The word "fountains" is of Latin origin and is translated as "sources". Natural springs spouting from the ground interested people not only as sources of drinking water, but also as an original element of decor. Already in ancient times, the Greeks and Romans decorated forest grottoes with smoothly trimmed stones and trimmed tiles. And then, with the invention of water pipes, the era of fountains came. They began to be installed in city squares and streets, in the courtyards of houses and luxurious palaces. Pergolas, statues, intricate shapes, floating figures - which engineering thought did not come up with, coupled with creative imagination!
Water shows
The latest fad associated with these artificial ponds is the dancing fountain. The sight is truly amazing! Whoever has seen him at least once remains impressed for a very long time. Imagine: music sounds, and to the beat, under different pressure, it is stronger, now quieter soaring sparkling jets. Therefore, it is said: a dancing fountain. It seems that the jets really danced and performed intricate pirouettes. The effect is enhanced by color highlighting. Laser beams, piercing water columns, color them in the most fantastic shades. The dancing fountain, splashing in synchronization with musical compositions, is an amazing show, which is a real pleasure to watch.
Technical details
How does a miracle happen? If you go into all the production details, then uninitiated people are unlikely to understand them. Therefore, let’s say simpler: each dancing fountain is a rather complicated engineering structure, working not only on the basis of the laws of physics, but also with the help of sophisticated computer programs. Especially if the jets are not just illuminated with colored lights, but whole water-laser three-dimensional compositions are formed from them. Naturally, such a structure is not cheap, and the more complex its mechanisms, the grander the act played out, the higher the price. The most famous shows of dancing fountains are estimated in considerable fortunes!
At the source
What did the crowd of Romans usually demand from their rulers? Meal'n'Real! Thousands of years have passed since then, and humanity has changed little. We are still greedy for everything new, unusual, bright, grandiose, giving new impressions. Probably, this fact became the main incentive for an unknown electrical engineer Otto with the ridiculous name Pristavik. He lived in Berlin and worked in a small restaurant, modestly hiding in one of the distant capital streets. It was to him that it occurred to him to attract visitors with a completely unique entertainment at that time: to combine the movement of fountain jets with musical accompaniment and graceful movements of ballet dancers. And the thing happened in the 20s of the last century. One can imagine the audience’s amazement at the restaurant “Rene” when one day, having come to have dinner or to spend the summer evening with friends for a cup of coffee, people saw something unimaginable. The illuminated jets of water, clearly visible through the arches of the passages, swayed, descended, splashed up and fell off, respectively, with the tonality and rhythms of the playing melodies. The fountain seemed to be a living creature, sensitively reacting to every musical beat! The show was controlled by Otto Pristavik, pressing the necessary levers of the control panel.
From the Old World to the New
The most practical nation in the world, the Americans, picked up the ingenious idea. And a decade later, in 1939, a new miracle was revealed to the world at the New York Trade and Industrial Exhibition - a large fountain with one and a half thousand nozzles for water, three million watts of electricity for lighting, huge speakers and almost 350 water installations. The musical background for the performance was provided by a symphony orchestra. Engineers also controlled the systems, but no longer with levers, but with special buttons on the tape that mimic the piano keys.
Hurry to the Aquamarine
Years passed. The brilliant idea of Pristvik was most widely spread around the world. Now almost every major city or tourist center has its own dancing fountains, and not even in a single copy. Let us dwell on some of the most interesting. The first thing I want to talk about is the circus of dancing fountains in Moscow, bearing a beautiful name - "Aquamarine". He has been working since 2009, turning every performance into a fantastic extravaganza. The stars of the best circus arenas in the world often perform here. Their performances alternate with the exits of the capital's stage masters. Dancing on ice is not inferior in virtuosity and sophistication, intricacy of numbers to the original programs of the famous Olympic skaters. Trained animals, jokes and entertaining clown numbers, exciting acrobat exits - and all this against the background of skillfully selected musical accompaniment and an amazing game of sparkling, sparkling multi-colored water streams. There is a clear feeling that the fountains on the stage are dancing, playing, jumping, like full-fledged heroes of the Tale. By the way, Aquamarine is the only circus in the world!
Gorky Park
In general,
Moscow shows its dancing
fountains to everyone with purely Russian hospitality and hospitality. For example, a large water center in Gorky Park. It was built before the Olympics-80 to entertain foreign visitors. He currently gives 6 concerts during the day and evening. Most impressive is the night performance, accompanied by the play of music, chiaroscuro, lasers and pyrotechnics. Here is a favorite vacation spot for young mothers and grandmothers with children, romantic couples and simply connoisseurs of nature. Therefore, on the benches around the fountain is always crowded. In intense heat, many even by special descent climb into the reservoir - to freshen up. On the holiday of the Airborne Forces it has become a tradition to make sports swims.
Catherine's Fountain
An indescribably delightful show of dancing fountains can be observed upon arriving in Tsaritsyno, on the Middle Catherine Pond. Here, once the brilliant Russian empress admired fireworks, cannon fire during social holidays and amusements. And if you compare all the dancing fountains in Moscow, then the Tsaritsynsky, installed here on a pond on an island having the shape of a horseshoe, is the largest in the capital and the most chic in all respects. The reservoir was mechanized during technical reconstructions, in 2006-2007. Inside it 3312 lamps were installed to illuminate the water. The nozzles that regulate the pressure and fluid supply can throw water at a height of 15 meters. The diameter of this creation of architectural and artistic art is impressive - 55 meters! The volume of the fountain bowl, no less, but 3100 meters³. Spray at this miracle 807, each splashes and falls, depending on the rhythm of the melody currently playing. In the afternoon, the water in the fountain under the sun sparkles and shimmers, like a charming old chandelier with diamond pendants. Glitter dazzles the eyes, and water spray forms clouds of sparkling dust. With the onset of darkness, in the light of multi-colored spotlights, the fountain acquires a completely fantastic look. Its color and acoustic mechanisms are designed to create countless variations of paintings and music.
Traveling in Turkey
Today it has become fashionable to spend holidays, weekends, vacations and all kinds of holidays in exotic places, abroad. Perhaps the most popular for our tourists is Turkey. The beaches there are clean, the service is not bad, and the prices are even lower than in the resorts of Russia and Ukraine. Most often, lovers of the sea, sun and entertainment go to Dubai. His dancing fountain may well claim the title of one of the wonders of the world. This is truly a unique creation of engineering and architectural thought, it is a fantasy woven from sounds, light, colors and water. It is located near the Burj Khalif skyscraper. The construction is equal to the largest in the world, and the matter is not only in the total area of the reservoir. Its jets soar up to the level of a house of 50 floors, i.e. 150 meters, processing more than 80,000 liters of water every second! 50 spotlights with different color shades and transitions, 600 lamps simulate more than 10 compositions. From musical works here, classical and modern melodies, Arabic and European motifs sound. “Excellent”, “magnificent”, “inexpressible” - this is just a small list of epithets that break out from enthusiastic spectators.
Forward to cyprus
Cyprus was also quite a popular tourist destination. And although after the economic upheaval his fame somewhat faded, there is also where to have a great time. There are dancing fountains. Cyprus has always been a hospitable island. With special pleasure tourists visited the small town of Protaras. After all, this is where the “Magic Dancing Fountain” is located, which includes not only color special effects, but also smoke, computer, and fire effects. The daily show charges with such positive emotions, you can admire it countless times.
Here they are - dancing fountains!