Vienna, Austria: Wiener Riesenrad

The Wiener Riesenrad probably is not the most famous Ferris Wheel in the world. I'd have to assume that the Eye in London has that distinction. But the Vienna attraction certainly ranks highly, in part because of a movie.

The Riesenrad, as it is usually called, is right at the entrance to Prater amusement park, and it's charming. It was built in 1897 to celebrate the reign of King Franz Josef I. It survived a demolition order in 1916, thankfully. Soon after that, it became the world's tallest Ferris Wheel from 1920 to 1985. If you are wondering why it moved up in the rankings, it's because the Paris version of the Ferris Wheel was torn down. By the way, the title now belongs to a wheel in Las Vegas. There used to be 30 cars on it, but some damage from World War II dropped the number to 15, and that issue was never fixed.

The movie in question is "The Third Man." Early in the motion picture, Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton go for a ride on it. Most of the scenes were obviously shot on a sound stage, with background footage of the view. But it's a good replica of what the inside of the gondola is like. The cars are large enough to hold 10 or 12 people at a time. There are some old-time decorations that add to the fun of the ride.

It's part of the Prater amusement park, which has been around in one form or another for more than a century. The park has shrunk over the years, which is the price of living in a big city with commercial pressures. It lost some land to highways and an expanding university. Still, it's a colorful place and still quite a draw for everyone.