The construction of the giant wheel in Berlin is still surrounded by questions

Berlin - Few world metropolises can boast such magnificent natural panoramas as Prague. However, the desire to view cities from above is inherent to people, which is why they have been building various towers and observation points since time immemorial. In recent years, after the great success of the London Eye, gigantic observation wheels have returned to fashion. Berlin, humorously said to have its highest point at the tip of the television tower on Alexanderplatz, is still preparing to build a new attraction.
The discussion about the giant wheel in the city, whose center lies at a "dizzying" height of 31-70 meters above sea level, has been ongoing for a long time. Its opening was originally planned for last year's World Cup, but the project did not materialize. The greatest emotions were stirred by the debate over the question of "where to put it", in which, besides factual objections, quite bizarre arguments were also raised. Environmentalists expressed concerns that the 185-meter high structure (three times higher than the Petřín lookout tower) near the Berlin Zoo would disrupt the intimate lives of rhinos and prevent bird migration. Nevertheless, the plot of land near the famous zoo station triumphed in the race against other Berlin locations this January.
"The location is undoubtedly very central, the view of the landmarks is excellent, both to the east and west of the city, and the infrastructure could hardly be better," claims Michael Waiser, managing director of the Great Berlin Wheel company, which plans to build and operate the attraction.
In a way, he is right - even an unbiased observer may be tempted to think that for an ideal view of the historic city center (with the exception of the neighboring Kurfürstendamm street), the wheel is perhaps situated just a bit "too far west." It is nearly three kilometers away from the Brandenburg Gate and Potsdamer Platz, and approximately twice that distance from Berlin Cathedral. Many also believe that the city missed the opportunity to revive some less attractive area in the center due to the choice of land near the popular zoo.
A bigger problem, however, may be parking in the immediate vicinity of the wheel. Even if the optimistic assumption of the operating company is taken into account that only one-fifth of the planned 31,000 daily visitors will arrive by car, it may be quite cramped around the tourist magnet. Especially since, according to Waiser, the operator intends to provide only a portion of the originally planned 270 parking spaces for cars. He expects that the city will soon build a large underground garage on the neighboring Hardenbergplatz.
Waiser sees Berlin as the ideal place for the construction of the wheel - the metropolis on the Spree is constantly changing and growing, and in recent years, the number of its visitors has been steadily increasing. Last year, it ranked third among the most visited cities in Europe - after London and Paris. His company plans to invest 120 million euros in the attraction and expects to create about 200 new jobs directly. For the debt-ridden council of Berlin suffering from high unemployment, this sounds like music to their ears. The conviction that the project will succeed prevails despite further delays in the date when it should receive a building permit. It is now anticipated for October of this year, with the wheel opening at the end of summer 2009.
The operators expect that the attraction will attract about two million visitors annually and that the investment will pay off over a period of ten years. The entrance fee (planned to be around 11 euros) is expected to be just one of the revenues - a total of 36 cabins of the giant wheel will also be rented out for social events. Each of them is expected to accommodate up to 40 people. The wheel is said to operate 350 days a year. The Great Wheel Corporation, under which the Berlin project is also marketed, plans to build two giant wheels in China (in Beijing and Qingdao), as well as in Dubai, Singapore, and Orlando, USA, according to its website.