Wiener Riesenrad.

Wiener Riesenrad.

The Wiener Riesenrad (German for “Viennese giant wheel”), or Riesenrad is a Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater amusement park in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria’s capital Vienna. It is now one of Vienna’s most popular tourist attractions, and symbolises the district as well as the city for many people.

The Riesenrad was one of the earliest Ferris wheels, erected in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I’s golden Jubilee. At this time it was the largest in the world with an overall height of 64.75 meters(212.4 ft).

The wheel originally had 30 gondolas, but was severely damaged in World War II. When it was rebuilt, only 15 gondolas were replaced. The spokes are steel cables, in tension, and the wheel is driven by a circumferential cable which leaves the wheel and passes through the drive mechanism under the base.

A demolition permit for the Riesenrad was issued in 1916, but due a lack to funds with which to carry out the destruction, it survived.

Vienna, Austria