Ferris Wheel in Moscow … This object attracts not even hundreds, but thousands of visitors every week. Moreover, among fans of this type of attractions, as practice shows, there are not only guests of the Russian capital who are eager to see the city from a bird's eye view, but also numerous locals in love with their small homeland.
Even at the mention of the Ferris wheel in Moscow, the largest carousel of the city, built on the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center, immediately appears before our eyes. True, not everyone knows that there are seven such attractions in the city.
This article will tell you in more detail about what are, without a doubt, such decorations of any park. The reader will get acquainted with the nuances of their occurrence, design features, as well as record holders, among which, of course, will be the main Ferris wheel in Moscow.
General description of the object
In colloquial speech, a landmark of this kind is commonly called a ferris wheel.
It is a certain kind of attraction in the form of a large vertically mounted round frame with passenger cabins attached to its rim.
The Ferris wheel is usually installed both in amusement parks and in other crowded places.
The largest of them are literally amazing. And the sight from the very top of the carousel is always breathtaking even for experienced thrill-seekers.
History of creation and prototype
Back in the XVII century. a device appeared that was driven by the muscular strength of a person. That's it after some time that became the prototype of the modern Ferris wheel.
The first, by the way, was installed long ago, in 1893, in Chicago, at the World Columbian Exhibition.
Two years before, the organizers of the event announced a competition for the best project, which, as expected, could become the so-called visiting card of the country, and in terms of scale it should eclipse the Eiffel Tower itself in Paris. The question of erecting the Ferris wheel in Moscow for that period of time has not even been conducted.
As a result, the project of engineer George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. won. He created a 2000-ton attraction, the diameter of which reached 80 m. The wheel moved due to two steam engines. 36 cabs were attached to its rim, the size of which was approximately like a bus. In each of these rooms there were 40 standing places and 20 seats, and the total capacity of the carousel was 2160 passengers. Not everyone knows that it took about twenty minutes of time to turn one wheel. This structure was four times lower than the Eiffel Tower, but significantly higher than all the skyscrapers of that time. The workers barely managed to install the device on time, so they called it “damn” among themselves. So this name stuck.
The main types of structures
It is hardly worth saying that the Ferris wheel in Moscow is not distinguished by unique technology, although there is, of course, a similarity.
For example, attractions of such a plan always have cabs that hold in position due to gravity.
However, more recently, objects have appeared in many cities that require a more complex mechanical system. Why? The thing is that the designers are tasked with keeping seats for passengers in the right position.
The so-called observation wheels are a new and slightly different kind, the main difference of which is that its cabs must be mounted outside the rim, and not suspended from it.
The first wheel of this type was opened in 1999. It is called the London Eye. To date, the construction of this type of attraction is already underway in Shanghai, Singapore and Las Vegas. By the way, the Ferris wheel in Moscow, a photo of which can be seen as a business card in almost all guidebooks of the capital, also refers to this type.
Another unusual view is a device with sliding cabs. This was first built in the Brooklyn Park in New York in 1920 and has survived to this day.
Not everyone knows that a copy of it now operates in Disney Land, California.
However, perhaps the most unusual attraction of such a plan was built in the Netherlands in 1999. Now it does not work, but the idea was interesting, because according to the designers' plan, instead of a cabin, a platform was used to fix the car on it.
The most famous attractions in the former USSR
In the former USSR, in every fairly large city, there were culture and leisure parks with all kinds of entertainments and attractions. The capital was no exception.
The Ferris wheel in Moscow, whose height was impressive by those standards, was very popular among tourists. Travelers sought to see the opening landscapes, because in small towns, and even more villages, such power could hardly be felt in full.
In the days of the former Soviet Union, classic type wheels were used in the settlements, and they only differed in size.
For example, each of us remembers how a small Ferris wheel, designed only for children, called the “Sun” functioned in children's parks.
And in our time in Moscow there are only 7 Ferris wheels that are located in different parks. The lowest of them is 25 meters high, and the highest is 73 meters. Many attractions are over 10 years old. In Izmaylovsky Park is the oldest, which was built back in 1958.
The highest and newest Ferris wheel in Moscow: VDNH
First of all, we note that it is named after the 850th anniversary of Moscow. From the inscription on the attraction itself, it is easy to guess that it was built for the anniversary of the beloved capital.
The height of this wheel, located on the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center, is 73 meters.
It has both closed and open cabins for passengers. There are exactly 40 of them, and only 5 of them are open.
Each small room accommodates 8 passengers, and the speed of one revolution is 7 minutes.
"Moscow-850" makes it possible to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the capital. This attraction is truly one of the most amazing, spectacular and romantic not only of the capital of the Russian Federation, but of the whole world.
"Moscow-850" in the ranking of similar
It should be noted that at the time of construction this object was the highest review wheel in Europe. But this did not last long.
Later, in the Italian city of Ravenna, in the Mirabilandia park, the Eurowheel attraction was built, which surpassed Moscow in height, reaching 90 meters.
In 2000, a new wheel, known as the London Eye, was opened to the public in London. Its height today is 135 meters. Until that time, the champions among the wheels were:
- The Great Wheel in London (94 meters).
- Grande Roue de Paris in Paris (100 meters).
Today, every Russian will immediately answer that the Moscow-850 is considered the highest wheel in the country. Many seek to visit him, which means that it is not surprising that such a photo, such as, for example, "Ferris Wheel in Moscow. 2014 ”is in almost every family album.
Favorite vacation spot
The second largest attraction in Moscow is located in Izmailovsky Park. This wheel was the largest during the Soviet era.
Today it is the oldest in the capital. In 2014, 57 years have passed since its construction.
The Izmailovsky Ferris Wheel was installed in 1957 by order of N. S. Khrushchev in honor of the opening of the World Youth Festival.
The height of this attraction is 45 meters. Skating lasts an average of 7.5 minutes. It has 40 viewing cabins.
Over the entire period of the existence of the Big Ferris Wheel, about one and a half million people swept it.
In 2007, a complete repair and restoration of the entire structure was carried out. Izmailovo Ferris Wheel is considered the real pride of the eponymous park of culture and recreation.
By the way, not everyone knows about the existence of such a tradition as riding the newlyweds on this attraction.
