The ''Hammetschwand Lift'' is the highest exterior

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

and is located in Switzerland. It connects a rock path with the lookout point ''Hammetschwand'' on the

Bürgenstock The Bürgenstock is a mountain in Switzerland (1,115 m above sea level). It is located partway along the shore of Lake Lucerne. Bürgenstock is also a resort located at 874 m a.s.l. on the same mountain. The lookout point at the summit of the ...

plateau overlooking

Lake Lucerne __NOTOC__ Lake Lucerne (german: Vierwaldstättersee, literally "Lake of the four forested settlements" (in English usually translated as ''forest cantons''), french: lac des Quatre-Cantons, it, lago dei Quattro Cantoni) is a lake in central S ...

History

Built by hotel and railway businessman Franz Josef Bucher it was the first of its type in Switzerland when first opened in 1905. The lift carries passengers up to the summit of the Hammetschwand in under a minute, and holds the record for the highest exterior lift in Europe. The current lift was built and opened by the

Schindler Group , logo = Logo-schindler.png , logo_size = 200px , image = SchindlerTestTowerHeadOfficeEbikon.jpg , image_size = 250px , image_caption = Schindler Test Tower at the Head Office in Ebikon, Switzerland , type = Public (''Aktiengesellschaft'') , ...

. The original lift operated at a speed of and took nearly three minutes to reach the summit of the Hammetschwand, carrying up to 8 people in its wooden/zinc plated cab. In 1935 the lift's speed was increased to and the cab was replaced with a lighter metal construction. At this time it was not only the highest public external elevator in Europe, but also the fastest elevator in the world. The filigrain, metal lattice tower has a surface area of , is high and is located on a rock pit. The elevator entrance, the engine room and the first of this pit are within the mountain, while the next of the shaft extend into the open air, offering a view of Lake Lucerne. At the top station of Hammetschwand ( above sea level), there are panoramic views of the lake and the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

External links

* * http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=47238 {{coord, 47, 00, 04, N, 8, 23, 47, E, region:CH-LU_type:landmark, display=title Individual elevators Monuments and memorials in Switzerland