The round elevator, with a cabin diameter of two meters, operates within a free-standing tower featuring a viewing platform. From there, a connecting walkway leads to the castle and the upper town. The elevator tower is a hyperbolic timber truss structure that encloses a circular steel support frame. Inside, a glazed inner tower serves as the elevator shaft. The walkway to the upper town is a fish-bellied hollow box girder, also made of steel.
One of the many challenges in this spectacular project was coordinating the round elevator cabin and the mounting points for various components with the glass shaft structure, which was supplied by another company.
The unusual design of the elevator with its round doors, along with the limited space in the shaft and for the drive system, required detailed and complex planning. The confined shaft dimensions also led to unconventional technical solutions: both the control cabinet and the counterweight were designed in a round shape. The latter was additionally filled with lead, allowing for a reduction in volume and thus saving even more space.
Due to the height difference, the distance between the two stops—at the castle level and the Main riverbank—is greater than permitted by safety regulations. As a result, alternative safety measures had to be coordinated with TÜV and the fire department through a risk analysis. Among other things, the cabin ceiling was equipped with a hatch that allows for emergency evacuation of passengers.
To ensure perfect assembly of all components and to eliminate potential errors from the outset, the cabin was fully assembled at our factory, delivered as a complete unit, and lifted into the shaft by crane.