Snake alley and its winding nooks (11 photos + 1 video)

While there are no actual snakes in the history of this crooked road, there are a few that you might encounter here.





Snake Alley in Iowa was created in 1894 by a trio of German immigrants and was voted "the crookedest street in the world" by Believe It or Not! The steep street was built to mimic the vineyard trails of Europe.



In addition to its aesthetic purposes, the street also served to connect Burlington's central business district with the residential area at the elevated end of Snake Alley. The street consists of nearly 300 feet of five half-circle turns and two quarter-circle turns. The dizzying zigzag proved too difficult for the horses it was originally designed for. The limestone bricks that lined the street were laid at an angle to help the animals stay on their feet.





By the way, about the horses on Snake Alley: there is a story (most likely made up) about how after the construction was completed, the Burlington Fire Department sent the best horses to gallop along this road – to test them. And those who did not fall, did not break their legs and successfully ran to the end were given the honor of pulling fire trucks.



Today, the road hosts an annual bike race and art fair.







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