Vienna’s Zeitgeist and the Giant Ferris Wheel (2024)

A movie star

The Wiener Riesenrad, the oldest ferris wheel of its kind, has had a stellar Hollywood career in the past 125 years. The iron muse has performed in many Hollywood films and was the backdrop of unforgettable moments. In “Before Sunrise,” Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke share their first long-awaited kiss in one of the wagons at sunset. Shooting the scene seems to have been a bit of a challenge, though. The French actress was afraid of heights and completely petrified while Ethan tried to make out with her. James Bond also shared a romantic moment with his Bond girl in “The Living Daylights.” The most spectacular film stunt, however, was the appearance of the Ferris Wheel in an Austrian-Hungarian silent short film from 1914, titled “Der Todesritt auf dem Riesenrad” (Death Ride on the Ferris Wheel). In it, the French circus performer Madame Solange d’Atalide sat on a horse atop a cabin as it completed a full rotation. Of course, the Ferris Wheel was also part in The Third Man, much on that a bit later.

The Wheel for Everyone

A Tragic Turn

The businessman Eduard Steiner acquired the Giant Ferris Wheel in 1919 and put it back into operation. The happy phase lasted only a short while as yet another war loomed. As soon as the Nazis arrived, the Ferris Wheel became their property. In 1944, the Wiener Riesenrad burnt down almost completely, but the iron skeleton remained intact. Post-war Vienna was divided into four areas, each occupied by one of the Allied Forces and any development needed approval by all. In order to rebuild the Prater and Wiener Riesenrad, a city-wide fundraiser was held, and donations came pouring in. In 1947, the Ferris Wheel was finally restored and resumed operation, albeit with fewer and simpler wagons. In 2016, however, new cabins, true to the originals, replaced the post-war cabins. Today, the red and white cabins look as splendid as they did when the attraction opened in 1897. Steiner himself died in the concentration camp of Auschwitz in 1944. In 1953, the Ferris Wheel was restituted to three Steiner heiresses. To this day, the Ferris Wheel is in private hands.

The waltz was yesterday

“I never knew the old Vienna before the war, with its Richard Strauss music, its glamour, and easy charm,” is the opening line of the movie “The Third Man,” one of the greatest black and white thrillers of all time. Carol Reed's film, with Orson Welles in the leading role, is a story of corruption in the depressed and ravaged Vienna of the post-World War II years. It was shot in 1948 and the Giant Ferris Wheel can be seen in many parts of the film. The movie painted a picture of a Vienna previously unseen, with lurking shadows, bombed-out ruins, and dim streets. Post-war Vienna was at the front line of the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union. The situation of the city was indeed dire: 20 per cent of the buildings had been destroyed, more than 3,000 bomb craters found, and many bridges, sewers, gas, and water pipes severely damaged. Carol Reed wanted the film’s soundtrack to reflect the situation, so instead of a joyful waltz, the haunting sound of a zither accentuates the story.