507°E / -35.298158; 149.131507 (Canberra)
SkyHigh Mount Dandenong Victoria (Australia) Australia 37°49′37″S 145°21′10″E / 37.826974°S 145.3528°E / -37.826974; 145.3528 (SkyHigh Mount Dandenong)
Mississippi College Clinton, Mississippi USA Unknown
Feldkirch Austria Unknown
Erlangen Bavaria Germany 49°35′44″N 11°00′19″E / 49.595552°N 11.005286°E / 49.595552; 11.005286 (Erlangen)
University of Colorado at Boulder Boulder, Colorado USA 40°00′26″N 105°15′43″W / 40.007360°N 105.261906°W / 40.007360; -105.261906 (CUBoulder)
29th Street Mall Boulder, Colorado USA 40°01′02″N 105°15′21″W / 40.01715°N 105.25585°W / 40.01715; -105.25585 (Boulder)
Belmar Shopping Center Lakewood, Colorado USA 39°42′31″N 105°04′39″W / 39.708726°N 105.077594°W / 39.708726; -105.077594 (Lakewood, Colorado)
Langenfeld Germany 51°06′35″N 6°56′55″E / 51.109795°N 6.948499°E / 51.109795; 6.948499 (Langenfeld)
Kansas City, Missouri USA 39°03′52″N 94°35′25″W / 39.06434°N 94.590298°W / 39.06434; -94.590298 (Kansas City, Missouri)
Railroad Plaza Lansdale, Pennsylvania USA 40°14′35″N 75°17′09″W / 40.243083°N 75.285833°W / 40.243083; -75.285833 (Lansdale)
Amarillo, Texas USA 35°12′25″N 101°49′51″W / 35.207017°N 101.830733°W / 35.207017; -101.830733 (Amarillo)
Wellington New Zealand 41°17′26″S 174°46′53″E / 41.290556°S 174.781389°E / -41.290556; 174.781389 (Wellington)
Carsington Water Visitor Center Derbyshire England 53°03′37″N 1°38′31″W / 53.060217°N 1.641850°W / 53.060217; -1.641850 (Derbyshire)
Dallas, Texas USA 32°47′10″N 96°47′45″W / 32.786083°N 96.795739°W / 32.786083; -96.795739 (Dallas)
Railroad Community Park Santa Paula, California, USA 34°21′21″N 119°03′37″W / 34.35597°N 119.0604°W / 34.35597; -119.0604 (Santa Paula, California)
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Cape Canaveral, Florida USA 28°31′21″N 80°40′52″W / 28.522486°N 80.681198°W / 28.522486; -80.681198 (Cape Canaveral)
Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza (park) Columbus, Ohio USA 40°00′26″N 83°01′22″W / 40.007172°N 83.022688°W / 40.007172; -83.022688 (Columbus, Ohio)
The Mall at Tuttle Crossing Columbus, Ohio USA Unknown
COSI Columbus Columbus, Ohio USA Unknown
Holliday Park Nature Center Indianapolis, Indiana USA 39°52′18″N 86°09′41″W / 39.871552°N 86.161384°W / 39.871552; -86.161384 (Holliday Park sphere)
Disneyland Resort Anaheim, California USA 33°48′43″N 117°55′01″W / 33.811818°N 117.917062°W / 33.811818; -117.917062 (Disneyland Resort)
California Baptist University Riverside, California USA 33°55′48″N 117°25′30″W / 33.93°N 117.425°W / 33.93; -117.425 (California Baptist University)
Magic Kingdom Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida USA 28°15′04″N 81°20′51″W / 28.251190°N 81.347540°W / 28.251190; -81.347540 (Walt Disney World Resort)
Dundarave West Vancouver, British Columbia Canada 49°20′00″N 123°10′57″W / 49.333258°N 123.182506°W / 49.333258; -123.182506 (West Vancouver)
Coleman-Morse Center Notre Dame, Indiana USA 41°42′03″N 86°14′26″W / 41.700701°N 86.240622°W / 41.700701; -86.240622 (Notre Dame, Indiana) [5]
Chinatown Victoria, British Columbia Canada 48°25′45″N 123°22′01″W / 48.429117°N 123.366900°W / 48.429117; -123.366900 (Kugel ball at Chinatown)
Nike Campus Beaverton, Oregon USA Unknown
Amtrak Station Bakersfield, California USA 35°22′20″N 119°00′30″W / 35.372101°N 119.008233°W / 35.372101; -119.008233 (Bakersfield)
Square des Long-Prés Boulogne-Billancourt, Île de France France 48°49′56″N 2°14′47″E / 48.832248°N 2.24638°E / 48.832248; 2.24638 (Boulogne-Billancourt)
Casino Grand Cercle Aix-les-Bains France 45°41′20″N 5°54′50″E / 45.68889°N 5.91389°E / 45.68889; 5.91389
Rue de Bretagne Alençon France 48°25′53″N 0°04′38″E / 48.431505°N 0.077226°E / 48.431505; 0.077226 (Alençon)
Près-La-Rose natural park Montbéliard France 47°30′21″N 6°48′11″E / 47.50583°N 6.80306°E / 47.50583; 6.80306
Paultons Park Hampshire England 50°56′56″N 1°33′08″W / 50.94887°N 1.552355°W / 50.94887; -1.552355 (Hampshire) [6]
Parco Commerciale Dora Turin Italy 45°05′15″N 7°40′05″E / 45.087556°N 7.668025°E / 45.087556; 7.668025 (Turin)
The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum Gatlinburg, Tennessee USA 35°42′41″N 83°31′06″W / 35.711403°N 83.518453°W / 35.711403; -83.518453 (Gatlinburg, Tennessee)
The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum Myrtle Beach, South Carolina USA Unknown
The Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada 43°05′31″N 79°04′34″W / 43.091872°N 79.075985°W / 43.091872; -79.075985 (Niagara Falls)
Canyon Visitor Education Center Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming USA 44°44′05″N 110°29′31″W / 44.734717°N 110.491888°W / 44.734717; -110.491888 (Yellowstone)
Rotuaari pedestrian street Oulu Finland Unknown
Milwaukee County Zoo Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA 43°08′03″N 87°57′21″W / 43.134167°N 87.955833°W / 43.134167; -87.955833 (Milwaukee)
San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego, California USA 33°05′55″N 116°59′56″W / 33.09866°N 116.99889°W / 33.09866; -116.99889
Henry Doorly Zoo Omaha, Nebraska USA 41°13′31″N 95°55′41″W / 41.225158°N 95.927939°W / 41.225158; -95.927939 (Omaha)
Duke Power Charlotte, North Carolina USA Unknown
Oak Court Mall Memphis, Tennessee USA 35°07′02″N 89°54′48″W / 35.117305°N 89.913378°W / 35.117305; -89.913378 (Memphis)
Kaggensgatan Pedestrian Street Kalmar Sweden 56°39′42″N 16°21′52″E / 56.661616°N 16.364538°E / 56.661616; 16.364538 (Kalmar, Sweden)
Palmengarten Frankfurt am Main Germany Unknown
Casino Velden Velden Austria Unknown
Iowa State Fairgrounds Des Moines, Iowa USA 41°35′44″N 93°33′04″W / 41.595546°N 93.551049°W / 41.595546; -93.551049 (Des Moines)
Davison Township Police Department Davison, Michigan USA 43°01′38″N 83°33′21″W / 43.027255°N 83.555757°W / 43.027255; -83.555757 (Davison, Michigan)
Malaya Sadovaya Street Saint Petersburg Russia 59°56′03″N 30°20′15″E / 59.93421°N 30.33744°E / 59.93421; 30.33744 (St. Petersburg)
Lausanne Switzerland Unknown
Hämeenpuisto Tampere Finland 61°29′52″N 23°45′07″E / 61.497792°N 23.751926°E / 61.497792; 23.751926 (Tampere, Finland)
Lyngby Storcenter Lyngby Denmark 55°46′17″N 12°30′21″E / 55.771329°N 12.505888°E / 55.771329; 12.505888 (Lyngby, Denmark)
Morton Arboretum Illinois USA 41°48′50″N 88°04′12″W / 41.81393°N 88.06997°W / 41.81393; -88.06997 (Morton Arboretum)
Casa de las Ciencias A Coruña Spain 43°21′42″N 8°24′50″W / 43.3618°N 8.413951°W / 43.3618; -8.413951 (A Coruña, Spain)
Louisville Zoo Louisville, Kentucky USA 38°12′20″N 85°42′25″W / 38.205438°N 85.707023°W / 38.205438; -85.707023 (Louisville, Kentucky)
Somerset Collection Troy, Michigan USA 42°33′41″N 83°11′2″W / 42.56139°N 83.18389°W / 42.56139; -83.18389 (Troy, Michigan)
Pacific Science Center Seattle, Washington USA 47°37′9″N 122°21′4″W / 47.61917°N 122.35111°W / 47.61917; -122.35111 (Seattle)
Temaikèn Park Belén de Escobar, Buenos Aires Province Argentina 34°22′00″S 58°48′16″W / 34.366725°S 58.804462°W / -34.366725; -58.804462 (Buenos Aires)
Utah's Hogle Zoo Salt Lake City, Utah USA Unknown
Temple University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA 39°58′48″N 75°09′22″W / 39.980071°N 75.156248°W / 39.980071; -75.156248 (Philadelphia)
Lobby of the Radisson Blu Hotel Kuwait City Kuwait Unknown
Westpark Munich Germany 48°07′23″N 11°31′52″E / 48.122954°N 11.531178°E / 48.122954; 11.531178 (Munich)
W5 Interactive Discovery Centre Belfast Northern Ireland 54°36′14″N 5°54′56″W / 54.603768°N 5.91560°W / 54.603768; -5.91560 (Belfast)
ConocoPhillips Campus Houston, Texas USA 29°47′18″N 95°36′49″W / 29.788273°N 95.613542°W / 29.788273; -95.613542 (Houston, Texas)
Techniquest Cardiff Wales 51°27′46″N 3°10′05″W / 51.462671°N 3.168174°W / 51.462671; -3.168174 (Cardiff)
Gilbert, Arizona USA 33°12′47″N 111°28′29″W / 33.21293°N 111.47463°W / 33.21293; -111.47463 (Gilbert, Arizona)
Whatcom Community College Bellingham, Washington USA 48°47′43″N 122°29′37″W / 48.79534°N 122.493681°W / 48.79534; -122.493681 (Bellingham, Washington)
Donbass Arena Donetsk Ukraine 48°01′15″N 37°48′34″E / 48.02083°N 37.80944°E / 48.02083; 37.80944 (Donetsk, Ukraine)
"The Solar System" Tarnów Poland 50°00′30″N 20°58′31″E / 50.008344°N 20.975416°E / 50.008344; 20.975416 (Tarnów, Poland) [7]
"Discovery", Columbus Learning Center Columbus, Indiana USA 39°15′10″N 85°54′08″W / 39.252718°N 85.902096°W / 39.252718; -85.902096 (Columbus Learning Center) [8]
Bengaluru International Airport Terminal Bangalore India Unknown
Fry's Electronics San Marcos, California USA 33°08′14″N 117°11′02″W / 33.13712°N 117.183952°W / 33.13712; -117.183952
Byrkjedalstunet Rogaland Norway 58°46′46″N 6°19′01″E / 58.779475°N 6.317047°E / 58.779475; 6.317047
Tulsa Zoo Tulsa, Oklahoma USA Unknown
The State Botanical Garden of Georgia Athens, Georgia USA 33°54′04″N 83°22′59″W / 33.901103°N 83.383138°W / 33.901103; -83.383138 (Athens, Georgia) [9]
Canton Ohio Downtown Canton, Ohio USA Unknown
Centrum of Tjuvholmen, Aker brygge Oslo Norway 59°54′34″N 10°43′28″E / 59.9094°N 10.72432°E / 59.9094; 10.72432
Outside the Bull Inn Bracknell England 51°25′00″N 0°45′03″W / 51.416716°N 0.750762°W / 51.416716; -0.750762 (The Bull Bracknell UK) [10]
Elon University, Numen Lumen Pavilion Elon, North Carolina USA 36°06′09″N 79°30′08″W / 36.102485°N 79.502274°W / 36.102485; -79.502274 (Elon University UK) Meditation garden

References

  1. ↑ Kugel ball FAQ retrieved on 18 September 2007
  2. ↑ Amanda Oaks, Richmond in the Record Books, Richmond.com, 18 August [2004], Retrieved on 18 September 2007
  3. ↑ wiktionary.org: Kugel (German) [retrieved 10 May 2010]
  4. ↑ ReadingEagle.com: Healing garden at Reading Hospital allows visitors to reflect (image caption)
  5. ↑ Notre Dame Magazine Online, Summer 2001, Retrieved on 31 July 2008
  6. ↑ Paultons Park, Summer 2008, Retrieved on 15 June 2009
  7. ↑ Kosmiczna fontanna w Tarnowie już działa, Spring 2011, Retrieved on 5 June 2011 (in Polish)
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ The State Botanical Garden of Georgia: Art in the Garden Retrieved on 30 May 2012
  10. ↑

See also

External links

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