The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)
The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad) features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Vienna. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Vienna Vienna guide
About The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)
A giant Ferris wheel about 65 metres tall, built in 1897 for Emperor Franz Joseph's golden jubilee and made world-famous by the 1949 film “The Third Man”; a beloved Vienna icon.
The Wiener Riesenrad is a giant Ferris wheel standing about 65 metres tall at the entrance to the Wurstelprater amusement park. It was erected in 1897 to mark the golden jubilee of Emperor Franz Joseph I, and was constructed by the English engineer Lieutenant Walter Bassett to a design by Harry Hitchins and Hubert Cecil Booth. Originally fitted with thirty gondolas, it was badly burned late in the Second World War and rebuilt with just fifteen cabins.
For decades no surviving Ferris wheel in the world stood taller. The wheel became a global icon through Carol Reed's 1949 film “The Third Man,” and later appeared in films including a James Bond adventure and “Before Sunrise.” The surrounding Prater was an imperial hunting ground that Emperor Joseph II opened to the public in 1766.
Did you know? Though often credited simply to Walter Basset, the Riesenrad was built by the English naval engineer Lieutenant Walter Bassett Bassett, to a design by engineers Harry Hitchins and Hubert Cecil Booth, in 1897.
How long is a visit to The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad). That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad) worth your time?
The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad) is among the 35 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Vienna, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Vienna
Day 2 of the Vienna in 2 days itinerary →Day 3 of the Vienna in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of The Giant Ferris Wheel (Wiener Riesenrad)
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