It’s hard to explain why, but there’s something so addicting about the perfect shapes of the spiral stairs that it’s hard to take your eyes off them. Interestingly, spiral staircases were introduced relatively late into the architecture due to their complex helical structure. Although first examples date back to 5th century BC, it wasn’t until the Trajan’s Column, erected in Rome in 113 AD, that this space-saving element won itself a place in Roman architecture.
Because of their elegant round shape, spiral staircases give a more romantic touch to the building than the regular stairs would. The photogenic side of the spiral stairs has been widely exploited by photographers and movie-makers alike. The stair shots have developed many symbolic meanings that help to strengthen the message of the movie when used appropriately.
The symbolism didn’t go unnoticed even by Dr. Sigmund Freud, who, unsurprisingly, considered walking up and down the stairs as a representation of the sexual act. As the architectural styles get more diverse, so do the examples of spiral stairs.
1 | Vatican Museum
Photo by: Alexander Dragnov
2 | Sagrada Familia, Spain
Photo by: Vincent Spanneut
3 | Dresden, Germany
Photo by: Philipp Götze
4 | Cottbus University Library, Germany
Photo by: Philipp Götze
5 | Heal’s Department Store, United Kingdom
Photo by: Aaron Yeoman
6 | San Francisco, USA
Photo by: Ryan C. Anderson
7 | Germany
Photo by: Matthias Haker
8 | Queen’s House, United Kingdom
Photo by: Edward Bozzard
9 | Location Unknown
Photo by: Izidor Gasperlin
10 | Finland
Photo by: Ilkka Hämäläinen
11 | Castle Hartenfels in Torgau, Germany
Photo by: HannoFlickr
12 | Eckmuhl Lighthouse, France
Photo by: Mickael Lootens
13 | Location Unknown
Photo by: Harry Lieber
14 | Tokyo, Japan
Photo by: Imarin95
15 | Chinese Garden, Singapore
Photo by: Renanda Rahmawan
16 | Dresden, Germany
Photo by: Philipp Götze
17 | Deutsche Kinemathek Museum, Germany
Photo by: Christian Beirle González
18 | Munich, Germany
Photo by: Christian Beirle González
19 | Dresden, Germany
Photo by: Philipp Götze
20 | Vizcaya Museum, USA
Photo by: Marco Hofmann
Photos by: Architecture & Design (via Bore Panda)
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