The World Turned Upside Down

8 places that flip everyday objects on their heads.

8 Places

The simplest way to turn an ordinary object into something preposterous is to flip it on its head. Turning something upside down adds an instant element of nonsense and even intrigue. It suggests things have gone topsy-turvy, not as they should be. Whether used to symbolize chaos or to add an air of whimsy to an otherwise mundane object, these odd inversions are delightful to behold. Here are eight places to visit if you want to flip the script on the right-side-up world.

Szymbark, Poland

Upside-Down House

Communism's topsy-turvy effect on Poland has been brought to life in this wacky tourist trap.

Added by jason schwartzman

Prague, Czechia

Statue of King Wenceslas Riding an Upside-Down Dead Horse

Hanging from the ceiling of the Art Nouveau Lucerna Palace, an ancient king rides triumphantly astride... an upside-down, apparently dead horse.

Added by 3148delCT

Melbourne, Australia

Cow Up a Tree

In Melbourne’s Docklands precinct there is a four-ton bronze sculpture of an upside-down bovine, helplessly entangled in the branches of a gum tree.

smithtessar

Added by smithtessar

Upside-Down Fig Tree

The ancient resort town of Baia is now a venerated archaeological site, but no one told the defiant upside-down fig tree that grows from the ceiling of a crumbling brick building.

woodruff

Added by woodruff

Syracuse, New York

Upside-Down Traffic Signal

This Syracuse traffic signal was so regularly vandalized as a statement about Irish-British relations that it was permanently reversed: green on top, and red on the bottom.

Chris Clemens

Added by Chris Clemens

The Upside-Down Forest of Glacier Gardens

Throughout this glacier garden, upside-down trees known as Flower Towers have their tops buried in the ground and their roots thrust up in the air, forming a basket that cradles brilliantly bright trailing flowers.

Added by renakaba

Mamertine Prison

This ancient Roman prison is decorated with an upside-down cross, but not as blasphemy. The inverted symbol is a reference to Saint Peter, who was thought to have been crucified upside down.

alleywaykid

Added by alleywaykid

Istanbul, Turkey

Basilica Cisterns of Istanbul

At the far end of this subterranean cistern are two giant Gorgon-head pillar bases, decorated with two carved faces mysteriously positioned upside down and sideways.

Annetta Black

Added by Annetta Black