Tiger & Turtle

Tiger & Turtle, Duisburg 

On the flat top of a green hill with all the charm of a suburban playground, overlooking a rather drab industrial landscape but also affording a panorama dominated by dense trees behind which you can catch glimpses of the residential neighbourhoods of Duisburg, stands a strange and impressive sculpture: a staircase with varying pitch, including a couple of loops, that undulates along illogical lines like the ribbons of rhythmic gymnasts.

I stopped there on my way to Cologne, curious to see the amazing staircase with my own eyes, eager to climb its entire length - how many can boast they've walked upside down on a staircase, closing a full loop?

The ascent to the hill with various views of the Tiger & Turtle did not disappoint. The staircase itself was a different matter. You can walk around it, under it and start walking on it but when the pitch starts becoming really steep and hence interesting, you encounter an abrupt termination in the form of a closed gate that prohibits any attempt at upside-down stair-climbing. The loops are inaccessible - not a staircase but a mere sculpture, after all.

Disappointed I didn't even put a foot on a single tread.

http://www.duisburg.de/micro2/tat/