Piana di Vigezzo gondola built with the iconic egg-shaped cabins. Most of the cabins were designed to fit persons. Image from chairlift. Very little information is available about this system. Image from Colorado School of Mines. They were recognized for designing their lifts with charming egg-shaped cabins made of metal and fibre glass.
Aside from their whimsical gondola cabins, they were also one of the first companies to develop a detachable grip. Their spring-loaded clamp is considered the forerunner of the detachable grips now used by Doppelmayr and Leitner ropeways. Note that the chair has a roof for weather protection. Image form Seilbahn-Nostalgie. System carried , riders.
Image from R. Von Roll. Voll Roll, a Swiss ropeway manufacturer based in Bern, was another prolific builder of ropeways. They were famous for being the inventors of the detachable chairlift, the VR model, way back in They were similarly well-known for designing 2-seater side chairs where passengers actually sat perpendicular to their direction of travel.
This might seem a little odd nowadays, but from what we can gather online, the sideway seating was believed to provide passengers with a better ride and viewing experience. Also, the sideway profile of the chairs meant that station widths could be reduced. Predigtstuhl Cable Car is the oldest, still operational, large-cabin cable car on the planet.
It connects a m tall mountain in southern Germany. Image by HUvB. The Aeri de Montserrat Spain opened in and still operates with its original cabins. The 1. While it initially focused its efforts on constructing material transport ropeways, it began to build iconic passenger lifts after World War I. Some famous systems include the Tyrolean Zugspitze Cable Car formerly highest altitude , Predigstuhl Cable Car oldest operating cable car with original cabin, , and Port Vell Aerial Tramway formerly highest ropeway tower, m.
The aforementioned images and videos really just scratch the surface of the diversity found in the historical ropeway carrier scene. Given the dozens of cable car companies in the past and thousands of installations worldwide, let us know below in the comments section which nostalgic cabin designs are your favourite.
Want more? As such, when journalist Duncan Geere of How We Get to Next requested an interview of me on the subject of urban cable cars, I presumed it would be nothing more than a word puff piece on the subject written in the time it to takes to write.
It is an exhaustive, engaging and otherwise top-notch article on the subject of Cable Propelled Transit CPT and how they are rapidly being deployed throughout the world.
It is comprehensive with a view into the history of the technology that few reporters bother to delve into. He even takes the time to highlight one of the central complexities of the technology — nomenclature. I can assure you there are things in there that will surprise and delight you.
This is Part 1 of a photo essay on those systems. In this part, a brief overview of the history of cable transit in this part of the world will be explained. Image by Steven Dale. This system was originally built in the middle of the last century to carry people from Caracas to the top of Mount Avila where the luxurious Hotel Humboldt had been built. Political and economic strife caused the government to leave for neglect both the hotel and gondola.
The gondola itself was not reopened until , after a successful rebuild. A gondola passes over two original and well-preserved antique gondola cars at the Mount Avila Caracas Terminal. The Avila gondola cannot, however, be truly classed as cable transit. It lacks integration to the local transit network and really exists more for tourists, not local commuters. It did, however, indirectly inspire the nearby city of Medellin, Colombia to pursue a fully-integrated CPT system to serve the impoverished and dangerous barrio of Santo Domingo.
They would name it The Metrocable. The Metrocable over top the Santo Domingo barrio. Gondolas depart a Linea J Metrocable station. Metrocable Linea K would be an enormous success. Crime rates in Santo Domingo plunged and area investment skyrocketed.
With such an obvious success story, Metro officials had little trouble convincing decision-makers to open Linea J. Unlike Linea K, Linea J would connect several smaller barrios in the western end of the city.
These barrios suffered from similar economic conditions but did not have the population density that Linea K had. This was considered a good thing as Linea K suffered from overcrowding almost immediately upon opening, a situation not witnessed on Linea J. Meanwhile, Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela was not to be undone.
This is one of the reasons they have remained such a strong cultural icon of Venice. Gondolas have an asymmetrical design and weight to allow for the gondolier to stand to one side at the back to row.
This is why gondolas are custom made for each gondolier — to ensure that the boat is balanced with their body. They act as a counterweight to the gondolier at the back of the boat. The island of Giudecca is represented by a tooth shaped ornamentation that sticks out backwards towards the body of the boat. The semi-circular break between the curved top and the six teeth is said to represent the Rialto Bridge. I was having a lot of trouble getting the shape of the gondola and the decorative metals correct and drew and erased and drew and… Finally I was satisfied and began to paint.
One of the gondoliers, an elderly gentleman, kept looking at my work from time to time. Nearly finished I was packing up. He asked if I wanted a ride? He took me on a marvelous tour of the canals free. I sent him a print of the painting with his boat after I returned home. What a beautiful day. I would attach the painting if I could. Sheila Parsons. Tomorrow, i am ordering the book about the Mona Lisa. I have been to Italy and enjoyed the country and people very much.
You write very well, and your descriptions make visualizing the scenes very easy. Thank you. Hi Laura,I found your extract very informative. A Brief History of the Venetian Gondola. A Brief History of the Venetian Gondola In the heyday of the Venetian Republic, some ten thousand gondolas transported dignitaries, merchants, and goods through the crowded canals and lagoons of the water-logged city.
Early Evidence The earliest documentary evidence of the Venetian gondola dates to , when the word gondolum is used in a letter from the Doge, Vitale Falier, to the people of Loreo. The Allure of the Gondola Not only Venetians but also foreign visitors must have been impressed by these distinctive boats, since printmakers such as the Swiss artist Joseph Heinz the Younger and the Dutch author and statesman Nicolaes Witsens disseminated views of the gondola in woodcut prints and engravings that made their way across Europe.
The Rules of Gondola-Making From the beginning, members of the boat-making guilds abided by a set of strict social codes as well as an impressive body of written rules called the mariregole. Have you taken a Venetian gondola ride? Drop a comment below. I love to hear your stories! Explore my books:. Share This Story! About the Author: Laura Morelli. I am an art historian and historical novelist. I earned a Ph. My Authentic Arts guidebook series has been leading travelers off the beaten path for more than 20 years.
As a historical novelist, my passion is bringing the stories of art history to life. Thank you for checking out my books and courses! Related Posts.
Mary Ann August 27, at am - Reply. Laura Morelli November 17, at pm - Reply. Janet November 19, at am - Reply. Laura Morelli December 8, at pm - Reply. Hi Janet, thank you for your comment and for sharing your wonderful gondola story! Myra Robinson September 4, at pm - Reply.
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