Spielschiff Play Ship / Maury Park (22201)

Spielschiff (Play Ship in German) is an interactive play sculpture, located on the grounds of the Arlington Arts Center, adjacent to Maury Park.

German sculptor Bonifatius Stirnberg created the first Spielschiff in 1979 in Aachaen, Germany.  In 2007, Stirnberg recast Spielschiff with the original mold to produce an identical piece for Arlington, Aachen’s sister city.

Spielschiff is an interactive play sculpture with parts that can be repositioned, swiveled, peered through and explored. Children can imagine they command a magical vessel either from the lower level’s revolving hull, or in the crow’s nest which is equipped with kaleidoscopes and weather vanes.

My four year old loved turning the wheel to spin the rotor.

But even better, was sitting in the cockpit and turning it’s wheel to rotate the seat.  It was like a giant sit ‘n spin.

Up in the crow’s nest, there is a weather vane that can be rotated and two kaleidoscopes.   The medallion reads “Arlington” on one side and “Oche” (Aachen in dialect) on the other.

This is a really creative and fun piece of art that kids of all ages can enjoy (well, maybe not babies).  The surface is soft rubber and the installation is only partially fenced.   It’s not a very big structure and it sits in full sun, so it’s best saved for an overcast day.

It sits on the grounds of the Arlington Arts Center, along N. Monroe St.

The building does have bathrooms, if it happens to be open.  Check their website for hours.    Maury Park also has two tennis courts and a small amount of open green space.

Looking for more places to play? Check out my reviews of other Playgrounds, Parks, and Play Areas in Arlington and the greater Metro DC area.