Haus auf dem Kopf, Inverted house attraction in Putbus, Germany

Haus auf dem Kopf is a 12-metre-long, 10-metre-wide and 12-metre-high building in Putbus on Rügen that stands on its pointed roof ridge, with the floor slab at the top serving as a viewing platform. A 35-tonne steel skeleton inside keeps the structure stable. The interior is fully furnished as a family home, with bedroom, living room, children's room, dining room, bathroom and kitchen, and the building is slightly tilted so visitors' sense of balance is disturbed.

The house opened in July 2010 in Putbus, built by the firm Hermann Loers at a cost of more than 300,000 euros. A 35-ton steel skeleton was installed to keep the structure stable. A similar upside-down house had already been built in 2008 in Trassenheide on Usedom.

Inside, the house is fully furnished as a family home: bedroom, living room, children's room, dining room, bathroom and kitchen. Chairs, wardrobes, tables, the bed, the shower and the toilet all hang upside down from the floor. Because the building also leans slightly horizontally and vertically, visitors' sense of balance is thrown off.

The house can be heated and is open to visitors all year round for a fee; it is run by Pirateninsel Rügen GmbH, which also operates the Pirateninsel indoor playground in the former hardware store next door. Because the building is tilted slightly both horizontally and vertically, visitors' sense of balance is thrown off, so allow time to steady yourself between rooms.

All the furniture inside, from beds and wardrobes to kitchen appliances, is fixed to the ceiling, which is actually the original floor of the house. Walking through the rooms gives the feeling of moving through a real home while standing on your head.