Offbeat Traveler: ‘Tiger and Turtle -- Magic Mountain’ installation in Duisburg, Germany

“Tiger and Turtle” rises 68 feet high. Its base is 158 by 113 feet. The “track” stretches 722 feet and is about three feet wide. (Frank Augstein / Associated Press)

March 20, 2014 7:57 PM PT

From a distance, “Tiger and Turtle -- Magic Mountain” looks like a conventional roller coaster, but get up close and you’ll realize its curves aren’t meant for a quick adrenaline rush. The steel structure, which made its public debut Nov. 13, is actually a giant sculpture by German artists Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth.

Visitors can navigate the sculpture on foot. It has 249 steps, which are made to resemble roller coaster tracks from afar. (Mutter Genth / © Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth)

The art installation is found in Angerpark in Duisburg, a city in western Germany about 20 miles north of Dusseldorf. Duisburg, once called “Coalville” owing to its industrial past, is home to Germany’s largest casino and Europe’s largest inland harbor. (Mutter Genth / © Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth)

The work, which sits on a hill made from industrial waste, offers expansive views of Duisburg and the Rhine River. (Mutter Genth / © Heike Mutter and Ulrich Genth)