Fans of this particular type of attraction are united by the desire to see everything around them from a bird's eye view. The largest such roundabout in Moscow was built on the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition Center. And there are seven of them in the capital.
In this article, we will describe in more detail what they are and what attract citizens and foreign tourists. Let us dwell on one in more detail. The Ferris wheel in Moscow is the largest in Russia.
The common name for such an attraction is "Ferris Wheel".
The history of the very first Ferris wheel
A similar device appeared in the 17th century, and it was set in motion by hand. This design became the prototype of the current attraction.
The very first wheel was installed at the world exhibition (Columbian) in 1893 in the city of Chicago. But before, in two years, a competition was announced for the best project, which could become a visiting card of the country and outshine the Paris Eiffel Tower in size. They did not even plan to build a ferris wheel in Moscow at that time.
Ultimately, the project was won by George Washington Jr. He created a 2000-ton structure with a diameter of 80 meters. The wheel was driven by two steam engines. In total, 36 cabs, equal in size to the parameters of the bus, were attached to the wheel rim. Each booth had 40 standing and 20 seats. The total capacity of all cabins was 2160 passengers.
Some interesting facts about the construction of the first attraction
It took about 20 minutes to turn the wheel of the very first ride alone. This building was significantly higher than all existing skyscrapers of that time, but 4 times lower than the Eiffel Tower.
And the construction was delayed in terms of time, the workers barely managed to install it. In this regard, the builders among themselves called this wheel "damn." Thus, such an interesting name stuck.
Types of structures
The ferris wheel in Moscow does not have any unique technology. Attractions of this kind usually have cabs that hold in position only due to gravity. But today, modern structures with a more complicated mechanical system have already appeared. Designers today have the main task - to keep passenger seats in the right position. This is due to the fact that large rides now have a completely new look.
The main difference between them and the former is that the observation booths on them must be mounted on the outside of the rim (wheel), and not suspended, as they did before. It is of this kind that the first review wheel was built in 1999 in England. Its name is London Eye. And now there are rides in Las Vegas, Shanghai and Singapore.
The ferris wheel in Moscow is also such a type of attraction. His photo as a visiting card of the city is often found in guidebooks of the capital.
There is another unusual device that has sliding cabs. This type of Ferris wheel was built for the first time in New York in the Brooklyn area city park in 1920. It has been saved so far. It should be noted that a copy of it now operates in Disneyland California.
But the most unusual attraction of such a plan is the Netherlands Ferris wheel, built in 1999, which no longer works. The idea of this structure was that instead of the cabin, the designers used the platform to fix the car on it.
Attractions of the capital of Russia
The Ferris wheel in Moscow by the standards of Soviet times was quite impressive and was very popular among tourists.
In the Soviet Union, similar classic wheels were installed in many settlements, and they differed only in their size. But all the splendor of the opening landscapes from the heights of these attractions could be felt only in big cities. Constructed and children's Ferris wheel rides, called the "Sun".
Today in the capital of Russia in different parks there are 7 Ferris wheels. Of these, the highest has a height of 73 meters, the smallest - 25. Many attractions are already quite old (10 years or more). The oldest of them is located in Izmailovsky Park (1958).
Ferris Wheel in Moscow (VDNH): description
At VDNH is the newest and largest wheel of all Moscow. It was built on the anniversary of the capital and was named to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the capital of Russia. This building has for vacationers both closed and open booths in the amount of 40 pieces (including 5 - open). Each of them accommodates 8 passengers. One revolution takes 7 minutes.
This wheel makes it possible to get real pleasure and enjoy the views of Moscow from a bird's eye view. This is one of the most spectacular and romantic attractions not only of the capital and the country, but of the whole world. The height of the Ferris wheel in Moscow is staggering (73 meters), and the diameter is 70 meters. Attraction "Moscow-850" at the time of its construction was the highest in Europe.
However, soon in Italy in the Mirabilandia park of the city of Ravenna, the Eurowheel was built, which surpassed the Moscow attraction in height. Its height is 90 m. In 2000, a new wheel was built in London - the London Eye (height 135 m.). And before him the record holders were: the Great Wheel in London (94 m.) And the Paris Grande Roue de Paris (height 100 meters).
The highest wheel in the whole world is in Singapore (165 meters).
In conclusion about the new project: the big Ferris wheel in Moscow
Already there is a project for the future huge attraction, whose name is "Moscow View". It is assumed that its height will be 220 meters, and the budget of this project will be almost 300 million dollars.
The design of the new structure will be different from ordinary attractions. It is planned to use special rails (not internal spokes, as before, which interfered with the review) for moving observation cabins along them. And at its base, it is planned to place restaurants, a concert hall, shopping areas with a total area of 30 thousand square meters. meters and galleries.
The location of the future attraction is still unknown. Most likely it will be installed either on Vernadsky Avenue or in the Central Park. Gorky.
