Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Germany Munich 'Sweet Brown Snail'
AO Edited

'Sweet Brown Snail'

A giant snail sculpture looking longingly at the German traffic museum.

Munich, Germany

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
‘Sweet Brown Snail’   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
‘Sweet Brown Snail’   https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sw...
‘Sweet Brown Snail’   https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sw...
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
‘Sweet Brown Snail’   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  Inkythistle / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Street art often has a meaning tied to its look and location. Perhaps the best example of this is a gigantic sculpture of a snail looking longingly at a Munich museum filled with cars and other vehicles. 

The sculpture, called 'Sweet Brown Snail,' is a 29-fold enlargement of a popular tourist trinket, now towering at four meters high. The statue was made as a collaboration between Jason Rhoades and Paul McCarthy, known for works such as Paul McCarthy's Santa Claus.

The statue was placed on the square in 2002, right in front of the Deutsches Museum-Verkehrszentrum. According to the artists, the snail is an ironic contrast to the dream of speed, which is a central theme in the museum. However, while the snail may be slow, it carries its house with it which embodies unlimited mobility.

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Snails Sculptures Art

Know Before You Go

The snail is freely accessible.

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Edited By

Martin, Collector of Experiences, jonathancarey, Inkythistle

  • Martin
  • Collector of Experiences
  • jonathancarey
  • Inkythistle

Published

October 21, 2021

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.schwanthalerhoehe.eu/den-8-stadtbezirk-entdecken/kurioses/
'Sweet Brown Snail'
5 Am Bavariapark
Munich, 80339
Germany
48.132147, 11.543283
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Umschreibung

Munich, Germany

miles away

Lady Bavaria

Munich, Germany

miles away

Kuchentratsch

Munich, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Munich

Munich

Germany

Places 36

Nearby Places

Umschreibung

Munich, Germany

miles away

Lady Bavaria

Munich, Germany

miles away

Kuchentratsch

Munich, Germany

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Munich

Munich

Germany

Places 36

Related Stories and Lists

Our Favorite New Places of 2021

List

By Atlas Obscura

Related Places

  • The Snail.

    Chesterfield, England

    Chesterfield Snail

    This enormous spiral sculpture looks strangely out of place on the edge of a housing development.

  • The sculpture/benches by Siameses Company.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Plaza Tlaxcoaque

    A small square that sheds its troubled recent history with its surrounding artworks, some of which are not without controversy.

  • Chisinau, Moldova

    'Copii pe bancă' ('Children on a Bench')

    Artist Veaceslav Jiglițchi brings a connection to Chișinău through works of art.

  • The over-stuffed Fiat 500 has a piled-high roof rack and stickers in the rear windows.

    Nice, France

    A Sunday in Nice

    A cast iron Fiat 500 sculpture overlooks the sea at Port Lympia.

  • Lawnmowers and landscapers simply work around the eyeballs.

    Carmel, Indiana

    The Clay Terrace Eyeballs

    These eyes bring a smile to all who cruise past their watchful gaze.

  • Stonehaven, Scotland

    Stonehaven Boardwalk Sculptures

    A series of mysterious metal artwork adorn this harbor walkway.

  • Aguanga, California

    Ricardo Breceda’s Art Gallery

    Large metal sculptures spread throughout an open landscape.

  • A large sculpture in a field with a rainbow behind it.

    Chattanooga, Tennessee

    Sculpture Fields at Montague Park

    Stroll among more than 50 large-scale sculptures created by world-class artists.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.