Where is the tallest Ferris wheel in the world?

The Ferris wheel is one of the best attractions that mankind has come up with. First, it's safe and not scary. Secondly, it is insanely beautiful. Even a nondescript city from a bird's eye view suddenly becomes unusually attractive, spacious and slightly enigmatic, the chest is filled with air, and the mood improves noticeably.

It turns out that the prototypes of modern fake wheels appeared more than three hundred years ago in Turkey. In motion, these attractions were brought with the help of human muscles. But the first Ferris wheel, powered by a car, was invented by George Ferris for the World Exhibition, held in Chicago in 1893. So the Americans responded to the inventors of the Eiffel Tower - the French. True, the answer turned out to be heavy though (about 2000 tons), but not so high - four times smaller than the Parisian miracle designed by Gustave Eiffel.

Since in the Soviet Union the observation wheels were in the parks of almost any large city, most of our compatriots managed to ride on a slow ride more than once. But to try the tallest Ferris wheel in the world - these are completely different sensations, from which the inhabitant of the planet of any age can hardly refuse.

The question arises: "Where is it located?" As with any record holder, you can get several answers to this question. It all depends on the evaluation criteria.

It is generally accepted that the highest Ferris wheel in the world is located in the city-state of the Republic of Singapore. It is called Singapore Flyer ("Singapore bird") and rises 165 meters above the ground. From the highest point of the wheel, you can survey the surroundings on the territory of 45 kilometers and even consider the islands of neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia. This ferris wheel was built in 2008. At first, it rotated clockwise, but then, according to the experts of Feng Shui, it was turned back. There are 28 cabins attached to the wheel, each of which accommodates 28 people.

In the world of technology, everything changes very quickly. So, from 2000 to 2006, the honorary title "the highest Ferris wheel in the world" belonged to the famous "London Eye" (Energy London Eye), then it was replaced by the Chinese giant "Star of Nanchang" (Star of Nanchang), holding the palm of the championship and even less - two years. These attractions were 135 and 160 meters in height, respectively.

But all these fucking wheels are built on the technologies of the XXI century. Specialists call them Observation wheel - "observation wheel". Their booths are not inside, but outside the rim, and more like capsules. They do not hold vertically under the influence of gravity, but can independently rotate due to a complex system of electric motors. As for the Chinese attraction, it is, apparently, some kind of transitional option between the traditional attraction and the modern "Observation wheel".

Therefore, the tallest Ferris wheel in the world of the classic type is the "Sky Dream" in the Japanese city of Fukuoka. For a number of reasons, since 2009, it does not work and is partially dismantled.

But already today the world announced a number of projects to create higher ferris wheels. True, most of these projects have come to a standstill, and construction has stopped, not having started.

However, a 167-meter wheel is being built in Las Vegas, a 190-meter-high building in New York has been approved, with a view of the Statue of Liberty. It is planned that the 210-meter giant will be another adornment of the city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. This project is sure to come true, because the city has already built the highest skyscraper, the largest shopping center and the highest hotel on the planet.

But there is a hope that the question "Where is the tallest Ferris wheel?" Will soon be answered: "In Moscow!" The fact is that a project has been developed for erecting a 220-meter attraction in the Russian capital with a 275-meter spire. For a long time, the city authorities could not decide on the place. In the spring of 2013 it was announced that the giant will receive a residence permit near the musical theater of Natalia Sats and the circus on Vernadsky Avenue. However, many people think that the place was chosen unsuccessfully: it is necessary to build it in the center to open a magnificent view, say, to the Kremlin and Red Square.

Such an attraction could really be proud of not only Moscow. The highest Ferris wheel in the capital today is located on the territory of VDNH. It was built to the anniversary of the city 16 years ago and is 73 meters in height, which is even slightly smaller than the first Ferris wheel.