Prater Turm, Swing ride in Prater district, Vienna, Austria
Prater Turm is a 117-metre Starflyer chain carousel in Vienna's Wurstelprater, built by the Austrian firm Funtime. Its slender tower is dark green steel lattice with a lighter inner lattice; a gilded onion dome with three 2.7 m clocks crowns it, and below the dome a wheel of dark arms carries twelve double seats on thin cables.
The Praterturm opened on 1 May 2010, built by the Austrian firm Funtime in a little over half a year. At 117 metres it was the world's tallest chain carousel until Eclipse opened at Gröna Lund in Sweden in May 2013, and it remains Austria's tallest ride. Its owner was Prater entrepreneur Walter Pondorfer.
The Praterturm stands on Parzelle 59a in the Wurstelprater, the permanent fairground section of the Prater. Its owner is the Funtime HandelsgmbH of Prater entrepreneur Walter Pondorfer, and the ride was built by the Austrian firm Funtime in a little over half a year. The gold-glowing onion dome at the top houses three clocks 2.7 m across.
Riders sit in 12 double seats secured by belts and lap bars, so 24 people ride per cycle. The carousel lifts them to 95 metres while spinning faster with height, reaching 60 km/h at an 18-metre radius. A ride lasts three to four minutes.
The tower's gold-glinting onion dome hides three clocks, each 2.7 m across, plus 1,200 LEDs for night lighting. Its 200-tonne structure is anchored in a slab foundation 16 m wide and 2 m deep that weighs 720 tonnes. Twelve double seats carry 24 riders to 95 m, reaching 60 km/h at an 18 m radius.
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