Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator | |
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General information | |
Type | Public elevator and enclosed footbridge |
Address | 2 Rue du Pont, L-2344 |
Town or city | Luxembourg City |
Country | Luxembourg |
Coordinates | 49°36′55.87″N6°7′50.34″E / 49.6155194°N 6.1306500°E |
Groundbreaking | December 10, 2009 |
Opened | 22 July 2016 |
Cost | € 10,533,514 |
Height | |
Roof | 74.77 m (245 ft) |
Top floor | 60 m (197 ft) |
Website | |
Panoramic Elevator of the Pfaffenthal |
The Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator (Luxembourgish: Lift Pafendall-Uewerstad; French: Ascenseur panoramique Pfaffenthal - Ville-Haute; German: Aufzug Pfaffenthal-Oberstadt) is a public elevator in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg which connects the city quarters of Ville Haute, the historical city center, with Pfaffenthal, in the Alzette valley below. It offers its passengers panoramic views of the Alzette River valley. [1] [2] [3] The Pfaffenthal elevator, together with the Grund public elevator, and the Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg funicular, form Luxembourg City's three cable transport modes connecting its elevated city with city quarters located in the Alzette and Pétrusse river valleys.
In 2006, Luxembourg City planners, noting the city's topography of plateaus and deep gorges, began exploring the possibility of a mechanical link to facilitate greater pedestrian and bicycle mobility between the historical city center, Ville Haute, on the Luxembourg plateau and the Luxembourg City quarter of Pfaffenthal in the Alzette valley. [4] Additionally, such a link would increase tourist footfall to Pfaffenthal and complement the existing public elevator connecting Ville Haute to the Luxembourg City quarter of Grund, to the South of Pfaffenthal. [5] : 9, 12 This would promote the use of various city walking and bike trails, businesses in the quarter, and improve accessibility to Luxembourg City's UNESCO World Heritage former fortifications, including, amongst others, the Béinchen (de) — a 17th century, Vauban-designed fortified bridge over the Alzette River. [5] : 9, 12 A 2007 study considered various options, including a funicular, escalators and aerial cable cars before settling on an elevator. [5] : 12 The primary reasons for this choice included building costs, maintenance costs, spatial constraints imposed by the existing street layout in Pfaffenthal, and the need to not encroach on designated UNESCO World Heritage sites. [5] : 12
Funding of 7,573,950 euros was approved for the project by the Luxembourg City Communal Council on 16 February 2009, with the ground-breaking ceremony being held on December 10 of that year. [5] : 3, 11–12 Construction was delayed for four years due to geological issues in securing the hillside cutting. [5] : 18 On June 2, 2014, municipal legislators decided to allocate an additional 2,959,564 euros of funding for the elevator's construction. [5] : 3, 11–12 The enclosed footbridge connecting the elevator shaft to Pescatore Foundation Park was constructed between May and September 2015. [5] : 11 The elevator cabin arrived for installation on March 3, 2016. [5] : 11 Separate to the elevator's construction budget, on January 26, 2015 a tranche of approximately 1 million euros was approved by the Luxembourg City Communal Council for landscaping and renovation of the Pescatore Foundation Park for the elevator's arrival. [5] : 17, 34–37 This included the construction of a 220 m long bicycle path leading from Boulevard Robert Schuman, immediately prior to the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, to the footbridge of the Pfaffenthal elevator. [5] : 17, 34–37
The elevator was opened to the public following an official inauguration ceremony on July 22, 2016. [6] [7] In its first year of operation, the Pfaffenthal Panoramic Elevator is estimated to have carried more than 33,000 persons. [8] In December 2017, Lydie Polfer, Mayor of Luxembourg City, announced a desire for the construction of a third public elevator in the city, between the Pétrusse Valley and Place de la Constitution in the Ville Haute, modelled on the success of the Grund and Pfaffenthal elevators. [9] As of 2024, this project was still in the stage of preliminary analysis. [10]
The main vertical structure consists of a 74.77 m tall, 2.6 m wide, 2.6 m deep hollow tower constructed out of reinforced concrete, which contains the elevator counterweight. [5] : 21 The valley facing side of the tower acts as the backing for the 60 m tall elevator shaft, open on its face and nearly completely open on its sides, topped by a protrusion encasing the elevator machine room. [5] : 21 Vertical steel guide rails for the elevator are attached to the main tower via horizontal steel braces at 5 m intervals along the height of the elevator shaft. [5] : 15 The tower is set into a 20 m deep, 28 m high and 13 m wide cutting in the Cote d'Eich hillside. [5] : 18 To stabilize the terrain, the excavated cutting is lined with sprayed concrete, secured by 72 anchor bolts driven as far as 30 m deep into the hillside, with a 16 m high reinforced concrete retaining wall at its base . [5] : 18 The top of the elevator shaft is connected to a small reinforced concrete enclosed entrance located in Pescatore Park in Ville Haute via a 72.27 m long, 3 m wide and 3 m tall enclosed steel through-truss footbridge. [5] : 21 The bridge passes over the Cote d'Eich road, carved into the hillside. [5] : 21 The sides of the enclosed footbridge are lined with a thin wire mesh. [5] : 14–15 [11] The footbridge, being placed laterally to the elevator shaft, protrudes 9 m beyond it over the Alzette valley. [5] : 14–15 At the end of the bridge, large glass floor-to-ceiling panels on its sides and face and a small sheet of glass flooring enable its use as a panoramic observation platform. [5] : 14–15 Finally, the whole combined structure is reinforced via a 618 mm diameter diagonal steel cylindrical strut embedded in the hillside which intersects the tower and footbridge. [5] : 21
The elevator cabin is 2.3 m wide and 3.7 m deep. [5] : 10, 28 The front of the cabin consists of a 1.65 m deep panoramic section, with glass face, sides, floor and ceiling, offering passengers panoramic views during their journey.: 17, 26, 28 To the rear of the cabin, on both sides is a set of 1.6 m wide 2.1 m tall automatic sliding doors, with the North facing door providing access to the footbridge, and the South facing door used for accessing Pfaffenthal. [5] : 10, 16 The stainless steel floor at the rear of the cabin prevents erosion during winter from salt grit brought in on the feet of passengers, and excess liquid exits the cabin through drains hidden in the door mechanism. [5] : 31
Technicians designed the cabin to be able to load and unload pedestrians and dismounted cyclists at rate of 1.5 and 4 seconds respectively. [5] : 10, 14 The cabin travels the 60 m height at a maximum speed of 2.5 m/s with each journey lasting 30 seconds. [5] : 10, 14, 26, 29 The maximum time for passengers awaiting an elevator is 153 seconds. [5] : 10, 14
The cabin weighs 8.5 metric tons (10 short tons) and is designed to carry a maximum payload of 5 metric tons (10 short tons). [5] : 10, 16 This equates to a maximum theoretical capacity of 66 pedestrians. However, the cabin was designed to comfortably accommodate a much more modest mixed load of 5 cyclists and 10 pedestrians per journey, with the total time needed to load, descend/ascend and unload such a payload only taking 94 seconds. [5] : 10, 14, 16
Traction power for the elevator is provided by a 75 kW gearless motor, itself weighing 7.6 metric tons (10 short tons), housed in protruding motor room at the top of the tower. [5] : 16, 29 The motor operates at over 75% efficiency and can act as a generator able to inject approximately 50 kW back into the energy grid during light ascents or heavy descents. [5] : 16, 29 The traction cables are made out of steel which has been galvanized for outdoor use. [5] : 31 Due to the elevator's open exposure to the elements, technicians decided to supply power to the cabin via the steel rail elevator guides, rather than using a wired connection. [5] : 31 This powers, amongst other services, the cabin lighting, the onboard information screen, and anti-condensation heating for the glass panels. [5] : 31
Meteorological sensors continuously monitor wind strength and guide the elevator to a particular level and immobilize it if conditions are unfavourable. [5] : 16, 26 In the case of serious mechanical issues, resulting in the elevator becoming stranded, a rescue platform, with its own independent power supply and motor is stored at the top of the elevator shaft, hidden by the main motor housing. [5] : 16
The Pfaffenthal level entrance to the elevator is located at the end of rue Pont. Here, two public toilets, installed in the pavilion at the base of the tower where the elevator docks, a Vel'Oh! bicycle rental station with five bicycles, and a single disabled parking space can be found. [5] : 17 Located a short walk from the elevator's lower entrance across the Alzette River on the opposite side of the valley is Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg railway station and funicular, opened on 10 December 2017. [1]
At the top of the elevator, the enclosed footbridge leads out into Pescatore Foundation Park, located at the intersection of the Boulevard Robert Schuman and Avenue de la Porte Neuve, and is connected to the rest of Ville Haute via the various bicycle paths and footpaths within. [5] : 17, 34–37
At the elevator's base is located national Cycle Path 1, which encircles the city center, whilst the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, accessible via the bicycle path leading from the top of the tower, marks the start of national Cycle Path 2, heading towards Echternach. [5] : 17, 34–37 [12] [13]
The elevator undergoes frequent maintenance, closing at least every first Monday of the month after 9 am.
Transport in Luxembourg is ensured principally by road, rail and air. There are also services along the river Moselle which forms the border with Germany. The road network has been significantly modernised in recent years with motorways to adjacent countries. The advent of the high-speed TGV link to Paris has led to renovation of the capital's main railway station while a new Schengen-only passenger terminal at Luxembourg Airport opened in 2017. Trams in the capital were reintroduced in December 2017 and there are plans for light-rail and/or tram-train lines in adjacent areas.
Luxembourg, also known as Luxembourg City, is the capital city of Luxembourg and the country's most populous commune. Standing at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers in southern Luxembourg, the city lies at the heart of Western Europe, situated 213 km (132 mi) by road from Brussels and 209 km (130 mi) from Cologne. The city contains Luxembourg Castle, established by the Franks in the Early Middle Ages, around which a settlement developed.
Kirchberg is a quarter in north-eastern Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It consists of a plateau overlooking the north-east of the historical city center, Ville Haute, connected to the rest of the elevated city by the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, which spans the Pfaffenthal valley. It is often referred to, in reference to the geographical feature it inhabits, as the Kirchberg plateau by Luxembourgish residents. Kirchberg is the predominant location of the European Union institutions and bodies based within Luxembourg, and is sometimes used as a metonym for the EU's judiciary, which occupies the quarter. It is thus the central business district of Luxembourg.
Pfaffenthal is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The quarter owes its name to the German words Pfaffen, meaning monk, and Tal, meaning valley, as the area was once administered by the Benedictine Abbey in Altmunster. During the Middle Ages, this site was popular with craftsmen and artisans, who used the Alzette River to aid in their work. The site is a strategically important gateway to Luxembourg City, and was thus repeatedly fortified by successive rulers from about the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries.
Grund is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is located in the valley below the centre of Luxembourg City on the banks of the Alzette river. In addition to being a picturesque area, it is a popular nightlife precinct which can be accessed by foot or via a lift which descends through the cliff.
The Fortress of Luxembourg is the former fortifications of Luxembourg City, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, which were mostly dismantled beginning in 1867. The fortress was of great strategic importance for the control of the Left Bank of the Rhine, the Low Countries, and the border area between France and Germany.
Gare is a quarter in central Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The quarter has, since 1859, been the location of Luxembourg's principal railway station and terminus, Luxembourg station, around which it subsequently developed. The quarter's name translates into English, from the French Gare, to "station".
The Adolphe Bridge is a double-decked arch bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The bridge provides a one-way route for road traffic across the Pétrusse, from Boulevard Royal, in Ville Haute, to Avenue de la Liberté, on the Bourbon Plateau in Gare. Its upper deck is 153 m in length and carries two lanes of road traffic, and two pedestrian footpaths. Its lower deck, opened in 2018, suspended beneath the upper deck, is 154 m in length, and carries a dedicated bidirectional bicycle path, with access provided for pedestrian use. As of 13 December 2020, following the completion of the second phase of the construction of the city's new tramline, the bridge carries bidirectional tram traffic on its upper deck.
The Passerelle, also known as the Luxembourg Viaduct, is a viaduct in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. Nowadays it runs from the south into the city centre, Ville Haute, carrying road traffic across the Pétrusse valley and connecting Avenue de la Gare to Boulevard Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is 290 m long, with 24 arches, and 45 m above the valley floor.
The Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge is a road bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It carries the N51 across the Alzette, connecting Avenue John F. Kennedy, in Kirchberg, to Boulevard Robert Schuman, in Limpertsberg. The bridge is also known as the Red Bridge on account of its distinctive red paintwork. It is the main route connecting the city centre, Ville Haute, to Kirchberg, the site of the city's European Union institutions.
Avenue de la Liberté is a street in the Gare quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Following significant alterations to its layout during renovation works, which occurred between 2018 and 2021, the avenue is separated into a dedicated bidirectional two-lane tramway on its eastern-side, followed by a two-lane one-way arterial road for motor vehicle traffic heading south towards Luxembourg station, and a bidirectional dedicated cycle-path on its western-side. All this is flanked by two wide tree-lined paved pedestrian footpaths. Prior to the works, which formed part of Luxembourg City's efforts to reintroduce tram transport, the avenue was a four-lane arterial road for motor vehicles with a one way designation for all traffic, excepting public buses.
The N51 is a road in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. It is one of the city's main thoroughfares, carrying traffic from Ville Haute, through Kirchberg, to a junction with the A1. For the north-eastern three quarters of its length, on the eastern side of the Alzette, it bears the name Avenue John F. Kennedy. West of the Alzette, it is successively named Boulevard Robert Schuman ; Boulevard de la Foire; and Boulevard Grand-Duchesse Charlotte.
The Municipal Park is a public urban park in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. The eastern edge flanks the boulevard du Prince Henri and, along with the valleys of the Alzette and Pétrusse, forms a boundary that separates the central Ville Haute quarter from the rest of the city.
The first generation of trams in Luxembourg ran from 1875 to 1964, before they were withdrawn from service and the tramways removed. A second generation of trams began operational service on 10 December 2017, along a new route that will, by early 2025, run from Luxembourg Airport to the Cloche d'Or business district, in Gasperich, serving the new national stadium, via Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg and Luxembourg railway stations. Additional lines are planned for the network both within Luxembourg City, as well as extending to Strassen and Esch-sur-Alzette.
An inclined elevator or inclined lift is a form of cable railway that hauls rail cars up a steep gradient.
The following is a timeline of the history of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg.
The Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg funicular is an automated funicular in Luxembourg City. The line links Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg railway station, on Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) Line 10, to Rout Bréck – Pafendall tram stop, on Luxtram, near the European Investment Bank headquarters. The line is adjacent to the landmark Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, which is crossed by the tram line and which passes over the railway line.
Pfaffenthal-Kirchberg railway station is a rail station on CFL Line 10, in the north of Luxembourg City which opened in December 2017. It is located on Rue Saint-Mathieu in the Pfaffenthal valley, below the Grand Duchess Charlotte Bridge, overlooking the Alzette River. The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL), the state-owned rail company, operates both the station and the associated funicular line, which links the station to the Kirchberg plateau.
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