This sandcastle isn't the kind that you make on the beach with a bucket and spade, but an ambitious project that has been declared the world's tallest sandcastle by Guinness World Records. Comprising 3,500 tons of compressed sand, it surpasses the previous record holder in Odisha, India, by an impressive 184 cm (6 ft).
The sandcastle is located in Duisburg, Germany, and was commissioned by a German tour company called Schauinsland-Reisen. It rises to a height of 16.68 m (54.72 ft), beating the previous world's tallest sandcastle in Odisha, India, which measured 14.84 m (48.8 ft)-tall.
The design is quite intricate and depicts attractions from around the globe, including Greece's Parthenon and Thailand's Buddhist temples. It also includes a water slide, running from top to the bottom.
The project involved 19 sand artists from around the world. Heavy machinery, including an excavator and cranes were used for the sandcastle's construction, along with wooden scaffolding. The actual patterns in the sand were created with hand tools. In all, it took a total of 25 days to complete.
The sandcastle will remain in place until September 29, so if you want to see it in person, get yourself down to the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park before then.
Sources: Die Sandburg, Schauinsland-Reisen
