Places of Interest in Vienna

Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)

Praterverband, Prater 90, A-1020, Tel: 729 54 30, Website: www.wienerriesenrad.com, U-Bahn: Praterstern

The Wiener Riesenrad is one of Vienna’s most well-known attractions, made famous by the 1949 film "The Third Man" starring Orson Welles. The 220 meter high structure was designed by British engineer Walter Bassett as a centrepiece to the Universal Exhibition of 1897. Originally it had 30 observation cars, but following severe damage during WWII, the wheel was rebuilt with only 15. The wooden cars are a little creaky (and jerk slightly as the wheel stops frequently to pick up new passengers) although panoramas from the top are terrific!

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The main image accompanying this article (created by Herbert Ortner) is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License and is taken from the Wikipedia Commons Website