The Wiener Riesenrad
the Wiener Riesenrad is a 64.75 metre tall Ferris wheel at the entrance of the Prater Amusement Park in Leopoldstadt, the 2nd district of Austria's capital Vienna.
It was built and erected in 1897 by the English engineer Lieutenant Walter Bassett, Royal Navy. It's purpose was to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of Emperor Franz Josef I. The Riesenrad was one of the earliest Ferris wheels ever built. Walter Bassett's ferris wheel manufacturing business was not a commercial success and he died in 1907 almost bankrupt. A permit for its demolition was issued in 1916, but due to a lack of funds with which to carry out the destruction, it survived. There were originally 30 gondolas but the wheel was severely damaged in World War II and when subsequently rebuilt only 15 gondolas were replaced. The ride is driven by a circumferential cable which leaves the wheel and passes through a drive mechanism located at its base. The many spokes supporting the structure are steel cables in tension
