10 Coolest Elevators In The World

ENGINEERING & ARCHITECTURE

1. The Hammetschwand Lift, Switzerland – The highest exterior elevator in Europe. It connects a spectacular rock path with the lookout point Hammetschwand on the Bürgenstock plateau overlooking Lake Lucerne. The elevator whisks passengers 153 meters up to the summit of the Hammetschwand in less than one minute and is a major tourists attraction

The Hammetschwand Lift, Switzerland – The highest exterior elevator in Europe

The Hammetschwand Lift, Switzerland

2. The Bailong Elevator, China – A glass elevator built onto the side of a huge cliff in the Wulingyuan area. At a height of 1,070 feet (330 m), it is claimed to be the highest and heaviest outdoor elevator in the world. Construction of the elevator began in October 1999, and it was opened to the public by 2002

The Bailong Elevator, China – highest outdoor elevator in the world

3. Sky Tower, New Zealand –  The Sky Tower is an observation tower in the city of Auckland. The view from the observation level (610 feet in the air) is breathtaking. The ride up to the observation level is by a 40-second ride up in a glass-fronted elevators. The floor is also glass-made so you can look down through the floor for the extra thrill of seeing the ground speed away from you, and come rushing back towards you on the descent.

Sky Tower, New Zealand – The elevator walls and floor is glass made

The skyline of Auckland, New Zealand, with the Sky Tower on the right

4. The Falkirk Wheel, Scotland – A rotating boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. The difference in height of the two canals at the wheel is 24 metres (79 ft), roughly equivalent to the height of an eight-storey building. So basically, you’re riding an elevator while within a boat!

The Falkirk Wheel – an elevator ride for boats

5. AquaDom, Germany – The AquaDom in Berlin is a 25 metre tall (82 feet) cylindrical acrylic glass aquarium with a built-in transparent elevator inside of it

AquaDom, Berlin – take an elevator ride from within an aquarium

6. SkyView, Ericsson Globe, Sweden – Located in Stockholm, the Ericsson Globe it is currently the largest hemispherical building in the world with a diameter of 110 metres (361 feet) and a height of 85 metres (279 feet). It is used for concerts, shows and ice hockey games. On the external side of the hemisphere, you can take a ride on the glass lifts of the SkyView. A 20-minute curve to the top of the globe and back down will give you the best view of Stockhom’s skyline

The SkyView of Ericsson Globe – best view of Stockholm

7. The Gateway Arch, United States – A 630-foot (190 m) monument in St. Louis, Missouri. Clad in stainless steel and built in the form of an arch, it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States, and the world’s tallest arch. To go to the top of the Arch, there’s a tram in each leg of the arch. Each tram is a chain of eight egg-shaped compartments, each capable of holding five passengers. The trip to the top takes four minutes

The Gateway Arch – the world’s tallest arch

8. Eiffel Tower, France – To get to the top of Eifel Tower you first have to take a lift from the ground to the first level. This lift is not a regular vertical elevator, but an elevator that runs up the legs of the Eiffel in a diagonal line. Then you switch to a regular elevator that takes you to the top where you can see the wonderful skyline of Paris

The elevators running on the Eiffel’s legs

The Eiffel Tower – the first elevators run across the legs. Then you switch to vertical elevators

9. Lacerda Elevator, Brazil – Connecting the old and the new part of the city of Salvador, and allowing access to more than 30,000 people a day at a cost of $0.05 for a ride. The ride is 38 seconds long and the elevator reaches a height of 72 meters (236 ft).

10 Coolest Elevators In The World: Lacerda Elevator, Salvador, Brazil

10. Taipei 101, Taiwan – The double-deck elevators set a new speed record in 2004 with top ascending speeds of 16.83 m (55.22 ft) per second (60.6 km/h, 37.7 mi/h). Taipei 101’s elevators sweep visitors from the fifth floor to the 89th-floor observatory in only 37 seconds

10 Coolest Elevators In The World: Taipei 101 – fastest elevators in the world