World’s tallest sandcastle rises in Germany

Summer may be on its way out, but how about one last hurrah in the form of an incredible sandcastle? Over in Duisburg, Germany, travel company Schauinsland-Reisen recently commissioned a massive sandcastle intended to snatch the Guinness World Record for “Tallest Sandcastle” from the previous titleholder in India. To do so, this sandcastle reaches an astounding 16.68 meters (about 55 feet), beating the previous record by six feet.

Completed over 25 days, the project involved 19 sand artists from around the world, as well as tools big (Excavator! Cranes! Wooden scaffolding!) and small (for hand-carving all those surface details). Design-wise, it’s like a gigantic mashup of global architecture, putting Athens’s Parthenon, the Great Sphinx of Giza, Thai Buddhist temples, and more all in the same scene.

A Guinness World Record official approved the feat last Friday and the sandcastle will remain standing until September 29.

Via: New Atlas