Meet 7 incredible lifts around the world

Most of us are used to taking elevators several times a day or at least a few times a week. Whether in the building where some of us live, at work, at the mall, to someone's house, or somewhere we have to sort something out in commercial buildings.

There is usually no news in ordinary elevators, is it true? You press the number of the floor you want to go to, it goes up or down, and you're done. However, there are some elevators in the world that exceed all expectations in terms of emotion, surprise and fascination.

They are totally incredible devices and many even seem to belong to fiction films, because they are true works of art and technology of modern engineering. Check out 7 of the world's most amazing lifts, according to an article by Budget Travel Ryan Murphy:

1 - The Gateway Arch - St. Louis, Missouri (United States)

This incredible arch-shaped work in the US city of St. Louis is 192 meters high and is the tallest monument in the United States. The site was designed by the Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and began construction in 1963. The work was completed in 1965 and opened only in 1968.

In addition to the incredible look outside, the climb to the top of the arch is something that attracts thousands of visitors. There is a type of elevator / cable car at each "leg" of the bow, which is formed by "capsules" that have a futuristic oval shape with windows on the sides that reveal the mechanical complexity of the interior structure.

These compartments together hold up to 40 passengers and there are two elevators that leave every 10 minutes, so 80 passengers can be transported at one time. The trip to the top takes four minutes and the descent takes three minutes.

2 - Bailong Elevator - Hunan (China)

Spectacular views at 330 meters are what you can get from the Bailong Elevator, also known as the Hundred Dragon Lift, located in Zhangjiajie Forest National Park, Hunan Province, China.

The Bailong Elevator carries tourists through a huge column of massive sandstone in a mountain range. It is glazed for visitors to enjoy the breathtaking view of the area's rocky mountain range and lakes. The work began in 1999 and finished in 2002.

3 - The Falkirk Wheel - Falkirk (Scotland)

You may have already seen car lifts in some parking lots. Now, imagine boarding a boat lift? Well, that exists, is in Scotland and goes by the name of Falkirk Wheel. This special boat lift opened in 2002, making it the best way to connect two channels whose connection had been cut about 70 years earlier.

As it should be, the lift has become a very popular attraction among tourists who ride the 50-minute boat rides that cross both canals, including rising and falling in this amazing lift.

4 - AquaDom - Berlin (Germany)

The lobby of Berlin's Radisson Blu Hotel has something unbelievable that no other hotel in the world has: the AquaDom. There is an elevator that passes through the hollow center of a 25-meter-high cylindrical aquarium that transports visitors through a panorama full of tropical marine life.

Vibrant-colored fish stroll quietly, being watched by their human admirers, and divers also stay there a few times a day for technical maintenance, cleaning, feeding the fish, and even distracting visitors.

There are about fifty different species in over one million liters of water in the largest cylindrical tank aquarium in the world. The elevator ride is very calm and slow so that tourists can admire the view and enjoy the fish.

5 - Hammetschwand Elevator - Lake Lucerne (Switzerland)

What looks like a rocket ready to take off is the Hammetschwand Lift, which sits on Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. It opened in 1905 as a complement to the Bürgenstock Resort, and its panoramic views of the Alps and the blue waters of Lucerne have since enchanted visitors.

It takes passengers 153 meters to the summit of Hammetschwand in less than a minute. The elevator still holds the first position as the largest outdoor elevator in Europe. Although the structure seems fragile, it has stood the test of time and some renovations have already been made to ensure complete safety. After all, we are in Switzerland.

The lift is disabled during the winter months of the Northern Hemisphere, being the best time to visit between mid-May and mid-October. The cool thing is that it stays open late on Saturdays in summer, making it the perfect place to enjoy a wonderful sunset.

6 - SkyView - Stockholm (Sweden)

SkyView is an incredible attraction that takes visitors to the top of the world's largest spherical building, the Ericsson Globe, a landmark of Stockholm.

The elevator travels 130 meters, where tourists have a spectacular view of the Swedish city. The two spherical glass lifts make the up and down trips across the big globe for 20 minutes.

7 - Lloyd Building - London (England)

The Lloyd building was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. Like the Pompidou Center in Paris (designed by Renzo Piano and Rogers), the building was innovative in its services, such as stairs, elevators, power lines electrical and pipes all outside, leaving a large organized space inside.

The 12 glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK. The first four floors are connected by escalators through the structure. But, the higher floors are glazed and can only be reached through the lush exterior elevators, which provide incredible views of the city.

* Posted on 12/1/2014