“Who doesn’t come up Viennese ferris wheelas if he wasn’t even in Vienna”, it is an unwritten law for all visitors to Vienna. This giant wheel was built in 1897 for the 50th anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Francis Joseph I. This year, it celebrates one hundred and twenty-five years since opening.

Diameter giant wheel almost 61 meters, the total weight of the iron structure is 430 tons. The giant, having no reason to rush, makes a turn at a speed of 2.7 km/h. This Vienna landmark is the world’s oldest surviving giant Ferris wheel in its original design. And people all over the world know him.

Since May of this year, he has been waiting The special attraction of giant wheels in the form of “Platform No. 9”, which, however, is intended only for those who do not suffer from vertigo: on the purpose-built platform, visitors who want an extraordinary experience of adrenaline can enjoy the exhilarating sensation of heights during an aerial ride. “Platform No. 9” is a steel structure with a glass floor. It had no sidewalls and a roof, and the daredevil was only secured with straps.

This giant wheel has played prominent roles in cult films several times, including “The Third Man” (1949) with Orson Wells or the Bond film “Breath of Life” (1987) with Timothy Dalton as James Bond. Director Richard Linklater also filmed scenes for his film “Before Dawn” (1995) here. Therefore, in June 2016, the Vienna Ferris wheel was included in the list of “Treasures of European Film Culture” by the European Film Academy.

The first written mention of the area where modern spread today pratr, dates from 1162, when Duke of Austria Friedrich I. Babenberský donated it to the noble de Prato family. The term Prater was first used in 1403 and originally referred to a small island in the Danube tract north of the present winter port of Freudenau. However, gradually it began to be used for neighboring areas as well.

The land changed hands frequently until Emperor Maximilian II purchased it in 1560. as a pursuit to organize hunting entertainment. Emperor Rudolph II later banned him from entering the Prater realm in an attempt to deal with poachers.

On April 7, 1766, Emperor Joseph II announced pratr for publicly accessible spaces to be used for public entertainment, and to allow the establishment of cafes and refreshments there. This eventually led to the creation of the delightful Wurstelprater. During this time, until 1920, the Pratr was also on hunting duty.

In 1873, at Pratru holding the World’s Fair. This is the first time this major event has been held outside of London or Paris. The exhibition area called Messegelände is located on the grounds of a former fair.

In 2004, renovations began amusement park section, Wurstelprater. On 11 May 2008, the new Vienna Metro U2 section opened with three stations across the park. Near the entrance to the park is the Wien Praterstern Station, from where you can also take a train to Brno or Prague.