Germany: Spreepark Berlin Ferris Wheel to Start Operation in 2025
An iconic landmark attraction is returning to Berlin: the Ferris Wheel at Spreepark.
© Grün Berlin c/o die grille
Next update on the Spreepark Berlin project: After a complete renovation, the abandoned Ferris wheel, which had stood idle for decades and was part of the amusement park that opened in 1969, will also become part of the visitor offerings at the new Spreepark, the Managing Director of Grün Berlin, Christoph Schmidt, announced last Friday. In the future, the Ferris wheel – large parts of which will be carefully renovated and partially reused, while its supporting structure and gondolas will be newly built – will float as a landmark directly above a new 3,000-square-meter water basin. The 40 gondolas of the 45-meter-high Ferris wheel are planned to be given a round shape inspired by the gondolas of the first Ferris wheel at Spreepark, which stood in Plänterwald from 1969 to 1989 (this wheel, once manufactured in West Germany, was replaced by a new version from Vekoma in 1989).
The Europe-wide tender procedure for the restoration planning, refurbishment and transformation of the attraction is scheduled for the end of 2022. Completion of the redesigned Ferris wheel, including the water basin, is expected to take place by the end of 2024, and the ride will probably go into operation in April 2025. According to current plans, the costs for the refurbishment and redesign of the Ferris wheel including the water basin are expected to amount to an investment volume of 6.4 million euros.
A most recent special feature on Ferris wheels worldwide can be found in EAP issue 6/2021. (eap)
