Riesenrad
Telephone:
, 12345 Vienna
Distance to Liechtenstein Museum
34 minutes needed
Ferris Wheel
Prater
Wurstelprater
Riesenrad is a German word, which means “giant wheel”. It is the name designated to a Ferris wheel situated at the entrance of Prater amusement park in Leopoldstadt, the second district of Vienna, Austria. This Ferris wheel was designed by Walter Basset, an Englishman. The Riesenrad was constructed in 1897 to mark the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef I. At present, the Riesenrad is one of the most well known tourist attractions in Vienna. Being one of the earliest Ferris wheels created, most people consider this non-building structure as an outstanding representation of Leopoldstadt and its city.
There are other Ferris wheels located in Vienna, but the Riesenrad is considered as the largest with the wheel diameter measuring 200 feet in Imperial units. This giant Ferris wheel was initially presented with 30 gondolas but presently have only 15 gondolas due to damage brought about during the World War II. The spokes of the Riesenrad is organized in tension of steel cables. A circumferential cable facilitates movement of the wheel along with the drive mechanism positioned in the foundation of the wheel.
A tour to Vienna, Austria would not be complete without seeing this giant Ferris wheel, which has been featured in various films including The Third Man; The Living Daylights, a James Bond movie and Before Sunrise, a film directed by Richard Linklater.
