A unique elephant encounter in Nantes Jun 13, 2019

Created by François Delarozière, Pierre Orefice, and their team of artists and engineers at La Machine Company workshop, the Grand Éléphant was the first of three artworks/attractions constructed for the Machines de l’île (Machines of the Isle) in Nantes. The elephant is a mechanical sculpture that’s so big it can take up to 49 passengers for a 45-minute walk. After unveiling the elephant in 2007 and the Carrousel des Mondes Marins (Marine World Carousel) in 2012, they"re now working on an ambitious third project, L’Arbre aux Hérons (Tree of Herons), scheduled for 2022. The efforts of these visionary creators have turned a shuttered industrial shipyard on the Loire River into a unique place where art, architecture, tourism, and urban planning come together to delight all who visit.

© Dutourdumonde Photography/Shutterstock

palette

Today in History

Jun 13, 2020A gorge-ous mill in the Causses
Jun 13, 2021Bear watching in the Finnish forest
Jun 13, 2022Okavango Delta, Botswana
Jun 13, 2023Okefenokee Swamp
Jun 13, 2024Registan Square, Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Jun 13, 2025Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 14, 2021Happy birthday, Saguaro National Park
Oct 24, 2019Bridge of Hillsborough County
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Apr 15, 2023World Art Day
Feb 22, 2018Roman theater of Cartagena, Spain
Jan 18, 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico
Mar 11, 2018Daylight saving time begins
Oct 11, 2023National Fossil Day
May 15, 2023The Canary Islands, Spain
Apr 11, 2025Tulips, Netherlands
Jan 8, 2026Starling murmuration over the ruins of Brightons West Pier, England
Jun 22, 2025World Rainforest Day
Aug 27, 2025World Lake Day in the Faroe Islands
Jul 3, 2022Dog days of summer
Jan 30, 2026St. Michaels Mount in Marazion, Cornwall, England
Jan 30, 2019Embracing the cold
Jan 12, 2020The Zugspitze: Germany s highest point
Mar 9, 2024Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness, New Mexico
Oct 9, 2025Space Week isnt over yet!
Jun 1, 2023World Reef Awareness Day
Aug 8, 2020It s ∞ Day!
Nov 17, 2022National Take a Hike Day
Mar 2, 2021Fall for Chile
May 14, 2025Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy
May 14, 2018Celebrating Bike to Work Week, May 14-18
Mar 20, 2018Celebrating the first day of spring
Nov 9, 2021Dalyan, Turkey
Apr 2, 2022Whangārei Falls in New Zealand
Apr 4, 2024Red lechwe, Okavango Delta, Botswana
Dec 5, 2018’Chess on ice’