Jan sends along this interesting lead:
The Kiel Harbour Gondola (Stadtseilbahn, Kiel). Image via wikimedia.
I’d like to point you to a tiny CPT that once operated in my hometown Kiel (Germany), as it seems there are no English sources about it and it might be of interest for you.
It was a landmark and attraction in town as it was quite unique. It was installed by the owner of a department store to make a parking garage, that was located on the other side of the Old Harbour, more accessible. It spanned an enormous distance of ~140 meters, had two gondolas for 15 people each and one journey took about 70 seconds.
I suppose its one of the earliest urban CPT’s. It was opened in 1974 and transported nearly 3 Mio. people until it was closed in 1991 for financial reasons, although many people and the city tried to change the new owner’s mind. As it was free, it was quite popular: there are reports of 50m long queues at certain times.
But in the end the owner didn’t want to replace the old cable. And the staff costs were probably to high for the owner, as there was some sort of “cabin boy” aboard.
Thanks so much for this, Jan!
As so many of our readers are from German-speaking countries, it would be great if some of them could help gather more details on this system. Please put any information you find in the comments.
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