Kaunas observation wheel to open this autumn after contract signed

A 45-metre observation wheel will open in Kaunas this autumn after the city’s tourism agency signed a contract with Dutch operator SkyView Creation B.V., LRT.lt reports.

The mobile wheel, featuring 32 enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas, is part of a €3.81 million (excluding VAT) deal covering both installation and technical maintenance. The exact location has yet to be determined, with city officials assessing urban, technical, and visitor accessibility factors.

Tadas Stankevičius, head of Kaunas IN—the city’s tourism, business, and investment agency—stated that leisure infrastructure investments boost tourism by attracting more visitors and extending their stays. “Such projects strengthen Kaunas’ position as an appealing travel destination and add value to the entire tourism sector,” he said.

Critics, including opposition members of the city council, argue the funds—originally capped at €4.59 million for the wheel and €23,000 annually for maintenance—could be better spent. Vaida Pranarauskaitė of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union suggested prioritising repairs for the city’s non-operational Žaliakalnis funicular, a historic symbol, over the observation wheel.

City officials have previously ruled out purchasing the defunct funicular, citing its poor condition and high restoration costs. The operating company has instead sought private or EU funding for repairs.

The observation wheel follows a temporary installation that previously operated at Milikonių viewpoint. Kaunas currently has two interwar-era funiculars, one of which remains functional in the Aleksotas district.